Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Gallarate

For one person, living is cheaper in Gallarate: $1,903 a month against $2,560 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
92

Cost of Living Index in Gallarate
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Gallarate Living Index

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Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Gallarate

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,903

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Gallarate

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,560 in Milan versus $1,903 in Gallarate.

Milan $2,560
Gallarate $1,903

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,895 in Milan versus $2,932 in Gallarate.

Milan $3,895
Gallarate $2,932

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,230 in Milan versus $3,962 in Gallarate.

Milan $5,230
Gallarate $3,962

Living in Milan is roughly 35% more expensive than in Gallarate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milan 90% above, Gallarate 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.52 €20.03

$22.51 €20.02

0.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.3 €79.4

$88.5 €78.7

0.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.16 €11.71

$11.10 €9.87

18.56%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.90

$1.86 €1.66

14.52%

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

$3.67 €3.26

$3.40 €3.03

7.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.65 €1.46

10.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.65 €5.92

$6.12 €5.44

8.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 €5.91

$6.55 €5.82

1.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.36 €1.21

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 €2.81

$2.21 €1.97

42.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 €3.15

$3.51 €3.12

0.85%

Eggs

$4.88 €4.34

$2.98 €2.65

63.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.85 €20.33

$15.26 €13.57

49.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.72 €13.09

$14.04 €12.48

4.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.77 €20.25

$27.43 €24.40

-16.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.84 €2.53

9.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$2.15 €1.91

11.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.37 €2.11

43.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 €3.80

$2.34 €2.08

82.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.50 €1.33

58.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.67 €1.48

22.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.70 €1.51

2.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.59 €0.53

-3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.46 €6.64

$6.72 €5.98

11.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.58 €8.52

$6.76 €6.01

41.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.31 €1.17

53.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.65 €1.47

49.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.70 €1.51

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.27 €38.49

$43.39 €38.60

-0.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 €6.82

$5.69 €5.06

34.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.71 €1.52

32.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.2 €58.0

$33.83 €30.09

92.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.06 €1.83

6.80%

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

$36.5K €32.4K

$35.9K €31.9K

1.68%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$35.7K €31.8K

-0.87%

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

$247 €220

$218 €194

13.44%

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

$10.21 €9.08

$12.82 €11.41

-20.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.16 €25.94

$29.53 €26.27

-1.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.4 €73.3

$60.3 €53.7

36.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.18 €30.41

$23.01 €20.46

48.54%

Cinema Ticket

$12.11 €10.77

$12.61 €11.22

-3.97%

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

$857 €762

$564 €502

51.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K €16.5K

$8,472 €7,535

119.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.2

$89.2 €79.4

13.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 €45.21

$44.61 €39.68

13.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €104

$108 €96.5

7.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 €149

$165 €147

1.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 €1,540

$792 €704

118.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$657 €584

78.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,402 €3,026

$1,357 €1,207

150.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,036 €1,811

$1,060 €943

92.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.5K €9,376

$2,590 €2,304

306.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,240 €4,661

$2,063 €1,835

154.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,145 €1,908

$2,104 €1,872

1.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

3.73

-14.75%

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

Last update for Milan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Gallarate: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.7%

Gallarate

$657 34.5% 43.8% $513

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$417 16.3%

Gallarate

$353 18.6% 15.2% $63

Eating Out

Milan

$314 12.3%

Gallarate

$300 15.8% 4.5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$286 11.2%

Gallarate

$260 13.7% 9.2% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$196 7.7%

Gallarate

$183 9.6% 6.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$107 4.2%

Gallarate

$86 4.5% 19.7% $21

Getting Around

Milan

$72 2.8%

Gallarate

$64 3.4% 10.2% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,731 in Milan and $792 in Gallarate. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Milan pays 2% 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 $88.0 in Gallarate for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $417 vs $353 per month, with Gallarate cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇮🇹 Gallarate

🕒 Local time

06:15 6:15 AM

Same time as Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

46,361

💱 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 Gallarate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gallarate wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Milan. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Gallarate the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 2% 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 $792 in Gallarate. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Gallarate – a meal for two runs $88.0 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 $1,903 in Gallarate – a 35% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,903 in Gallarate versus $2,560 in Milan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gallarate but tight or insufficient in Milan. The gap between the two cities makes Gallarate the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Gallarate delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,903 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Gallarate hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Milan and Gallarate 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 Gallarate gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.