Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Alessandria

For one person, living is cheaper in Alessandria: $1,616 a month against $2,560 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Milan
Learn more

Milan Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Alessandria
Learn more

Alessandria Living Index

Jump to prices

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Alessandria

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,616

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Alessandria

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Milan and in Alessandria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,560 in Milan versus $1,616 in Alessandria.

Milan $2,560
Alessandria $1,616

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,895 in Milan versus $2,429 in Alessandria.

Milan $3,895
Alessandria $2,429

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,230 in Milan versus $3,243 in Alessandria.

Milan $5,230
Alessandria $3,243

Living in Milan is roughly 58% more expensive than in Alessandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milan 90% above, Alessandria 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.52 €20.03

$17.44 €15.51

29.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.3 €79.4

$67.8 €60.4

31.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.16 €11.71

$11.05 €9.83

19.10%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.90

$1.83 €1.63

16.39%

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

$3.67 €3.26

$3.11 €2.77

18.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.13 €1.00

61.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.65 €5.92

$4.56 €4.06

45.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 €5.91

$4.54 €4.04

46.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.60 €1.43

6.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 €2.81

$2.32 €2.06

36.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 €3.15

$2.64 €2.35

34.09%

Eggs

$4.88 €4.34

$3.75 €3.34

30.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.85 €20.33

$15.84 €14.09

44.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.72 €13.09

$10.07 €8.95

46.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.77 €20.25

$20.27 €18.03

12.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.35 €2.09

32.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$1.81 €1.61

32.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.76 €2.45

22.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 €3.80

$2.76 €2.46

54.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.54 €1.37

54.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.63 €1.45

25.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.78 €1.59

-1.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.51 €0.46

11.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.46 €6.64

$6.75 €6.00

10.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.58 €8.52

$4.37 €3.89

119.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.60 €1.42

25.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.30 €2.05

6.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.11 €1.88

12.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.27 €38.49

$77.2 €68.7

-43.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 €6.82

$5.42 €4.82

41.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.20 €1.96

2.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.2 €58.0

$63.4 €56.4

2.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.14 €1.90

2.80%

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

$36.5K €32.4K

$36.8K €32.7K

-0.88%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$35.5K €31.5K

-0.07%

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

$247 €220

$252 €224

-1.88%

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

$10.21 €9.08

$10.18 €9.06

0.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.16 €25.94

$28.50 €25.35

2.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.4 €73.3

$39.45 €35.09

108.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.18 €30.41

$33.61 €29.90

1.70%

Cinema Ticket

$12.11 €10.77

$9.03 €8.03

34.11%

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

$857 €762

$508 €452

68.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K €16.5K

$5,621 €5,000

230.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.2

$94.4 €84.0

7.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 €45.21

$50.3 €44.75

1.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €104

$94.8 €84.3

22.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 €149

$161 €143

4.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 €1,540

$446 €397

288.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$429 €382

172.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,402 €3,026

$746 €663

356.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,036 €1,811

$606 €539

235.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.5K €9,376

$2,270 €2,019

364.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,240 €4,661

$1,415 €1,259

270.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,145 €1,908

$1,826 €1,624

17.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

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

Last update for Milan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Alessandria: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.7%

Alessandria

$429 26.6% 63.3% $740

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$417 16.3%

Alessandria

$313 19.4% 24.8% $103

Eating Out

Milan

$314 12.3%

Alessandria

$243 15.1% 22.4% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$286 11.2%

Alessandria

$290 18% 1.4% $4

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$196 7.7%

Alessandria

$180 11.1% 8.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$107 4.2%

Alessandria

$58 3.6% 46.1% $49

Getting Around

Milan

$72 2.8%

Alessandria

$102 6.3% 42.3% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,731 in Milan and $446 in Alessandria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Milan pays 17% 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 Milan vs $68.0 in Alessandria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $417 vs $313 per month, with Alessandria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇮🇹 Alessandria

🕒 Local time

05:41 5:41 AM

Same time as Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

90,987

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Milan Alessandria 76 km

From you

Milan
Alessandria

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

Milan vs Alessandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Milan and Alessandria differ by about 58% in total monthly costs ($2,560 vs $1,616 including rent). Alessandria is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Milan, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,731 in Milan versus $446 in Alessandria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $857 in Milan versus $508 in Alessandria. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Milan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,616 in Alessandria versus $2,560 in Milan, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Alessandria but tight or insufficient in Milan. The gap between the two cities makes Alessandria 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, Milan and Alessandria 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 Alessandria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.