Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cento and Milan

For one person, living is cheaper in Cento: $1,634 a month against $2,560 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Cento
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Cento Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index

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Cento

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,634

/mo nomad

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,634 in Cento versus $2,560 in Milan.

Cento $1,634
Milan $2,560

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,647 in Cento versus $3,895 in Milan.

Cento $2,647
Milan $3,895

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,660 in Cento versus $5,230 in Milan.

Cento $3,660
Milan $5,230

Living in Cento costs roughly 36% less than in Milan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cento 21% above, Milan 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.84 €17.65

$22.52 €20.03

-11.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.8 €78.1

$89.3 €79.4

-1.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 €11.74

$13.16 €11.71

0.30%

Cappuccino

$2.20 €1.96

$2.13 €1.90

3.29%

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

$3.36 €2.99

$3.67 €3.26

-8.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.82 €1.62

-14.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 €5.42

$6.65 €5.92

-8.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 €4.95

$6.64 €5.91

-16.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.70 €1.51

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 €2.54

$3.16 €2.81

-9.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$3.54 €3.15

-27.40%

Eggs

$3.89 €3.46

$4.88 €4.34

-20.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.10 €16.10

$22.85 €20.33

-20.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.11 €10.77

$14.72 €13.09

-17.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.33 €15.42

$22.77 €20.25

-23.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$3.12 €2.77

-30.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 €1.52

$2.39 €2.12

-28.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$3.39 €3.02

-44.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$4.27 €3.80

-42.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 €1.17

$2.38 €2.12

-44.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.04 €1.82

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.75 €1.56

-2.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 €0.50

$0.57 €0.51

-1.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.79 €6.04

$7.46 €6.64

-8.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.02 €7.13

$9.58 €8.52

-16.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.43

$2.01 €1.79

-20.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.46 €2.19

-23.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$2.38 €2.12

-30.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.56 €39.63

$43.27 €38.49

2.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.55 €4.05

$7.67 €6.82

-40.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.27

$2.26 €2.01

-37.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.64 €24.59

$65.2 €58.0

-57.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.20 €1.96

-7.73%

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

$36.8K €32.7K

$36.5K €32.4K

0.96%

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

$35.6K €31.7K

$35.4K €31.5K

0.52%

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

$234 €208

$247 €220

-5.34%

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

$11.00 €9.78

$10.21 €9.08

7.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.90 €24.82

$29.16 €25.94

-4.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.9 €50.6

$82.4 €73.3

-30.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.47 €20.87

$34.18 €30.41

-31.33%

Cinema Ticket

$9.89 €8.80

$12.11 €10.77

-18.33%

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

$547 €487

$857 €762

-36.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,422 €3,933

$18.6K €16.5K

-76.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.6 €78.8

$101 €90.2

-12.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.28 €37.61

$50.8 €45.21

-16.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 €85.3

$117 €104

-17.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 €134

$167 €149

-10.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$533 €474

$1,731 €1,540

-69.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$443 €394

$1,169 €1,040

-62.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 €932

$3,402 €3,026

-69.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$918 €817

$2,036 €1,811

-54.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,197 €2,844

$10.5K €9,376

-69.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,863 €1,657

$5,240 €4,661

-64.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,766 €1,571

$2,145 €1,908

-17.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

3.18

0.31%

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

Last update for Cento: October 12, 2026

Last update for Milan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cento

$443 27.1%

Milan

$1.2K 45.7% 164% $727

Groceries & Markets

Cento

$324 19.8%

Milan

$417 16.3% 28.7% $93

Eating Out

Cento

$286 17.5%

Milan

$314 12.3% 9.7% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cento

$273 16.7%

Milan

$286 11.2% 5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Cento

$170 10.4%

Milan

$196 7.7% 15.7% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Cento

$77 4.7%

Milan

$107 4.2% 39% $30

Getting Around

Cento

$63 3.9%

Milan

$72 2.8% 14.2% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $533 in Cento and $1,731 in Milan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Milan pays 21% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $88.0 in Cento vs $89.0 in Milan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $417 per month, with Cento cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Cento

🇮🇹 Milan

🕒 Local time

15:22 3:22 PM

Same time as Cento

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,582

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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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

Cento vs Milan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cento wins on cost – living expenses run 57% lower than in Milan. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cento the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Milan. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $533 in Cento versus $1,731 in Milan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cento runs roughly 3% less than in Milan. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $547 in Cento versus $857 in Milan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,634 in Cento versus $2,560 in Milan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cento but tight or insufficient in Milan. The gap between the two cities makes Cento the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cento delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,634 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cento hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cento 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 Cento gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.