Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Heerlen

For one person, living is cheaper in Heerlen: $2,255 a month against $2,560 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
110

Cost of Living Index in Heerlen
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Heerlen Living Index

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Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Heerlen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Heerlen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,560 in Milan versus $2,255 in Heerlen.

Milan $2,560
Heerlen $2,255

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,895 in Milan versus $3,463 in Heerlen.

Milan $3,895
Heerlen $3,463

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,231 in Milan versus $4,672 in Heerlen.

Milan $5,231
Heerlen $4,672

Living in Milan is roughly 14% more expensive than in Heerlen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milan 89% above, Heerlen 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.11 €19.66

$23.76 €21.13

-6.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.7 €78.9

$97.9 €87.0

-9.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.22 €11.76

$19.01 €16.90

-30.46%

Cappuccino

$2.08 €1.85

$4.09 €3.64

-49.14%

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

$3.82 €3.40

$3.24 €2.88

17.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.63

$2.29 €2.03

-20.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 €6.11

$6.09 €5.42

12.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 €6.17

$5.59 €4.97

23.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.56

$1.33 €1.19

32.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.29 €2.93

$2.41 €2.15

36.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.57 €3.18

$2.54 €2.26

40.55%

Eggs

$5.08 €4.52

$4.47 €3.97

13.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.34 €20.76

$11.73 €10.43

98.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.68 €13.05

$14.00 €12.45

4.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.73 €20.22

$17.89 €15.91

27.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 €2.73

$2.28 €2.03

34.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$2.51 €2.23

-3.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 €2.97

$2.11 €1.88

58.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 €3.72

$4.32 €3.84

-3.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$1.85 €1.65

30.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.09 €1.86

-6.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.39 €1.24

30.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.50

$0.83 €0.74

-31.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.20 €6.40

$13.87 €12.34

-48.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.60 €8.54

$7.20 €6.41

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.41 €1.26

39.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 €2.15

$2.66 €2.37

-9.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 €2.24

$3.60 €3.20

-30.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.15 €38.38

$59.8 €53.2

-27.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.92 €7.04

$6.27 €5.58

26.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 €2.04

$1.69 €1.50

36.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$64.8 €57.6

$22.38 €19.91

189.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.46 €2.19

-10.57%

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

$36.1K €32.1K

$29.7K €26.4K

21.74%

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

$37.0K €32.9K

$35.0K €31.1K

5.79%

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

$250 €223

$191 €170

30.82%

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

$10.20 €9.08

$26.36 €23.45

-61.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.45 €26.19

$56.0 €49.78

-47.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.6 €75.3

$35.46 €31.54

138.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.03 €30.27

$27.63 €24.58

23.16%

Cinema Ticket

$11.05 €9.83

$13.40 €11.92

-17.54%

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

$846 €753

$671 €597

26.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K €16.5K

$5,507 €4,898

237.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €89.7

$99.6 €88.6

1.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 €45.43

$49.56 €44.08

3.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €102

$101 €90.1

12.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 €145

$193 €172

-15.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 €1,502

$1,120 €996

50.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,165 €1,036

$938 €834

24.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,436 €3,056

$1,913 €1,701

79.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,038 €1,813

$1,587 €1,411

28.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.5K €9,339

$3,938 €3,502

166.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,149 €4,580

$2,810 €2,500

83.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,190 €1,948

$2,947 €2,622

-25.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

4.35

-26.90%

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

Last update for Milan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Heerlen: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.5%

Heerlen

$938 41.6% 19.5% $227

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$420 16.4%

Heerlen

$333 14.8% 20.7% $87

Eating Out

Milan

$312 12.2%

Heerlen

$360 16% 15.3% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$290 11.3%

Heerlen

$274 12.1% 5.6% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$193 7.6%

Heerlen

$200 8.9% 3.2% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$107 4.2%

Heerlen

$62 2.8% 41.7% $44

Getting Around

Milan

$73 2.8%

Heerlen

$89 3.9% 22.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,689 in Milan and $1,120 in Heerlen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Heerlen pays 35% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $89.0 in Milan vs $98.0 in Heerlen. Groceries flip the comparison at $420 vs $333, with Heerlen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇳🇱 Heerlen

🕒 Local time

23:52 11:52 PM

Same time as Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

87,086

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Milan Heerlen 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Milan
Heerlen

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 Heerlen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Heerlen wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Milan. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Heerlen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Heerlen. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,689 in Milan versus $1,120 in Heerlen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Heerlen runs roughly 39% less than in Milan. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $846 in Milan versus $671 in Heerlen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,255 in Heerlen versus $2,560 in Milan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Heerlen but tight or insufficient in Milan. The gap between the two cities makes Heerlen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Heerlen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,255 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Heerlen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Milan and Heerlen 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 Heerlen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.