Back by popular demand and another year older … the 2013 Cost of Living Report on Sardinia, Italy. Covering everyday items from tampons to fresh pecorino cheese. This year’s report is jam-packed with daily goodies from my shopping cart. I hope you enjoy.Ā
Cost of Living – Sardinia, Italy 2013
- 1 liter of gas –Ā ā¬1.65 in Sassari –Ā ā¬1.85 Ā in My Town.
- Electricity – every other month this bill arrives. This year we spentĀ ā¬307.06 + the post office fee ofĀ ā¬1.30 x 6 = 7.80 for a grand total ofĀ ā¬314.86. Last year we spent the first five months working in Cayman Islands; if we would have been here during those first months of deep Mediterranean cold our electric bill would have been a few hundred euro more!
- Internet – there are many plans out there and settled on the simplest, payingĀ ā¬15 a month for 10 hours of internet a day.
- Cellphone – A basic cell phone which cost ā¬18.99 on saleĀ and spend aboutĀ ā¬10 a month for the credit.
- Water – in the six years I’ve lived here not one water bill has arrived. We’ve asked, searched and done everything in our power to find out, only to come up empty-handed. I’m sure the water bill will arrive one day, very soon and will guesstimateĀ ā¬3500. word!
- Eating OutĀ ā Two pizzas in the local pizza joint start atĀ ā¬5,00 –Ā ā¬12,00. Then you have your cover charge orĀ copertoĀ which isĀ ā¬2,50 per person (every restaurant has this cover charge, consider it your tip to the restaurant).Ā One liter of wineĀ ā¬8,00. DessertĀ ā¬4,00 –Ā ā¬10,00. Bottled waterĀ ā¬2,00. CoffeeĀ ā¬2,00. Mirto, SambucaĀ or LimoncelloĀ ā¬4,00.Ā A grand total for two people:Ā ā¬47,00!
- Rent – by the sea per month ā¬700 –Ā ā¬2000+. Interior, in the mountains or several kilometers away from the water, per month ā¬300 –Ā ā¬600.
The Daily Groceries
These prices will vary from town to town across Italy – here I’ve taken the median price from all three supermarkets here in town. And just to give you an example of how much the price differs from supermarket to supermarket, take a look at this:
4 Activia Yogurt in supermarket A sells forĀ ā¬3.39. In supermarket B (which is only a stones throw from supermarket A) the same yogurt sells forĀ ā¬2.89. That’s a whopping .50Ā¢ difference for the same product!
I know that in Sassari 8 Activia yogurt, on sale for …Ā ā¬3.48! HOLLA!
At the Supermarket
- Local yogurt .99Ā¢ for two
- 1 liter of milk .79Ā¢ –Ā ā¬1.77
- 6 eggsĀ ā¬1.15
- 300 grams locally baked bread .95Ā¢
- 500 grams major brand pasta .83Ā¢ and on sale .64Ā¢
- 500 grams local pasta .68Ā¢ and on sale .43Ā¢
- 1 kg potatoesĀ ā¬2.50
- 5 large bananasĀ ā¬2.39
- 6 two liter bottle of waterĀ ā¬1.80
- 16 regular maxi padsĀ ā¬2.39
- 8 TamponsĀ ā¬3.29
- Major brand toothpasteĀ ā¬2.39 –Ā ā¬3.29
- Detergent for clothesĀ ā¬2.50 –Ā ā¬8.99
- Dish soap .99Ā¢
- DiapersĀ ā¬4.99 toĀ ā¬7.29 (small pack)
- 1000 grams of NutellaĀ ā¬6.99. SCORE!
At the butcher – La Macelleria
- 5 thinly sliced chicken breastĀ ā¬5.41
- 400 grams minced beefĀ ā¬3.85
- 500 grams local salsiccaĀ ā¬5.48
- 1/4 local pecorino cheeseĀ ā¬4.23
That wraps up this year’s report, and I’d like to close it with a comment from a follower, which has left me, uh, beautifully speechless. I applaud his fabulous effort and courage on leaving a comment in English, and am humbled by his simple honesty.
“If you want to live in Sardinia: you want to live with nature, with only the money to stay alive and to stay happy. You will have to give up a lot, but you will be rewarded by the beauty of our land, and our people. “
You can read the post he was referring to here.
How does the cost of living in Sardinia compare to where you live?
*please feel free to add your cost of living links in the comment section below.
