Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Clifton, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Milan: $2,560 a month against $2,771 in Clifton, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Milan
Learn more

Milan Living Index
135

Cost of Living Index in Clifton, NJ
Learn more

Clifton, NJ Living Index

Jump to prices

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Clifton, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Clifton, NJ

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

A single person spends $2,560 per month in Milan vs $2,771 in Clifton, NJ, rent included.

Milan $2,560
Clifton, NJ $2,771

A couple spends around $3,895 per month in Milan vs $4,035 in Clifton, NJ, rent included.

Milan $3,895
Clifton, NJ $4,035

A family of three spends $5,231 per month in Milan vs $5,299 in Clifton, NJ, rent included.

Milan $5,231
Clifton, NJ $5,299

Milan is about 8% cheaper than Clifton, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Milan and Clifton, NJ sit above the global median – Milan by 89%, Clifton, NJ by 105%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.11 €19.66

$22.14 $22.14

-0.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.7 €78.9

$78.7 $78.7

12.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.22 €11.76

$12.83 $12.83

3.04%

Cappuccino

$2.08 €1.85

$6.41 $6.41

-67.55%

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

$3.82 €3.40

$2.44 $2.44

56.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.79 $1.79

2.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 €6.11

$7.91 $7.91

-13.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 €6.17

$7.05 $7.05

-1.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.56

$1.33 $1.33

32.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.29 €2.93

$4.61 $4.61

-28.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.57 €3.18

$6.09 $6.09

-41.38%

Eggs

$5.08 €4.52

$5.80 $5.80

-12.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.34 €20.76

$13.90 $13.90

67.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.68 €13.05

$10.09 $10.09

45.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.73 €20.22

$18.68 $18.68

21.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 €2.73

$5.92 $5.92

-48.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$2.34 $2.34

3.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 €2.97

$6.21 $6.21

-46.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 €3.72

$5.26 $5.26

-20.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$3.52 $3.52

-31.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$4.34 $4.34

-55.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.81 €1.61

$3.13 $3.13

-42.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.50

$2.63 $2.63

-78.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.20 €6.40

$15.06 $15.06

-52.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.60 €8.54

$15.21 $15.21

-36.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.79 $1.79

9.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 €2.15

$3.63 $3.63

-33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 €2.24

$4.30 $4.30

-41.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.15 €38.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.92 €7.04

$2.95 $2.95

168.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 €2.04

$2.19 $2.19

5.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$64.8 €57.6

$42.36 $42.36

52.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.13 $1.13

94.69%

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

$36.1K €32.1K

$33.1K $33.1K

9.12%

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

$37.0K €32.9K

$25.6K $25.6K

44.79%

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

$250 €223

$219 $219

14.22%

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

$10.20 €9.08

$50.7 $50.7

-79.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.45 €26.19

$66.5 $66.5

-55.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.6 €75.3

$29.05 $29.05

191.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.03 €30.27

Cinema Ticket

$11.05 €9.83

$20.63 $20.63

-46.44%

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

$846 €753

$1,967 $1,967

-56.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K €16.5K

$16.3K $16.3K

14.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €89.7

$31.73 $31.73

217.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 €45.43

$20.32 $20.32

151.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €102

$109 $109

4.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 €145

$138 $138

18.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 €1,502

$1,348 $1,348

25.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,165 €1,036

$1,376 $1,376

-15.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,436 €3,056

$2,860 $2,860

20.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,038 €1,813

$2,215 $2,215

-8.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.5K €9,339

$8,457 $8,457

24.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,149 €4,580

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,190 €1,948

$4,324 $4,324

-49.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

6.8

-53.24%

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

Last update for Milan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Clifton, NJ: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.5%

Clifton, NJ

$1.4K 49.7% 18.1% $211

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$420 16.4%

Clifton, NJ

$460 16.6% 9.5% $40

Eating Out

Milan

$312 12.2%

Clifton, NJ

$363 13.1% 16.3% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$290 11.3%

Clifton, NJ

$336 12.1% 16% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$193 7.6%

Clifton, NJ

$135 4.9% 30.4% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$107 4.2%

Clifton, NJ

$70 2.5% 34.1% $36

Getting Around

Milan

$73 2.8%

Clifton, NJ

$31 * 1.1% 57.2% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,689 in Milan versus $1,348 in Clifton, NJ. 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 97% higher in Clifton, NJ, 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 $79.0 in Clifton, NJ. Groceries tell a different story – $420 in Milan vs $460 in Clifton, NJ – so Milan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇺🇸 Clifton, NJ

🕒 Local time

01:51 1:51 AM

19:51 7:51 PM

6 h behind Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

79,606

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Milan Clifton, NJ 6,470 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Milan
Clifton, NJ

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 Clifton, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,560 in Milan, $2,771 in Clifton, NJ – roughly 8% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,840 per month in Milan and $4,157 in Clifton, NJ. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Milan, 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 $2,771 in Clifton, NJ. That's a gap of about 8%.

Kindergarten costs $846 per month in Milan and $1,967 in Clifton, NJ. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,560 in Milan and $2,771 in Clifton, NJ. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Milan has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,560 in Milan to $2,771 in Clifton, NJ. 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 Milan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Clifton, NJ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.