Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Bolzano-Bozen

For one person, living is cheaper in Bolzano-Bozen: $2,041 a month against $2,560 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
100

Cost of Living Index in Bolzano-Bozen
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Bolzano-Bozen Living Index

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Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Bolzano-Bozen

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,041

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Bolzano-Bozen

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 Bolzano-Bozen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,560 per month in Milan vs $2,041 in Bolzano-Bozen, rent included.

Milan $2,560
Bolzano-Bozen $2,041

A couple spends around $3,895 per month in Milan vs $3,107 in Bolzano-Bozen, rent included.

Milan $3,895
Bolzano-Bozen $3,107

A family of three spends $5,230 per month in Milan vs $4,173 in Bolzano-Bozen, rent included.

Milan $5,230
Bolzano-Bozen $4,173

Milan costs about 25% more than Bolzano-Bozen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Milan and Bolzano-Bozen sit above the global median – Milan by 90%, Bolzano-Bozen by 51%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.52 €20.03

$16.76 €14.91

34.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.3 €79.4

$59.0 €52.5

51.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.16 €11.71

$13.18 €11.72

-0.15%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.90

$2.56 €2.28

-16.80%

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

$3.67 €3.26

$3.27 €2.91

12.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.17 €1.93

-16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.65 €5.92

$5.47 €4.87

21.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 €5.91

$4.57 €4.06

45.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.80 €1.61

-5.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 €2.81

$3.33 €2.96

-5.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 €3.15

$2.71 €2.41

30.63%

Eggs

$4.88 €4.34

$5.36 €4.77

-8.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.85 €20.33

$13.27 €11.80

72.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.72 €13.09

$10.23 €9.10

43.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.77 €20.25

$16.85 €14.99

35.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.10 €1.87

48.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$1.87 €1.66

27.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.65 €2.35

27.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 €3.80

$2.58 €2.29

65.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.88 €1.67

26.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.61 €1.43

26.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.25 €1.11

40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.62 €0.55

-8.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.46 €6.64

$8.00 €7.12

-6.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.58 €8.52

$8.39 €7.46

14.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.36 €1.21

47.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$3.28 €2.92

-25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.26 €2.01

5.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.27 €38.49

$49.58 €44.10

-12.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 €6.82

$7.66 €6.81

0.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.63 €1.45

38.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.2 €58.0

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.10 €1.87

4.76%

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

$36.5K €32.4K

$35.8K €31.9K

1.80%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$35.5K €31.6K

-0.10%

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

$247 €220

$207 €184

19.09%

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

$10.21 €9.08

$11.51 €10.24

-11.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.16 €25.94

$28.16 €25.05

3.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.4 €73.3

$67.2 €59.8

22.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.18 €30.41

$21.22 €18.88

61.07%

Cinema Ticket

$12.11 €10.77

$12.41 €11.03

-2.42%

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

$857 €762

$566 €504

51.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K €16.5K

$6,724 €5,981

176.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.2

$93.2 €82.9

8.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 €45.21

$44.60 €39.67

13.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €104

$147 €131

-20.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 €149

$163 €145

2.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 €1,540

$950 €845

82.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$842 €749

38.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,402 €3,026

$1,674 €1,489

103.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,036 €1,811

$1,529 €1,360

33.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.5K €9,376

$7,345 €6,533

43.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,240 €4,661

$4,714 €4,194

11.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,145 €1,908

$2,376 €2,114

-9.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

3.83

-16.97%

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

Last update for Milan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bolzano-Bozen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.7%

Bolzano-Bozen

$842 41.2% 28% $328

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$417 16.3%

Bolzano-Bozen

$322 15.8% 22.8% $95

Eating Out

Milan

$314 12.3%

Bolzano-Bozen

$263 12.9% 16.3% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$286 11.2%

Bolzano-Bozen

$247 12.1% 13.7% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$196 7.7%

Bolzano-Bozen

$202 9.9% 2.7% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$107 4.2%

Bolzano-Bozen

$92 4.5% 13.7% $15

Getting Around

Milan

$72 2.8%

Bolzano-Bozen

$74 3.7% 3.7% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,731 in Milan versus $950 in Bolzano-Bozen. 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 11% higher in Bolzano-Bozen, 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 $89.0 in Milan versus $59.0 in Bolzano-Bozen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $417 vs $322 – making Bolzano-Bozen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇮🇹 Bolzano-Bozen

🕒 Local time

22:14 10:14 PM

Same time as Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

105,713

💱 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)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Milan vs Bolzano-Bozen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,560 in Milan, $2,041 in Bolzano-Bozen – roughly 25% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,841 per month in Milan and $3,062 in Bolzano-Bozen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bolzano-Bozen, 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 $2,560 in Milan and $2,041 in Bolzano-Bozen. That's a gap of about 25%.

Public transport costs about 15% less in Bolzano-Bozen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Bolzano-Bozen, where all-in costs run around $2,041, than in Milan at $2,560. In Bolzano-Bozen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Milan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Milan has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,041 in Bolzano-Bozen to $2,560 in Milan. 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 Bolzano-Bozen. 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.