Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Bologna

For one person, living is cheaper in Bologna: $2,168 a month against $2,560 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
105

Cost of Living Index in Bologna
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Bologna Living Index

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Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Bologna

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,168

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Bologna

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

A single person spends $2,560 per month in Milan vs $2,168 in Bologna, rent included.

Milan $2,560
Bologna $2,168

A couple spends around $3,895 per month in Milan vs $3,357 in Bologna, rent included.

Milan $3,895
Bologna $3,357

A family of three spends $5,230 per month in Milan vs $4,546 in Bologna, rent included.

Milan $5,230
Bologna $4,546

Milan costs about 18% more than Bologna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Milan and Bologna sit above the global median – Milan by 90%, Bologna by 61%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.52 €20.03

$22.66 €20.16

-0.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.3 €79.4

$87.8 €78.1

1.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.16 €11.71

$13.46 €11.98

-2.23%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.90

$2.24 €1.99

-4.91%

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

$3.67 €3.26

$3.52 €3.13

4.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.81 €1.61

0.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.65 €5.92

$6.68 €5.94

-0.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 €5.91

$5.63 €5.01

17.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.40 €1.25

21.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 €2.81

$2.99 €2.66

5.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 €3.15

$2.89 €2.57

22.49%

Eggs

$4.88 €4.34

$4.01 €3.57

21.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.85 €20.33

$20.41 €18.15

11.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.72 €13.09

$12.24 €10.88

20.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.77 €20.25

$21.03 €18.70

8.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.48 €2.21

25.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$2.40 €2.13

-0.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.55 €2.27

32.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 €3.80

$3.31 €2.95

29.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.88 €1.67

26.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.71 €1.52

19.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.35 €1.20

29.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.56 €0.50

1.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.46 €6.64

$6.88 €6.12

8.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.58 €8.52

$7.96 €7.08

20.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.91 €1.70

5.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.83 €2.52

-13.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.63 €2.34

-9.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.27 €38.49

$42.76 €38.03

1.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 €6.82

$4.64 €4.13

65.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.65 €1.47

36.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.2 €58.0

$31.98 €28.45

103.85%

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 €32.8K

-1.05%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$36.4K €32.4K

-2.69%

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

$247 €220

$249 €221

-0.65%

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

$10.21 €9.08

$11.10 €9.88

-8.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.16 €25.94

$31.22 €27.77

-6.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.4 €73.3

$63.1 €56.1

30.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.18 €30.41

$26.63 €23.69

28.35%

Cinema Ticket

$12.11 €10.77

$9.87 €8.78

22.70%

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

$857 €762

$768 €683

11.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K €16.5K

$16.5K €14.7K

12.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.2

$93.5 €83.1

8.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 €45.21

$46.18 €41.08

10.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €104

$122 €109

-4.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 €149

$146 €129

14.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 €1,540

$1,141 €1,015

51.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$867 €771

34.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,402 €3,026

$2,081 €1,851

63.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,036 €1,811

$1,574 €1,400

29.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.5K €9,376

$5,130 €4,563

105.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,240 €4,661

$3,737 €3,324

40.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,145 €1,908

$2,103 €1,870

2.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

3.19

-0.31%

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

Last update for Milan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bologna: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.7%

Bologna

$867 40% 25.9% $302

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$417 16.3%

Bologna

$363 16.7% 12.9% $54

Eating Out

Milan

$314 12.3%

Bologna

$314 14.5% 0.3% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$286 11.2%

Bologna

$291 13.4% 1.6% $4.6

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$196 7.7%

Bologna

$183 8.5% 6.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$107 4.2%

Bologna

$83 3.8% 22.3% $24

Getting Around

Milan

$72 2.8%

Bologna

$66 3.1% 7.8% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,731 in Milan versus $1,141 in Bologna. 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 2% higher in Milan, 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 $89.0 in Milan versus $88.0 in Bologna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $417 vs $363 – making Bologna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇮🇹 Bologna

🕒 Local time

16:47 4:47 PM

Same time as Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

386,663

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Bologna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Milan costs about 18% more than Bologna, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,841 per month in Milan and $3,251 in Bologna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 1% less in Bologna. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $857 per month in Milan and $768 in Bologna. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bologna, where all-in costs run around $2,168, than in Milan at $2,560. In Bologna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Milan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bologna costs $2,168 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 Bologna. 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.