Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbus, OH and Milan

For one person, living costs are similar in Columbus, OH and in Milan: $2,491 and $2,560 a month, rent and utilities included.

121

Cost of Living Index in Columbus, OH
Learn more

Columbus, OH Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Milan
Learn more

Milan Living Index

Jump to prices

Columbus, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,491

/mo nomad

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,491 per month in Columbus, OH vs $2,560 in Milan, rent included.

Columbus, OH $2,491
Milan $2,560

A couple spends around $3,714 per month in Columbus, OH vs $3,895 in Milan, rent included.

Columbus, OH $3,714
Milan $3,895

A family of three spends $4,936 per month in Columbus, OH vs $5,231 in Milan, rent included.

Columbus, OH $4,936
Milan $5,231

Columbus, OH is about 3% cheaper than Milan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Columbus, OH and Milan sit above the global median – Columbus, OH by 84%, Milan by 89%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.03 $22.03

$22.11 €19.66

-0.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.8 $77.8

$88.7 €78.9

-12.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.86 $11.86

$13.22 €11.76

-10.29%

Cappuccino

$5.49 $5.49

$2.08 €1.85

163.94%

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

$2.54 $2.54

$3.82 €3.40

-33.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.83 €1.63

8.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.87 $5.87

$6.87 €6.11

-14.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 $7.19

$6.93 €6.17

3.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.76 €1.56

-48.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 $3.13

$3.29 €2.93

-4.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.27 $5.27

$3.57 €3.18

47.62%

Eggs

$3.78 $3.78

$5.08 €4.52

-25.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.83 $13.83

$23.34 €20.76

-40.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.55 $14.55

$14.68 €13.05

-0.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.83 $15.83

$22.73 €20.22

-30.36%

Apples (1kg)

$6.42 $6.42

$3.07 €2.73

109.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$2.42 €2.15

-28.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.05 $6.05

$3.34 €2.97

81.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$4.18 €3.72

15.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$2.41 €2.14

17.84%

Onion (1kg)

$3.45 $3.45

$1.95 €1.74

76.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.81 €1.61

19.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$0.57 €0.50

315.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.06 $10.06

$7.20 €6.40

39.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.46 $16.46

$9.60 €8.54

71.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.96 €1.74

8.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.42 €2.15

24.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.52 €2.24

-21.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.2 $63.2

$43.15 €38.38

46.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$7.92 €7.04

-63.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 $1.30

$2.30 €2.04

-43.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.20 $27.20

$64.8 €57.6

-57.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$2.20 €1.96

-54.55%

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

$31.0K $31.0K

$36.1K €32.1K

-14.02%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$37.0K €32.9K

-30.36%

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

$222 $222

$250 €223

-11.17%

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

$65.4 $65.4

$10.20 €9.08

540.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.8 $67.8

$29.45 €26.19

130.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.63 $35.63

$84.6 €75.3

-57.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.46 $41.46

$34.03 €30.27

21.83%

Cinema Ticket

$13.23 $13.23

$11.05 €9.83

19.73%

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

$1,610 $1,610

$846 €753

90.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.9K $33.9K

$18.6K €16.5K

82.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.89 $48.89

$101 €89.7

-51.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.71 $41.71

$51.1 €45.43

-18.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.2 $80.2

$114 €102

-29.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$163 €145

-33.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,543 $1,543

$1,689 €1,502

-8.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 $1,096

$1,165 €1,036

-5.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,398 $2,398

$3,436 €3,056

-30.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,839 $1,839

$2,038 €1,813

-9.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,398 $3,398

$10.5K €9,339

-67.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,763 $1,763

$5,149 €4,580

-65.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,995 $3,995

$2,190 €1,948

82.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

3.18

108.81%

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

Last update for Columbus, OH: October 18, 2026

Last update for Milan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Columbus, OH

$1.1K 44%

Milan

$1.2K 45.5% 6.2% $68

Groceries & Markets

Columbus, OH

$431 17.3%

Milan

$420 16.4% 2.6% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbus, OH

$356 14.3%

Milan

$290 11.3% 18.4% $66

Eating Out

Columbus, OH

$340 13.6%

Milan

$312 12.2% 8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Columbus, OH

$126 5.1%

Milan

$193 7.6% 53.5% $67

Getting Around

Columbus, OH

$81 3.2%

Milan

$73 2.8% 9.8% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Columbus, OH

$62 2.5%

Milan

$107 4.2% 71.9% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,543 in Columbus, OH versus $1,689 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 82% higher in Columbus, OH, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78.0 in Columbus, OH versus $89.0 in Milan. Groceries tell a different story – $431 in Columbus, OH vs $420 in Milan – so Milan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbus, OH

🇮🇹 Milan

🕒 Local time

06:49 6:49 AM

12:49 12:49 PM

6 h ahead of Columbus, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

905,748

1,394,798

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Columbus, OH Milan 7,120 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Columbus, OH
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

Columbus, OH vs Milan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Milan costs about 3% more than Columbus, OH, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,737 per month in Columbus, OH and $3,840 in Milan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,491 in Columbus, OH and $2,560 in Milan. That's a gap of about 3%.

Public transport costs about 46% less in Columbus, OH. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,491 in Columbus, OH and $2,560 in Milan. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Columbus, OH costs $2,491 versus $2,560 in Milan. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Columbus, OH. 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.