Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busto Arsizio and Milan

For one person, living is cheaper in Busto Arsizio: $1,828 a month against $2,560 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Busto Arsizio
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Busto Arsizio Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index

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Busto Arsizio

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,828

/mo nomad

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Busto Arsizio and in Milan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Busto Arsizio and in Milan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,828 in Busto Arsizio versus $2,560 in Milan.

Busto Arsizio $1,828
Milan $2,560

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,845 in Busto Arsizio versus $3,895 in Milan.

Busto Arsizio $2,845
Milan $3,895

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,863 in Busto Arsizio versus $5,231 in Milan.

Busto Arsizio $3,863
Milan $5,231

Living in Busto Arsizio costs roughly 29% less than in Milan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Busto Arsizio 35% above, Milan 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.53 €20.04

$22.11 €19.66

1.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.8 €80.7

$88.7 €78.9

2.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.20 €9.96

$13.22 €11.76

-15.28%

Cappuccino

$2.24 €1.99

$2.08 €1.85

7.69%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.94

$3.82 €3.40

-13.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.83 €1.63

-22.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.69 €5.95

$6.87 €6.11

-2.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.00 €5.33

$6.93 €6.17

-13.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.76 €1.56

-12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 €2.09

$3.29 €2.93

-28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 €3.02

$3.57 €3.18

-4.76%

Eggs

$4.91 €4.36

$5.08 €4.52

-3.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 €15.74

$23.34 €20.76

-24.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 €12.33

$14.68 €13.05

-5.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.01 €19.58

$22.73 €20.22

-3.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.45

$3.07 €2.73

-10.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.42 €2.15

-21.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$3.34 €2.97

-25.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$4.18 €3.72

-22.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 €1.46

$2.41 €2.14

-31.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.95 €1.74

4.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.81 €1.61

-35.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 €0.58

$0.57 €0.50

14.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.74 €6.89

$7.20 €6.40

7.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.03 €4.48

$9.60 €8.54

-47.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.96 €1.74

-21.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.42

$2.42 €2.15

-33.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.52 €2.24

-31.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.93 €38.18

$43.15 €38.38

-0.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.01 €3.56

$7.92 €7.04

-49.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.30 €2.04

-1.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.57 €35.19

$64.8 €57.6

-38.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.20 €1.96

-4.09%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.9K €31.9K

$36.1K €32.1K

-0.67%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.7K €30.9K

$37.0K €32.9K

-6.19%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$198 €176

$250 €223

-20.89%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$12.01 €10.68

$10.20 €9.08

17.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.37 €24.35

$29.45 €26.19

-7.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.00 €27.57

$84.6 €75.3

-63.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.03 €30.27

Cinema Ticket

$11.18 €9.94

$11.05 €9.83

1.18%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$902 €802

$846 €753

6.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,092 €6,309

$18.6K €16.5K

-61.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.1 €80.2

$101 €89.7

-10.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.02 €24.93

$51.1 €45.43

-45.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.1

$114 €102

-5.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 €122

$163 €145

-16.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,279 €1,138

$1,689 €1,502

-24.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$649 €577

$1,165 €1,036

-44.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,961 €1,744

$3,436 €3,056

-42.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 €966

$2,038 €1,813

-46.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,535 €2,255

$10.5K €9,339

-75.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,576 €1,402

$5,149 €4,580

-69.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,194 €1,952

$2,190 €1,948

0.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

3.18

14.78%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Busto Arsizio: October 19, 2026

Last update for Milan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Busto Arsizio

$649 35.5%

Milan

$1.2K 45.5% 79.5% $516

Groceries & Markets

Busto Arsizio

$354 19.4%

Milan

$420 16.4% 18.4% $65

Eating Out

Busto Arsizio

$305 16.7%

Milan

$312 12.2% 2.4% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Busto Arsizio

$237 13%

Milan

$290 11.3% 22.1% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Busto Arsizio

$163 8.9%

Milan

$193 7.6% 18.3% $30

Getting Around

Busto Arsizio

$65 3.6%

Milan

$73 2.8% 11.6% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Busto Arsizio

$53 2.9%

Milan

$107 4.2% 100% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,279 in Busto Arsizio and $1,689 in Milan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busto Arsizio pays 0% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $91.0 in Busto Arsizio vs $89.0 in Milan. Groceries flip the comparison at $354 vs $420, with Busto Arsizio cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Busto Arsizio

🇮🇹 Milan

🕒 Local time

16:36 4:36 PM

Same time as Busto Arsizio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,094

1,394,798

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Busto Arsizio Milan 31 km

From you

Busto Arsizio
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Busto Arsizio vs Milan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Busto Arsizio and Milan differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($1,828 vs $2,560 including rent). Busto Arsizio is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 0% higher in Busto Arsizio, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,279 in Busto Arsizio versus $1,689 in Milan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Busto Arsizio – a meal for two runs $91.0 versus $89.0 in Milan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,828 per month in Busto Arsizio versus $2,560 in Milan – a 40% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,828 in Busto Arsizio versus $2,560 in Milan, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Busto Arsizio but tight or insufficient in Milan. The gap between the two cities makes Busto Arsizio the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Busto Arsizio and Milan are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Busto Arsizio gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.