Related articles:
Cost of Living 2012 | Sardinia, Italy
The cost of going out – Moscow, Russia via Home & Away
My Sardinian Life 
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Although now out of date, a very interesting post. I am travelling out to Northern Sardinia next month and will try to do an update and post it to here. We had no water bill for several years, but now they come twice a year ( I think – will check that with my Sardinian other half).
I am looking forward to reading my way through your blogs,Jennifer, and hope you get the chance to return before too long to the country that holds your heart.
Was stationed on the USS Orion from April of 82 through June of 83 on Santo Stefano near La Maddalena. I have wanted to go back for sooooo long. Love the people and the culture.
It really is a lovely place, and the people are fantastic just as is their culture. Do you think you’ll ever return?
CIAO Jennifer!!
Just found your blog here and really enjoy the information. Thanks for being very honest and positive and I sure appreciate it. I have thought of living part time in Southern Italy (I’m Sicilian decent) and therefore like many Italian-American’s I’m drawn to it, but no family live there now.
I do speak a little Italian but that is so good to know about the dialects and I know my Sicilian grandmother said things very different than other Italians! I had no idea what “manicotti” was. “manigut” is how she said it. LOL!
I have a great lucrative job (well, not THAT lucrative) but i work 2 weeks on and 2 off. It’s my goal to save enough and live there part time without working. I have my homework to do! At the very least I can spend a month there a year!
Again, thanks! And I’ll come back from time to time. I look forward to your stories!
-Dina
I’m also still waiting for a water bill – hoping we’ve left Italy before it arrives! I find utilities in general very expensive here, especially as they always seem to estimate them and randomly pick an amount six times more than we’ve actually used… We had an electricity bill for Ā£4,000 euros for 2 months last year – gave us a bit of a shock š
For only 2 months! Wow, that’s shocking!
Yeah, we argued it and got it down to what it should have been. We now post a weekly reading online!
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LOL, the elusive water bill š Let’s hope it NEVER comes.
Oh, it’s coming and it’s going to be a whopper!
This post made me realize that I have no idea what things cost individually in Moscow – just how much I spend per shopping trip on groceries etc. The dinner out tab would definitely be higher though – proper pizza would be about $15 each to begin with, $10 for each dessert, $5 for a bottle of water (that’s on the low end)…
Wow, it’s expensive to eat out in Russia! Why not do a similar post?
Hmmm….food for though…no pun intended š
What a great idea for a post!
What a great project for a dreary and cold Sunday morning. I changed all Euro to Canadian, pulled all of our local store ads and found the following: all Canadian $$$
8 Activia yogurt -3.49
12 eggs – 2.99
locally baked bread 1.00 – 3.49
500 g brand name pasta – 1.99
6 bottles Evian water – 2.99 12 bottles spring – 3.99
12 maxi pads – 4.49
16 tampons – 4.49
Major brand toothpaste – .92 – 4.51
small box detergent – 9.96 liquid or powder
dish soap – 1.83
200 diapers – 34.93
375 g Nutella – 3.99
chicken – 3.99 lb
ground beef – 2.49 lb
100 g gruyere – 2.99
1 litre gas – 1.24
very interesting comparison
Oh – thanks for taking part! Diapers are super expensive everywhere! Not that I need them and gas is super cheap in Canada! WOW!
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Very interesting to break everything down like that. I might do one for London because really until I look at all the numbers I don’t know. London is of course expensive but there are ways to enjoy the city that are cheap so it balances out, hope you don’t mind if I do a similar post myself.
Please, do a post on the cost of living in London. Let me know when it’s published by leaving the link here in the comment section! š
Will do! Thanks.
Ciao
I am still having problems finding a flight to Olbia with my dog.
Do any of your followers have any advise please.
Jane x
Is it the flight you can’t find or you’re having troubles placing your dog on board? Where are you coming from again?
Hi Jennifer
Flights for me are no problem I fly from Gatwick with easy jet but I can’t faint a flight to travel with my dog. X
Ciao Jane,
You’ve lost me at “faint a flight,” š Let me know how I can help you out.
Ciao sorry about that my predictive text took over.
I struggling to find a flight to accept my dog to travel with me. š
Okay – thank you for clearing that up and I’m sorry, but I have no idea which airline accepts dogs on that route. Easy Jet doesn’t accept dogs?
We live in an area that has a very high cost of living, so your does not look too bad compared to here in the States. Thank you for always keeping us up to date on things, especially money matters! I would still love to go and live in Sardegna for a year, just to get to know my family better. It is good to know what we would be facing financially! Great work once again!
