Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gent and Milan

For one person, living is cheaper in Gent: $2,223 a month against $2,560 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Gent
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Gent Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index

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Gent

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,223

/mo nomad

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Gent vs $2,560 in Milan, rent included.

Gent $2,223
Milan $2,560

A couple spends around $3,468 per month in Gent vs $3,895 in Milan, rent included.

Gent $3,468
Milan $3,895

A family of three spends $4,713 per month in Gent vs $5,231 in Milan, rent included.

Gent $4,713
Milan $5,231

Gent is about 13% cheaper than Milan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Gent and Milan sit above the global median – Gent by 64%, Milan by 89%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.76 €20.24

$22.11 €19.66

2.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$111 €99.1

$88.7 €78.9

25.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.45 €13.75

$13.22 €11.76

16.87%

Cappuccino

$4.22 €3.76

$2.08 €1.85

102.88%

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

$3.39 €3.02

$3.82 €3.40

-11.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.83 €1.63

54.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.77 €5.13

$6.87 €6.11

-16.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.11

$6.93 €6.17

-17.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.76 €1.56

-34.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 €2.55

$3.29 €2.93

-12.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.57 €3.18

-36.97%

Eggs

$3.98 €3.54

$5.08 €4.52

-21.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.27 €16.25

$23.34 €20.76

-21.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.29 €10.93

$14.68 €13.05

-16.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.47

$22.73 €20.22

-13.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$3.07 €2.73

-10.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.42 €2.15

1.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$3.34 €2.97

-23.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.93 €2.60

$4.18 €3.72

-29.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.41 €2.14

-13.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.95 €1.74

-2.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.81 €1.61

-27.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.57 €0.50

89.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.28 €11.81

$7.20 €6.40

84.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.77 €7.80

$9.60 €8.54

-8.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.96 €1.74

0.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.42 €2.15

2.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 €3.05

$2.52 €2.24

36.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.9 €52.4

$43.15 €38.38

36.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.02 €9.80

$7.92 €7.04

39.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.84 €2.53

$2.30 €2.04

23.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$52.1 €46.35

$64.8 €57.6

-19.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.20 €1.96

-7.27%

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

$35.7K €31.8K

$36.1K €32.1K

-1.06%

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

$36.9K €32.8K

$37.0K €32.9K

-0.37%

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

$227 €202

$250 €223

-9.40%

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

$20.59 €18.32

$10.20 €9.08

101.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.54 €42.29

$29.45 €26.19

61.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.98 €31.12

$84.6 €75.3

-58.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.88 €11.46

$34.03 €30.27

-62.15%

Cinema Ticket

$16.24 €14.45

$11.05 €9.83

46.97%

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

$554 €493

$846 €753

-34.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K €19.3K

$18.6K €16.5K

16.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €95.1

$101 €89.7

6.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.46 €41.33

$51.1 €45.43

-9.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €95.9

$114 €102

-5.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 €131

$163 €145

-9.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,172 €1,042

$1,689 €1,502

-30.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$880 €783

$1,165 €1,036

-24.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,811 €1,611

$3,436 €3,056

-47.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 €1,382

$2,038 €1,813

-23.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,149 €4,580

$10.5K €9,339

-50.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,006 €2,674

$5,149 €4,580

-41.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,656 €3,252

$2,190 €1,948

66.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.2

3.18

0.63%

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

Last update for Gent: 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

Gent

$880 39.6%

Milan

$1.2K 45.5% 32.4% $285

Groceries & Markets

Gent

$354 16%

Milan

$420 16.4% 18.4% $65

Eating Out

Gent

$344 15.5%

Milan

$312 12.2% 9.3% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gent

$295 13.3%

Milan

$290 11.3% 1.7% $4.9

Clothing & Footwear

Gent

$184 8.3%

Milan

$193 7.6% 5.1% $9.4

Getting Around

Gent

$98 4.4%

Milan

$73 2.8% 25.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Gent

$67 3%

Milan

$107 4.2% 58.2% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,172 in Gent 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 67% higher in Gent, 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 $111 in Gent versus $89.0 in Milan. Groceries tell a different story – $354 in Gent vs $420 in Milan – so Gent wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Gent

🇮🇹 Milan

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

Same time as Gent

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

237,000

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

Gent Milan 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Gent
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

Gent vs Milan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Milan is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,334 per month in Gent 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 Gent, 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 $2,223 in Gent and $2,560 in Milan. That's a gap of about 15%.

Public transport costs about 37% less in Gent. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Gent, where all-in costs run around $2,223, than in Milan at $2,560. In Gent it covers expenses comfortably, while in Milan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gent – 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 Gent. 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.