Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Columbus, OH

For one person, living costs are similar in Milan and in Columbus, OH: $2,560 and $2,491 a month, rent and utilities included.

124

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Columbus, OH
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Columbus, OH Living Index

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Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Columbus, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,491

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Columbus, OH

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

A single person spends $2,560 per month in Milan vs $2,491 in Columbus, OH, rent included.

Milan $2,560
Columbus, OH $2,491

A couple spends around $3,895 per month in Milan vs $3,714 in Columbus, OH, rent included.

Milan $3,895
Columbus, OH $3,714

A family of three spends $5,231 per month in Milan vs $4,936 in Columbus, OH, rent included.

Milan $5,231
Columbus, OH $4,936

Milan costs about 3% more than Columbus, OH, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Milan and Columbus, OH sit above the global median – Milan by 89%, Columbus, OH by 84%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.11 €19.66

$22.03 $22.03

0.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.7 €78.9

$77.8 $77.8

14.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.22 €11.76

$11.86 $11.86

11.47%

Cappuccino

$2.08 €1.85

$5.49 $5.49

-62.11%

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

$3.82 €3.40

$2.54 $2.54

50.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.99 $1.99

-8.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 €6.11

$5.87 $5.87

17.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 €6.17

$7.19 $7.19

-3.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.56

$0.90 $0.90

95.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.29 €2.93

$3.13 $3.13

5.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.57 €3.18

$5.27 $5.27

-32.26%

Eggs

$5.08 €4.52

$3.78 $3.78

34.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.34 €20.76

$13.83 $13.83

68.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.68 €13.05

$14.55 $14.55

0.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.73 €20.22

$15.83 $15.83

43.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 €2.73

$6.42 $6.42

-52.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$1.73 $1.73

39.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 €2.97

$6.05 $6.05

-44.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 €3.72

$4.81 $4.81

-13.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$2.84 $2.84

-15.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$3.45 $3.45

-43.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.81 €1.61

$2.17 $2.17

-16.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.50

$2.37 $2.37

-75.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.20 €6.40

$10.06 $10.06

-28.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.60 €8.54

$16.46 $16.46

-41.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.74

$2.12 $2.12

-7.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 €2.15

$3.01 $3.01

-19.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 €2.24

$1.98 $1.98

27.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.15 €38.38

$63.2 $63.2

-31.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.92 €7.04

$2.92 $2.92

171.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 €2.04

$1.30 $1.30

76.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$64.8 €57.6

$27.20 $27.20

138.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.00 $1.00

120.00%

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

$36.1K €32.1K

$31.0K $31.0K

16.31%

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

$37.0K €32.9K

$25.8K $25.8K

43.59%

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

$250 €223

$222 $222

12.57%

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

$10.20 €9.08

$65.4 $65.4

-84.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.45 €26.19

$67.8 $67.8

-56.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.6 €75.3

$35.63 $35.63

137.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.03 €30.27

$41.46 $41.46

-17.92%

Cinema Ticket

$11.05 €9.83

$13.23 $13.23

-16.48%

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

$846 €753

$1,610 $1,610

-47.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K €16.5K

$33.9K $33.9K

-45.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €89.7

$48.89 $48.89

106.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 €45.43

$41.71 $41.71

22.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €102

$80.2 $80.2

42.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 €145

$109 $109

49.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 €1,502

$1,543 $1,543

9.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,165 €1,036

$1,096 $1,096

6.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,436 €3,056

$2,398 $2,398

43.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,038 €1,813

$1,839 $1,839

10.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.5K €9,339

$3,398 $3,398

209.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,149 €4,580

$1,763 $1,763

192.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,190 €1,948

$3,995 $3,995

-45.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

6.64

-52.11%

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

Last update for Milan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Columbus, OH: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.5%

Columbus, OH

$1.1K 44% 5.9% $68

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$420 16.4%

Columbus, OH

$431 17.3% 2.7% $11

Eating Out

Milan

$312 12.2%

Columbus, OH

$340 13.6% 8.7% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$290 11.3%

Columbus, OH

$356 14.3% 22.6% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$193 7.6%

Columbus, OH

$126 5.1% 34.9% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$107 4.2%

Columbus, OH

$62 2.5% 41.8% $45

Getting Around

Milan

$73 2.8%

Columbus, OH

$81 3.2% 10.8% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,689 in Milan versus $1,543 in Columbus, OH. 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 82% higher in Columbus, OH, 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 $78.0 in Columbus, OH. Groceries tell a different story – $420 in Milan vs $431 in Columbus, OH – so Milan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇺🇸 Columbus, OH

🕒 Local time

14:31 2:31 PM

08:31 8:31 AM

6 h behind Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

905,748

💱 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 Columbus, OH 7,120 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Milan
Columbus, OH

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 Columbus, OH: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Milan costs about 3% more than Columbus, OH, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,840 per month in Milan and $3,737 in Columbus, OH. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Columbus, OH, 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 $2,491 in Columbus, OH. That's a gap of about 3%.

Public transport costs about 46% less in Columbus, OH. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,560 in Milan and $2,491 in Columbus, OH. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Columbus, OH costs $2,491 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 Columbus, OH. 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.