Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Ferrara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ferrara: $1,582 a month against $2,560 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Ferrara
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Ferrara Living Index

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Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Ferrara

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,582

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Ferrara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,560 in Milan versus $1,582 in Ferrara.

Milan $2,560
Ferrara $1,582

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,895 in Milan versus $2,476 in Ferrara.

Milan $3,895
Ferrara $2,476

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,230 in Milan versus $3,370 in Ferrara.

Milan $5,230
Ferrara $3,370

Living in Milan is roughly 62% more expensive than in Ferrara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milan 90% above, Ferrara 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.52 €20.03

$17.96 €15.98

25.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.3 €79.4

$67.9 €60.4

31.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.16 €11.71

$11.07 €9.85

18.88%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.90

$1.92 €1.70

10.94%

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

$3.67 €3.26

$2.63 €2.34

39.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.17 €1.04

55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.65 €5.92

$5.54 €4.93

20.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 €5.91

$5.46 €4.86

21.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.62 €1.44

4.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 €2.81

$2.72 €2.42

16.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 €3.15

$3.13 €2.78

13.10%

Eggs

$4.88 €4.34

$4.64 €4.13

5.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.85 €20.33

$17.61 €15.67

29.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.72 €13.09

$11.31 €10.06

30.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.77 €20.25

$24.40 €21.70

-6.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.96 €2.63

5.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$1.48 €1.31

61.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.76 €3.34

-9.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 €3.80

$4.33 €3.85

-1.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.41 €2.15

-1.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.39 €2.13

-14.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.86 €1.65

-5.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.34 €0.30

67.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.46 €6.64

$6.63 €5.90

12.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.58 €8.52

$4.33 €3.85

121.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.40 €1.25

43.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.13 €1.89

15.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.06 €1.84

15.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.27 €38.49

$30.25 €26.91

43.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 €6.82

$8.28 €7.37

-7.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.91 €1.70

18.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.2 €58.0

$33.91 €30.16

92.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.10 €1.87

4.76%

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

$36.5K €32.4K

$35.6K €31.6K

2.51%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$36.0K €32.0K

-1.61%

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

$247 €220

$139 €124

77.31%

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

$10.21 €9.08

$9.52 €8.47

7.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.16 €25.94

$27.59 €24.54

5.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.4 €73.3

$37.21 €33.09

121.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.18 €30.41

$15.97 €14.20

114.03%

Cinema Ticket

$12.11 €10.77

$8.80 €7.83

37.61%

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

$857 €762

$337 €300

154.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K €16.5K

$10.0K €8,930

85.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.2

$93.8 €83.5

8.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 €45.21

$33.56 €29.85

51.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €104

$104 €92.8

11.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 €149

$103 €91.8

62.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 €1,540

$621 €552

178.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$529 €470

121.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,402 €3,026

$1,261 €1,122

169.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,036 €1,811

$886 €788

129.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.5K €9,376

$2,314 €2,058

355.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,240 €4,661

$1,763 €1,568

197.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,145 €1,908

$1,618 €1,439

32.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

3.37

-5.64%

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

Last update for Milan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ferrara: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.7%

Ferrara

$529 33.4% 54.8% $640

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$417 16.3%

Ferrara

$361 22.8% 13.4% $56

Eating Out

Milan

$314 12.3%

Ferrara

$254 16% 19.1% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$286 11.2%

Ferrara

$176 11.2% 38.4% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$196 7.7%

Ferrara

$151 9.5% 23.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$107 4.2%

Ferrara

$55 3.5% 48.6% $52

Getting Around

Milan

$72 2.8%

Ferrara

$56 3.6% 21.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,731 in Milan and $621 in Ferrara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Milan pays 33% 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: $89.0 in Milan vs $68.0 in Ferrara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $417 vs $361 per month, with Ferrara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇮🇹 Ferrara

🕒 Local time

18:17 6:17 PM

Same time as Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

133,155

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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 Ferrara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ferrara wins on cost – living expenses run 62% lower than in Milan. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ferrara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 33% 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: $1,731 in Milan versus $621 in Ferrara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ferrara – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $89.0 in Milan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,560 per month in Milan versus $1,582 in Ferrara – a 62% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,582 in Ferrara versus $2,560 in Milan, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ferrara but tight or insufficient in Milan. The gap between the two cities makes Ferrara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ferrara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,582 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ferrara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Milan and Ferrara 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 Ferrara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.