Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Cortona

For one person, living is cheaper in Cortona: $1,433 a month against $2,555 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Milan
Learn more

Milan Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Cortona
Learn more

Cortona Living Index

Jump to prices

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,555

/mo nomad

Cortona

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,433

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Cortona

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

A single person spends $2,555 per month in Milan vs $1,433 in Cortona, rent included.

Milan $2,555
Cortona $1,433

A couple spends around $3,859 per month in Milan vs $2,197 in Cortona, rent included.

Milan $3,859
Cortona $2,197

A family of three spends $5,163 per month in Milan vs $2,961 in Cortona, rent included.

Milan $5,163
Cortona $2,961

Milan costs about 78% more than Cortona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Milan and Cortona sit above the global median – Milan by 88%, Cortona by 5%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 €19.71

$16.79 €14.98

31.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 €79.4

$67.6 €60.3

31.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.35 €11.91

$11.36 €10.14

17.52%

Cappuccino

$2.14 €1.91

$2.12 €1.89

0.94%

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

$3.68 €3.29

$2.84 €2.54

29.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.48 €1.32

31.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.96 €6.21

$5.47 €4.88

27.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 €6.05

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.73 €1.54

1.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 €2.84

$2.20 €1.96

45.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.29

$2.97 €2.65

24.24%

Eggs

$5.02 €4.48

$4.74 €4.23

5.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.30 €20.79

$14.81 €13.21

57.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.73 €13.14

$12.15 €10.84

21.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.89 €20.42

$19.44 €17.34

17.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 €2.64

$2.55 €2.27

16.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 €2.06

$2.29 €2.05

0.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.23 €2.88

$2.36 €2.11

36.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 €3.84

$2.39 €2.14

79.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.41 €1.26

60.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.61 €1.43

24.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.38 €1.23

28.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 €0.55

$0.55 €0.50

10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.25 €6.47

$6.94 €6.19

4.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.77 €8.71

$5.69 €5.08

71.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.59 €1.42

21.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.13

$2.53 €2.26

-5.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 €2.19

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.45 €38.76

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.62 €6.80

$6.61 €5.90

15.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.63 €1.45

40.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.1 €58.1

$33.47 €29.86

94.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.16 €1.93

1.85%

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

$36.3K €32.4K

$35.4K €31.6K

2.67%

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

$37.4K €33.4K

$36.3K €32.3K

3.24%

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

$248 €221

$202 €181

22.37%

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

$10.29 €9.18

$11.25 €10.03

-8.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.70 €26.50

$32.35 €28.86

-8.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.9 €73.9

$28.04 €25.02

195.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.55 €29.93

$11.04 €9.85

203.89%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 €10.15

$11.25 €10.04

1.16%

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

$939 €838

$478 €426

96.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K €16.7K

$16.7K €14.9K

12.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.3

$72.0 €64.2

40.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.50 €44.17

$36.82 €32.85

34.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 €103

$85.7 €76.5

35.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 €146

$126 €113

29.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,764 €1,574

$864 €771

104.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 €1,039

$400 €357

191.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,429 €3,059

$1,493 €1,332

129.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,762

$621 €554

218.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K €9,435

$2,315 €2,065

356.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,220 €4,657

$2,804 €2,502

86.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,162 €1,929

$3,067 €2,737

-29.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

3.52

-9.66%

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

Last update for Milan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cortona: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.6%

Cortona

$400 27.9% 65.7% $764

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$419 16.4%

Cortona

$326 22.7% 22.2% $93

Eating Out

Milan

$313 12.3%

Cortona

$252 17.6% 19.6% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$288 11.3%

Cortona

$246 17.2% 14.5% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$194 7.6%

Cortona

$144 10.1% 25.4% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$106 4.1%

Cortona

$51 3.5% 52.1% $55

Getting Around

Milan

$72 2.8%

Cortona

$15 * 1% 79.6% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,764 in Milan versus $864 in Cortona. 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 42% higher in Cortona, 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 in Milan versus $68 in Cortona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $419 vs $326 – making Cortona the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇮🇹 Cortona

🕒 Local time

23:51 11:51 PM

Same time as Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

22,450

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Milan Cortona 330 km

From you

Milan
Cortona

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 Cortona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,555 in Milan, $1,433 in Cortona – Cortona comes out roughly 44% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,833 per month in Milan and $2,150 in Cortona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cortona, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $864 there versus $1,764 in Milan.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,555 in Milan and $1,433 in Cortona. That makes Cortona about 44% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $939 per month in Milan and $478 in Cortona. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Cortona, where all-in costs run around $1,433, than in Milan at $2,555. In Cortona it covers expenses comfortably, while in Milan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cortona – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.