Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Cosenza

For one person, living is cheaper in Cosenza: $1,413 a month against $2,555 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cosenza
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Cosenza Living Index

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Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,555

/mo nomad

Cosenza

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,413

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Cosenza

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,555 in Milan versus $1,413 in Cosenza.

Milan $2,555
Cosenza $1,413

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,859 in Milan versus $2,170 in Cosenza.

Milan $3,859
Cosenza $2,170

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,163 in Milan versus $2,928 in Cosenza.

Milan $5,163
Cosenza $2,928

Living in Milan is roughly 81% more expensive than in Cosenza, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milan 88% above, Cosenza 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 €19.82

$17.02 €15.26

29.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 €79.9

$55.4 €49.65

60.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.35 €11.97

$11.01 €9.88

21.25%

Cappuccino

$2.14 €1.92

$1.76 €1.58

21.59%

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

$3.68 €3.30

$2.47 €2.22

48.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.75

$1.15 €1.03

69.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.96 €6.25

$5.66 €5.08

22.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 €6.08

$4.34 €3.89

56.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.12 €1.01

56.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 €2.86

$1.86 €1.67

71.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.31

$2.55 €2.29

44.71%

Eggs

$5.02 €4.50

$3.33 €2.99

50.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.30 €20.90

$12.59 €11.29

85.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.73 €13.21

$11.02 €9.88

33.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.89 €20.53

$15.50 €13.90

47.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 €2.65

$2.49 €2.23

18.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.04 €1.83

13.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.23 €2.89

$2.24 €2.01

44.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 €3.86

$3.25 €2.92

32.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.32 €1.19

71.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$1.79 €1.60

11.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 €1.60

$1.43 €1.28

24.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 €0.55

$0.44 €0.39

38.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.25 €6.50

$6.64 €5.95

9.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.77 €8.76

$6.34 €5.69

54.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.84 €1.65

4.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.14

$2.99 €2.68

-20.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 €2.20

$1.30 €1.17

88.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.45 €38.97

$30.81 €27.64

41.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.62 €6.84

$4.58 €4.11

66.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 €2.06

$1.22 €1.09

87.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.1 €58.4

$22.65 €20.32

187.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.00 €1.80

10.00%

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

$36.3K €32.6K

$30.3K €27.2K

19.86%

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

$37.4K €33.6K

$30.3K €27.2K

23.66%

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

$248 €222

$201 €181

23.04%

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

$10.29 €9.23

$9.08 €8.14

13.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.70 €26.64

$31.07 €27.87

-4.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.9 €74.3

$45.72 €41.01

81.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.55 €30.09

$16.65 €14.94

101.50%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 €10.21

$8.19 €7.35

38.95%

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

$939 €842

$285 €256

229.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K €16.8K

$2,777 €2,491

575.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.8

$84.1 €75.5

20.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.50 €44.40

$40.22 €36.08

23.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 €104

$102 €91.7

13.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 €147

$115 €103

41.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,764 €1,583

$500 €448

252.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 €1,044

$378 €339

208.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,429 €3,076

$931 €835

268.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,771

$653 €585

202.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K €9,485

$1,752 €1,572

503.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,220 €4,682

$1,301 €1,167

301.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,162 €1,939

$1,506 €1,351

43.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

3.08

3.25%

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

Last update for Milan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cosenza: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.6%

Cosenza

$378 26.8% 67.5% $786

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$419 16.4%

Cosenza

$289 20.5% 31% $130

Eating Out

Milan

$313 12.3%

Cosenza

$242 17.1% 22.9% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$288 11.3%

Cosenza

$242 17.1% 16.1% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$194 7.6%

Cosenza

$154 10.9% 20.5% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$106 4.1%

Cosenza

$62 4.4% 41.2% $44

Getting Around

Milan

$72 2.8%

Cosenza

$47 3.3% 35.5% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,764 in Milan and $500 in Cosenza. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Milan pays 44% 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 $55 in Cosenza for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $419 vs $289 per month, with Cosenza cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇮🇹 Cosenza

🕒 Local time

01:16 1:16 AM

Same time as Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

63,693

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Milan Cosenza 900 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Milan
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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 Cosenza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Milan and Cosenza differ by about 81% in total monthly costs ($2,555 vs $1,413 including rent). Cosenza is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 44% 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 $500 in Cosenza. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Milan versus $285 in Cosenza. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Milan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,413 in Cosenza versus $2,555 in Milan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cosenza but tight or insufficient in Milan. The gap between the two cities makes Cosenza 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.

Safety-wise, Milan and Cosenza are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cosenza gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.