Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cesena and Milan

For one person, living is cheaper in Cesena: $1,646 a month against $2,560 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Cesena
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Cesena Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index

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Cesena

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,646

/mo nomad

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Cesena versus $2,560 in Milan.

Cesena $1,646
Milan $2,560

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,537 in Cesena versus $3,895 in Milan.

Cesena $2,537
Milan $3,895

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,428 in Cesena versus $5,230 in Milan.

Cesena $3,428
Milan $5,230

Living in Cesena 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: Cesena 22% above, Milan 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$22.52 €20.03

-25.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 €79.6

$89.3 €79.4

0.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.22 €10.87

$13.16 €11.71

-7.14%

Cappuccino

$2.21 €1.96

$2.13 €1.90

3.76%

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

$2.72 €2.42

$3.67 €3.26

-25.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.82 €1.62

-40.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.04 €5.37

$6.65 €5.92

-9.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 €4.53

$6.64 €5.91

-23.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.70 €1.51

-20.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 €1.21

$3.16 €2.81

-56.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$3.54 €3.15

-44.35%

Eggs

$2.77 €2.47

$4.88 €4.34

-43.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.63 €15.68

$22.85 €20.33

-22.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.91 €10.60

$14.72 €13.09

-19.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 €15.15

$22.77 €20.25

-25.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 €1.72

$3.12 €2.77

-38.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$2.39 €2.12

3.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$3.39 €3.02

-29.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 €3.55

$4.27 €3.80

-6.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$2.38 €2.12

-32.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$2.04 €1.82

-19.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.75 €1.56

6.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 €0.30

$0.57 €0.51

-40.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.52 €5.80

$7.46 €6.64

-12.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.79 €6.04

$9.58 €8.52

-29.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.09

$2.01 €1.79

-39.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.46 €2.19

-30.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.38 €2.12

-8.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.55 €34.29

$43.27 €38.49

-10.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 €7.30

$7.67 €6.82

6.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.26 €2.01

-12.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.88 €30.13

$65.2 €58.0

-48.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.20 €1.96

-7.73%

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

$36.5K €32.5K

$36.5K €32.4K

0.09%

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

$34.9K €31.0K

$35.4K €31.5K

-1.56%

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

$189 €168

$247 €220

-23.51%

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

$9.75 €8.67

$10.21 €9.08

-4.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 €27.34

$29.16 €25.94

5.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 €45.16

$82.4 €73.3

-38.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.22 €12.65

$34.18 €30.41

-58.40%

Cinema Ticket

$9.99 €8.89

$12.11 €10.77

-17.51%

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

$537 €478

$857 €762

-37.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,900 €8,806

$18.6K €16.5K

-46.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$101 €90.2

-10.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.93 €32.85

$50.8 €45.21

-27.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 €73.3

$117 €104

-29.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.7 €70.0

$167 €149

-53.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$660 €587

$1,731 €1,540

-61.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$591 €525

$1,169 €1,040

-49.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,174 €1,045

$3,402 €3,026

-65.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$925 €823

$2,036 €1,811

-54.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,953 €2,627

$10.5K €9,376

-71.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,583 €2,298

$5,240 €4,661

-50.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,750 €1,557

$2,145 €1,908

-18.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

3.18

3.77%

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

Last update for Cesena: October 10, 2026

Last update for Milan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cesena

$591 35.9%

Milan

$1.2K 45.7% 98% $579

Groceries & Markets

Cesena

$306 18.6%

Milan

$417 16.3% 36% $110

Eating Out

Cesena

$253 15.4%

Milan

$314 12.3% 23.8% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cesena

$229 13.9%

Milan

$286 11.2% 24.8% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Cesena

$130 7.9%

Milan

$196 7.7% 51% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Cesena

$71 4.3%

Milan

$107 4.2% 50.6% $36

Getting Around

Cesena

$65 4%

Milan

$72 2.8% 9.9% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $660 in Cesena and $1,731 in Milan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Milan pays 23% 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: $89.0 in Cesena vs $89.0 in Milan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $306 vs $417 per month, with Cesena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Cesena

🇮🇹 Milan

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

Same time as Cesena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

96,758

1,394,798

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Cesena vs Milan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cesena and Milan differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($1,646 vs $2,560 including rent). Cesena is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 23% 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: $660 in Cesena versus $1,731 in Milan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you'll spend $1,646 per month in Cesena versus $2,560 in Milan – a 56% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,646 in Cesena versus $2,560 in Milan, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Cesena but tight or insufficient in Milan. The gap between the two cities makes Cesena 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, Cesena 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 Cesena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.