Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Cento

For one person, living is cheaper in Cento: $1,633 a month against $2,555 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Milan
Learn more

Milan Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Cento
Learn more

Cento Living Index

Jump to prices

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,555

/mo nomad

Cento

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,633

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Cento

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,555 in Milan versus $1,633 in Cento.

Milan $2,555
Cento $1,633

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,859 in Milan versus $2,650 in Cento.

Milan $3,859
Cento $2,650

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,163 in Milan versus $3,667 in Cento.

Milan $5,163
Cento $3,667

Living in Milan is roughly 56% more expensive than in Cento, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milan 88% above, Cento 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 €19.85

$20.03 €17.99

10.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 €80.0

$89.7 €80.6

-0.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.35 €11.99

$13.20 €11.86

1.14%

Cappuccino

$2.14 €1.92

$2.20 €1.98

-2.73%

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

$3.68 €3.31

$3.36 €3.02

9.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.75

$1.63 €1.46

19.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.96 €6.25

$6.17 €5.55

12.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 €6.09

$5.69 €5.11

19.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.41 €1.27

24.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 €2.86

$2.85 €2.56

11.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.31

$2.69 €2.42

37.17%

Eggs

$5.02 €4.51

$4.00 €3.60

25.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.30 €20.93

$18.66 €16.76

24.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.73 €13.23

$12.21 €10.96

20.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.89 €20.56

$16.89 €15.17

35.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 €2.66

$2.26 €2.03

30.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.71 €1.54

35.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.23 €2.90

$1.92 €1.72

68.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 €3.87

$2.55 €2.29

68.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.29 €1.16

75.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$1.42 €1.28

40.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 €1.60

$1.73 €1.55

2.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 €0.55

$0.51 €0.46

19.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.25 €6.51

$6.64 €5.97

9.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.77 €8.77

$7.99 €7.17

22.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.74

$1.61 €1.44

19.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.14

$1.83 €1.64

30.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 €2.20

$1.63 €1.47

50.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.45 €39.03

$45.29 €40.68

-4.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.62 €6.85

$4.70 €4.22

62.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 €2.06

$1.49 €1.34

53.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.1 €58.5

$28.07 €25.22

131.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.10 €1.89

4.76%

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

$36.3K €32.7K

$35.1K €31.5K

3.53%

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

$37.4K €33.6K

$37.3K €33.5K

0.34%

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

$248 €223

$232 €209

6.72%

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

$10.29 €9.24

$11.22 €10.08

-8.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.70 €26.68

$27.50 €24.70

8.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.9 €74.4

$50.9 €45.76

62.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.55 €30.13

$23.95 €21.51

40.08%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 €10.22

$9.95 €8.94

14.37%

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

$939 €844

$428 €385

119.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K €16.8K

$4,500 €4,043

316.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.9

$90.8 €81.6

11.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.50 €44.47

$43.38 €38.97

14.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 €104

$96.5 €86.7

20.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 €147

$148 €133

10.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,764 €1,585

$555 €498

218.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 €1,046

$442 €397

163.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,429 €3,080

$1,041 €935

229.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,774

$913 €820

116.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K €9,499

$2,638 €2,369

300.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,220 €4,689

$1,842 €1,654

183.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,162 €1,942

$1,741 €1,564

24.17%

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 27, 2026

Last update for Cento: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.6%

Cento

$442 27.1% 62% $722

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$419 16.4%

Cento

$327 20% 22% $92

Eating Out

Milan

$313 12.3%

Cento

$288 17.7% 7.9% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$288 11.3%

Cento

$271 16.6% 5.9% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$194 7.6%

Cento

$170 10.4% 12% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$106 4.1%

Cento

$71 4.3% 32.9% $35

Getting Around

Milan

$72 2.8%

Cento

$64 3.9% 11.5% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,764 in Milan and $555 in Cento. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Milan pays 24% 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 in Milan vs $90 in Cento. Groceries flip the comparison at $419 vs $327, with Cento cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇮🇹 Cento

🕒 Local time

19:46 7:46 PM

Same time as Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

35,582

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Milan Cento 180 km

From you

Milan
Cento

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 Cento: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cento wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Milan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cento the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 24% 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: $1,764 in Milan versus $555 in Cento. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Milan versus $428 in Cento. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Milan runs roughly 4% less than in Cento. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $1,633 in Cento versus $2,555 in Milan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cento but tight or insufficient in Milan. The gap between the two cities makes Cento 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.

It comes down to priorities – Cento wins on affordability, Milan on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.