Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Milan

For one person, living is cheaper in Milan: $2,531 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,531

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $2,531 in Milan, rent included.

London $4,086
Milan $2,531

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $3,874 in Milan, rent included.

London $5,816
Milan $3,874

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $5,216 in Milan, rent included.

London $7,546
Milan $5,216

London costs about 61% more than Milan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Milan sit above the global median – London by 205%, Milan by 89%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.12

$22.62 €20.17

17.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$88.2 €78.6

22.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.86

$13.34 €11.90

-22.11%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$2.16 €1.93

168.06%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$3.67 €3.27

-17.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$1.82 €1.62

18.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.07

$6.85 €6.11

36.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$6.76 €6.03

15.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.71 €1.52

4.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$3.28 €2.92

-37.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$3.67 €3.27

-37.06%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$4.93 €4.40

2.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$22.72 €20.26

-44.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$14.25 €12.70

-25.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.95

$22.58 €20.13

-24.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$2.98 €2.65

1.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$2.44 €2.18

-42.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$3.37 €3.00

-9.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$4.20 €3.75

-19.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$2.31 €2.06

-27.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$2.08 €1.85

-16.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.72 €1.54

-18.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$0.57 €0.51

214.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$7.31 €6.51

217.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$9.79 €8.73

32.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.41

$2.03 €1.81

56.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.34

$2.47 €2.21

78.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$2.46 €2.19

57.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$43.94 €39.18

469.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$7.80 €6.96

-26.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$2.27 €2.03

46.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.77

$64.7 €57.7

-10.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$2.18 €1.95

-6.42%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$36.0K €32.1K

4.40%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$35.8K €31.9K

14.21%

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

$376 £284

$252 €225

49.16%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$10.22 €9.11

74.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.25

$29.41 €26.22

36.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.23

$85.6 €76.3

-28.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$34.45 €30.72

-38.84%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$12.14 €10.83

47.86%

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

$2,865 £2,166

$837 €747

242.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$19.1K €17.1K

84.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$101 €90.5

14.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.88

$49.73 €44.34

8.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$117 €105

7.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$166 €148

-3.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,157

$1,715 €1,529

66.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,740

$1,158 €1,033

98.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,932

$3,413 €3,043

52.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,814

$2,066 €1,842

80.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$10.6K €9,470

78.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,957

$5,004 €4,462

57.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,642

$2,190 €1,952

120.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

3.18

46.23%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Milan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Milan

$1.2K 45.3% 49.7% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Milan

$292 11.4% 32.8% $142

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Milan

$317 12.4% 20.2% $80

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Milan

$415 16.2% 18.7% $66

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Milan

$73 2.9% 74.7% $215

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Milan

$195 7.6% 4.8% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Milan

$110 4.3% 13.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $1,715 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 120% higher in London, 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 $108 in London versus $88.0 in Milan. Groceries tell a different story – $349 in London vs $415 in Milan – so London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇮🇹 Milan

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

12:15 12:15 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

1,394,798

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.847 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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London Milan 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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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

London vs Milan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $2,531 in Milan – roughly 61% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $3,797 in Milan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 19% cheaper in London – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in London and $88.0 in Milan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,086 in London and $2,531 in Milan. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,531 in Milan to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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