Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Darmstadt

For one person, living is cheaper in Darmstadt: $2,255 a month against $2,555 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Milan
Learn more

Milan Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Darmstadt
Learn more

Darmstadt Living Index

Jump to prices

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,555

/mo nomad

Darmstadt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Darmstadt

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

A single person spends $2,555 per month in Milan vs $2,255 in Darmstadt, rent included.

Milan $2,555
Darmstadt $2,255

A couple spends around $3,859 per month in Milan vs $3,478 in Darmstadt, rent included.

Milan $3,859
Darmstadt $3,478

A family of three spends $5,163 per month in Milan vs $4,701 in Darmstadt, rent included.

Milan $5,163
Darmstadt $4,701

Milan costs about 13% more than Darmstadt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Milan and Darmstadt sit above the global median – Milan by 88%, Darmstadt by 66%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 €19.80

$22.50 €20.16

-1.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 €79.8

$65.8 €59.0

35.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.35 €11.96

$13.17 €11.81

1.37%

Cappuccino

$2.14 €1.91

$4.00 €3.59

-46.50%

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

$3.68 €3.30

$2.34 €2.09

57.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.15 €1.92

-9.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.96 €6.24

$5.67 €5.08

22.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 €6.07

$5.47 €4.90

23.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.48 €1.33

18.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 €2.85

$2.25 €2.02

41.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.31

$3.85 €3.45

-4.16%

Eggs

$5.02 €4.50

$4.24 €3.80

18.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.30 €20.88

$16.13 €14.45

44.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.73 €13.20

$10.73 €9.62

37.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.89 €20.51

$26.42 €23.68

-13.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 €2.65

$3.39 €3.04

-12.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

Oranges (1kg)

$3.23 €2.89

$2.14 €1.92

50.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 €3.86

$3.88 €3.48

10.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.20 €1.07

88.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$1.09 €0.98

83.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 €1.60

$1.47 €1.32

21.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 €0.55

$1.30 €1.16

-53.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.25 €6.50

$9.44 €8.46

-23.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.77 €8.75

$5.50 €4.93

77.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.21 €1.08

59.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.14

$1.57 €1.41

51.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 €2.20

$3.32 €2.98

-26.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.45 €38.93

$71.7 €64.2

-39.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.62 €6.83

$5.69 €5.10

33.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 €2.05

$2.21 €1.98

3.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.1 €58.3

$38.70 €34.68

68.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.16 €1.93

1.85%

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

$36.3K €32.6K

$32.8K €29.4K

10.97%

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

$37.4K €33.5K

$37.9K €34.0K

-1.31%

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

$248 €222

$341 €306

-27.36%

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

$10.29 €9.22

$32.19 €28.84

-68.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.70 €26.61

$52.2 €46.73

-43.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.9 €74.2

$40.28 €36.10

105.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.55 €30.06

$50.9 €45.57

-34.02%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 €10.20

$10.73 €9.62

6.06%

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

$939 €842

$1,070 €959

-12.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K €16.8K

$43.6K €39.0K

-56.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.7

$94.4 €84.6

7.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.50 €44.36

$70.5 €63.2

-29.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 €104

$125 €112

-7.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 €147

$149 €134

9.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,764 €1,581

$1,005 €900

75.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 €1,043

$787 €705

47.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,429 €3,073

$2,155 €1,931

59.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,769

$1,578 €1,414

25.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K €9,476

$6,085 €5,453

73.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,220 €4,677

$4,334 €3,884

20.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,162 €1,937

$3,509 €3,144

-38.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

4.03

-21.09%

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

Last update for Milan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Darmstadt: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.6%

Darmstadt

$787 34.9% 32.4% $377

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$419 16.4%

Darmstadt

$357 15.8% 14.7% $61

Eating Out

Milan

$313 12.3%

Darmstadt

$325 14.4% 3.7% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$288 11.3%

Darmstadt

$425 18.9% 47.8% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$194 7.6%

Darmstadt

$198 8.8% 2.1% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$106 4.1%

Darmstadt

$62 2.7% 41.5% $44

Getting Around

Milan

$72 2.8%

Darmstadt

$102 4.5% 40.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,764 in Milan versus $1,005 in Darmstadt. 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 62% higher in Darmstadt, 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 $66 in Darmstadt. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $419 vs $357 – making Darmstadt the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇩🇪 Darmstadt

🕒 Local time

10:50 10:50 AM

Same time as Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

169,255

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Milan Darmstadt 490 km

From you

Milan
Darmstadt

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 Darmstadt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Milan is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,833 per month in Milan and $3,383 in Darmstadt. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Darmstadt, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,005 there versus $1,764 in Milan.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,555 in Milan and $2,255 in Darmstadt. That makes Darmstadt about 12% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 39% less in Milan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Darmstadt, where all-in costs run around $2,255, than in Milan at $2,555. In Darmstadt it covers expenses comfortably, while in Milan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Milan has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,255 in Darmstadt to $2,555 in Milan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.