Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Bergamo

For one person, living is cheaper in Bergamo: $1,600 a month against $2,560 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Bergamo
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Bergamo Living Index

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Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Bergamo

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,600

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Bergamo

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 Bergamo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,560 in Milan versus $1,600 in Bergamo.

Milan $2,560
Bergamo $1,600

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,895 in Milan versus $2,468 in Bergamo.

Milan $3,895
Bergamo $2,468

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,230 in Milan versus $3,337 in Bergamo.

Milan $5,230
Bergamo $3,337

Living in Milan is roughly 60% more expensive than in Bergamo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milan 90% above, Bergamo 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.52 €20.02

$15.55 €13.83

44.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.3 €79.4

$82.5 €73.3

8.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.16 €11.71

$11.14 €9.91

18.13%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.90

$1.87 €1.67

13.90%

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

$3.67 €3.26

$3.30 €2.93

11.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.32 €1.18

37.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.65 €5.92

$5.73 €5.09

16.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 €5.91

$5.72 €5.08

16.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.40 €1.24

21.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 €2.81

$2.04 €1.81

54.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 €3.15

$3.07 €2.73

15.31%

Eggs

$4.88 €4.34

$3.65 €3.24

33.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.85 €20.33

$15.14 €13.46

50.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.72 €13.09

$11.43 €10.17

28.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.77 €20.25

$16.08 €14.30

41.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.26 €2.01

38.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$1.63 €1.45

46.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 €3.01

$2.27 €2.02

49.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 €3.79

$2.61 €2.32

63.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.74 €1.55

36.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.15 €1.91

-5.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.85 €1.64

-5.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.48 €0.43

18.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.46 €6.64

$7.35 €6.54

1.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.58 €8.52

$4.21 €3.74

127.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.23 €1.10

63.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.77 €1.58

38.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.87 €1.66

27.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.27 €38.48

$45.04 €40.06

-3.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 €6.82

$10.13 €9.01

-24.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.17 €1.93

4.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.2 €58.0

$39.74 €35.34

64.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.95

$2.00 €1.78

10.00%

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

$36.5K €32.4K

$36.0K €32.0K

1.37%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$34.9K €31.0K

1.62%

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

$247 €220

$192 €170

28.82%

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

$10.21 €9.08

$8.79 €7.82

16.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.16 €25.93

$27.88 €24.79

4.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.4 €73.3

$32.89 €29.25

150.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.18 €30.40

$22.56 €20.06

51.51%

Cinema Ticket

$12.11 €10.77

$10.95 €9.74

10.59%

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

$857 €762

$563 €500

52.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K €16.5K

$13.6K €12.1K

36.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.2

$71.7 €63.7

41.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 €45.21

$31.80 €28.29

59.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €104

$88.5 €78.7

31.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 €149

$106 €93.9

58.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 €1,539

$740 €658

134.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$574 €511

103.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,402 €3,026

$1,383 €1,230

146.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,036 €1,811

$926 €824

119.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.5K €9,375

$3,442 €3,061

206.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,240 €4,660

$2,518 €2,240

108.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,145 €1,908

$2,412 €2,145

-11.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

3.05

4.26%

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

Last update for Milan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bergamo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.7%

Bergamo

$574 35.9% 50.9% $595

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$417 16.3%

Bergamo

$296 18.5% 29% $121

Eating Out

Milan

$314 12.3%

Bergamo

$239 14.9% 23.9% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$286 11.2%

Bergamo

$228 14.3% 20.2% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$196 7.7%

Bergamo

$134 8.4% 31.8% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$107 4.2%

Bergamo

$55 3.4% 48.6% $52

Getting Around

Milan

$72 2.8%

Bergamo

$74 4.6% 2.4% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,731 in Milan and $740 in Bergamo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergamo pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $89.0 in Milan vs $82.0 in Bergamo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $417 vs $296 per month, with Bergamo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇮🇹 Bergamo

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

Same time as Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

120,569

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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

Milan vs Bergamo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Milan and Bergamo differ by about 60% in total monthly costs ($2,560 vs $1,600 including rent). Bergamo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Bergamo. 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: $1,731 in Milan versus $740 in Bergamo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bergamo – a meal for two runs $82.0 versus $89.0 in Milan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,560 per month in Milan versus $1,600 in Bergamo – a 60% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,600 in Bergamo versus $2,560 in Milan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bergamo but tight or insufficient in Milan. The gap between the two cities makes Bergamo 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 Bergamo 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 Bergamo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.