Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Busto Arsizio

For one person, living is cheaper in Busto Arsizio: $1,835 a month against $2,555 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Milan
Learn more

Milan Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Busto Arsizio
Learn more

Busto Arsizio Living Index

Jump to prices

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,555

/mo nomad

Busto Arsizio

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Busto Arsizio

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,555 in Milan versus $1,835 in Busto Arsizio.

Milan $2,555
Busto Arsizio $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,859 in Milan versus $2,833 in Busto Arsizio.

Milan $3,859
Busto Arsizio $2,833

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,163 in Milan versus $3,830 in Busto Arsizio.

Milan $5,163
Busto Arsizio $3,830

Living in Milan is roughly 39% more expensive than in Busto Arsizio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milan 88% above, Busto Arsizio 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 €19.85

$22.16 €19.91

-0.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 €80.0

$91.0 €81.7

-2.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.35 €11.99

$11.01 €9.89

21.25%

Cappuccino

$2.14 €1.92

$2.24 €2.01

-4.46%

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

$3.68 €3.31

$3.33 €2.99

10.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.75

$1.38 €1.24

41.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.96 €6.26

$6.79 €6.10

2.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 €6.09

$6.00 €5.39

13.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.59 €1.43

10.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 €2.86

$2.38 €2.14

34.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.31

$3.57 €3.21

3.36%

Eggs

$5.02 €4.51

$4.89 €4.40

2.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.30 €20.94

$17.47 €15.70

33.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.73 €13.24

$14.02 €12.59

5.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.89 €20.57

$21.88 €19.66

4.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 €2.66

$2.74 €2.46

8.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.82 €1.64

26.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.23 €2.90

$2.57 €2.31

25.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 €3.87

$3.25 €2.92

32.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.72 €1.54

31.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$2.10 €1.88

-4.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 €1.60

$1.11 €1.00

60.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 €0.55

$0.62 €0.56

-1.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.25 €6.51

$7.69 €6.91

-5.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.77 €8.78

$4.99 €4.49

95.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.74

$1.53 €1.38

26.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.14

$1.60 €1.43

48.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 €2.20

$1.65 €1.49

48.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.45 €39.04

$43.84 €39.39

-0.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.62 €6.85

$4.00 €3.59

90.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 €2.06

$2.30 €2.07

-0.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.1 €58.5

$39.05 €35.09

66.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.04 €1.83

7.84%

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

$36.3K €32.7K

$36.4K €32.7K

-0.18%

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

$37.4K €33.6K

$34.6K €31.1K

8.18%

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

$248 €223

$194 €174

28.01%

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

$10.29 €9.25

$11.67 €10.49

-11.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.70 €26.69

$27.46 €24.67

8.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.9 €74.4

$30.60 €27.50

170.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.55 €30.14

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 €10.22

$11.61 €10.43

-1.98%

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

$939 €844

$877 €788

7.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K €16.8K

$7,025 €6,312

166.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €91.0

$88.7 €79.7

14.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.50 €44.48

$27.59 €24.79

79.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 €104

$111 €99.7

4.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 €147

$135 €121

21.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,764 €1,585

$1,287 €1,156

37.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 €1,046

$663 €595

75.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,429 €3,081

$1,957 €1,759

75.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,774

$1,062 €954

85.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K €9,501

$2,580 €2,318

309.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,220 €4,690

$1,592 €1,430

227.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,162 €1,942

$2,144 €1,926

0.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

3.65

-12.88%

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

Last update for Milan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Busto Arsizio: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.6%

Busto Arsizio

$663 36.1% 43.1% $501

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$419 16.4%

Busto Arsizio

$355 19.4% 15.2% $64

Eating Out

Milan

$313 12.3%

Busto Arsizio

$302 16.5% 3.6% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$288 11.3%

Busto Arsizio

$233 12.7% 19.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$194 7.6%

Busto Arsizio

$163 8.9% 15.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$106 4.1%

Busto Arsizio

$54 2.9% 49% $52

Getting Around

Milan

$72 2.8%

Busto Arsizio

$66 3.6% 8.8% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,764 in Milan and $1,287 in Busto Arsizio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $89 in Milan vs $91 in Busto Arsizio. Groceries flip the comparison at $419 vs $355, with Busto Arsizio cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇮🇹 Busto Arsizio

🕒 Local time

11:59 11:59 AM

Same time as Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

83,094

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Milan Busto Arsizio 31 km

From you

Milan
Busto Arsizio

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 Busto Arsizio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Milan and Busto Arsizio differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($2,555 vs $1,835 including rent). Busto Arsizio is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,833 in Milan and $2,752 in Busto Arsizio to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,764 in Milan versus $1,287 in Busto Arsizio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Milan versus $877 in Busto Arsizio. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,555 per month in Milan versus $1,835 in Busto Arsizio – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Busto Arsizio gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.