Love,
Rosemarie
The Sard/American
Ciao Jennifer
Come e’ stai?
Things are finally coming together for our relocation out there.
We are coming out for first week in March to scout accommodation and should be moving out around May time. Cost of living is definately higher there. Have you seen any gluton and lactose free stuff out there on your travels? I may have to buy online.
Grazia
Jane
Ciao Jane,
Sto bene, grazie! Yes, you can buy lactose and gluten free products here, you will have more choice however in the larger supermarkets in Olbia or Sassari. Drop me a line when you’re in town, let’s have coffee. š
Will do Jennifer, mostly fresh food will suit me fine and good to know will be able to find stuff.
Italian is a hard language to learn but it’s making me giggle some of my pronunciation.
Looking forwards to integrating will probably come easier then.
Ciao x
Wow your milk is expensive, I will have a look at the prices in the North and will do a comparison.
Thank goodness we never buy it! I just happened to notice the prices today!
I also try not to buy it, Mrs Sensible does but I prefer to drink wine š
We are lucky that we both hate milk, and like you we prefer wine! š
Thank you Jennifer so much for this info!!! We moving to Sardinia in few months š and i like to see cost of living :)! How about home taxes? š i think new laws lower taxes on buying new homes but how about every year taxes ? Thank you
Ciao Tatiana,
Will you be in the north or south of the island? I’m up in the north as for home taxes I can’t answer that question as I haven’t bought a house here. Good luck with your move.
Ciao Jennifer ;)! Sry took me so long to get back to u. In Puerto Rico right now ;)! Another island.
We will b in North part of Sardinia. Around Olbia area. Does it make a difference on taxes ?
PS: thank you so much for your blog girl!!! I love it so much and it helps a lot! Few of my friends following you too now ;)! Thank you for all your help .
Ciao Tatiana,
I’m not too sure about taxes being different from north to south. We live in the north about 90 mins from Olbia. When you’re in the area drop me a line and maybe we can meet up? š
Hi Tatiana,
property taxes do not vary according to north or south whether in Sardinia or in Italy, but each municipality has the possibility to increase of a certain percentage the amount fixed by the central government, to offer more services, for example or just because they feel they need more money for some reason, so it depends on which municipality you will buy your property, this is I think the same in the USA……
I live in the center northern part of Sardinia, in Nuoro an area called Barbagia, quite underdeveloped if compared to the coast , but because Nuoro is a district town, it has all the services we need and you can find in a much larger place in Italy, without the disadvantages of a larger place…… I dont know if I have made my point….. anyway if you have any other questions, feel free to ask……. are you looking for a property in a village where real sardinian people live or in a holiday condo near the beach? Have you ever heard about Limpiddu? It’s a village near the beach where some real Sardinian people are still living, near budoni, eastern coast, recently I’ve seen quite a few small homes on sale, this is near Posada, on the north eastern coast.
The place where my beach home is is called Santa Lucia di Siniscola and it is a very nice village too, directly at the beach but prices there are quite high, but quite fascinating, come have a look and be my guest if you wish……………..you can chek me on couchsurfing if you digit Nuoro
Ciao
Tamara
Hi Tatiana,
this year I paid nothing for my flat in Nuoro as the government decided to abolish property taxes on first residence if not considered luxury home, last year I paid for the same 75 square meters flat in Nuoro that is inner sardinia about 170 euros, this year however they increased taxes on second home, so I paid about 800 euros on my flat at the sea. Which kind of property hav e you got in Sardinia? Is it at the sea or in a small village inland? That surely makes the difference. Dont count on the fact that taxes on first residence will continue to be non existant, that was a populistic move by Mr Berlusconi who is now no more in power, this measure will not last……
saluti
Tamara
Thank you, Tamara for this important information and advice! š
Thank you Tamara for reply. Sry it took me so long to answer.
It helps to know it! Thank you for the info! We looking something 5-10 min away from the sea. Or if we wil b able to find something deeper in land, nice and with little garden, it will work just as good. What part of Sardinia you in? š
Thank you so much for your time and the information. I always look forward to your posts. Thank you again.
It’s makes me all warm and fuzzy inside knowing these posts are useful to people. š Thank you for taking the time to comment.
I love the comment left by your follower because it’s always been true in my life. I left because of personal reasons, not because of the island itself but would kill to live there again. Knowing I would have to give up a lot and it won’t be like it was, Sardinia has always been magical in many ways. Truly a Mediterean gem and I miss her every day.
Sardinia will always be in your heart!