Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cagliari and Milan

For one person, living is cheaper in Cagliari: $1,750 a month against $2,560 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Cagliari
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Cagliari Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index

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Cagliari

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,750

/mo nomad

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cagliari 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 Cagliari and in Milan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,750 per month in Cagliari vs $2,560 in Milan, rent included.

Cagliari $1,750
Milan $2,560

A couple spends around $2,736 per month in Cagliari vs $3,895 in Milan, rent included.

Cagliari $2,736
Milan $3,895

A family of three spends $3,723 per month in Cagliari vs $5,230 in Milan, rent included.

Cagliari $3,723
Milan $5,230

Cagliari is about 32% cheaper than Milan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cagliari and Milan sit above the global median – Cagliari by 30%, Milan by 90%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.30 €19.84

$22.52 €20.03

-0.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.1 €74.8

$89.3 €79.4

-5.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.01 €9.79

$13.16 €11.71

-16.34%

Cappuccino

$1.98 €1.76

$2.13 €1.90

-7.04%

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

$3.28 €2.92

$3.67 €3.26

-10.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.82 €1.62

-15.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.44 €4.83

$6.65 €5.92

-18.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 €4.51

$6.64 €5.91

-23.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.70 €1.51

-7.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 €2.41

$3.16 €2.81

-14.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$3.54 €3.15

-20.34%

Eggs

$3.80 €3.38

$4.88 €4.34

-22.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.46 €19.09

$22.85 €20.33

-6.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.84 €10.53

$14.72 €13.09

-19.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.30 €19.83

$22.77 €20.25

-2.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$3.12 €2.77

-15.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$2.39 €2.12

-25.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.39 €3.02

-33.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 €3.12

$4.27 €3.80

-17.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 €1.72

$2.38 €2.12

-18.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$2.04 €1.82

14.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.75 €1.56

-11.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 €0.46

$0.57 €0.51

-8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.37 €6.55

$7.46 €6.64

-1.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.41 €7.48

$9.58 €8.52

-12.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.01 €1.79

-18.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.46 €2.19

-26.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 €1.27

$2.38 €2.12

-39.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.13 €33.92

$43.27 €38.49

-11.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.26 €8.23

$7.67 €6.82

20.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.32

$2.26 €2.01

-34.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.52 €28.04

$65.2 €58.0

-51.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.20 €1.96

-6.36%

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

$35.7K €31.7K

$36.5K €32.4K

-2.17%

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

$35.1K €31.2K

$35.4K €31.5K

-0.87%

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

$157 €140

$247 €220

-36.32%

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

$9.07 €8.07

$10.21 €9.08

-11.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.65 €26.38

$29.16 €25.94

1.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 €45.38

$82.4 €73.3

-38.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.59 €21.87

$34.18 €30.41

-28.06%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 €10.06

$12.11 €10.77

-6.61%

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

$525 €467

$857 €762

-38.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,007 €7,122

$18.6K €16.5K

-56.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.1 €83.7

$101 €90.2

-7.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 €37.31

$50.8 €45.21

-17.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 €80.6

$117 €104

-22.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 €103

$167 €149

-31.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$868 €772

$1,731 €1,540

-49.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$613 €545

$1,169 €1,040

-47.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,395 €1,241

$3,402 €3,026

-58.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 €895

$2,036 €1,811

-50.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,278 €2,916

$10.5K €9,376

-68.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,315 €2,059

$5,240 €4,661

-55.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,807 €1,607

$2,145 €1,908

-15.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.27

3.18

2.83%

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

Last update for Cagliari: October 11, 2026

Last update for Milan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cagliari

$613 35%

Milan

$1.2K 45.7% 90.9% $557

Groceries & Markets

Cagliari

$362 20.7%

Milan

$417 16.3% 15.2% $55

Eating Out

Cagliari

$292 16.7%

Milan

$314 12.3% 7.5% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cagliari

$196 11.2%

Milan

$286 11.2% 46.1% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Cagliari

$154 8.8%

Milan

$196 7.7% 27.6% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Cagliari

$74 4.2%

Milan

$107 4.2% 44.8% $33

Getting Around

Cagliari

$61 3.5%

Milan

$72 2.8% 18.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $868 in Cagliari versus $1,731 in Milan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 19% higher in Milan, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84.0 in Cagliari versus $89.0 in Milan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $417 – making Cagliari the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Cagliari

🇮🇹 Milan

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

Same time as Cagliari

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

154,478

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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Between locations

Cagliari Milan 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cagliari
Milan

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

Cagliari vs Milan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Milan is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,625 per month in Cagliari and $3,841 in Milan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cagliari, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 13% less in Cagliari. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $525 per month in Cagliari and $857 in Milan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Cagliari, where all-in costs run around $1,750, than in Milan at $2,560. In Cagliari it covers expenses comfortably, while in Milan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cagliari – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cagliari. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Milan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.