Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Milan: $2,531 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 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
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,531

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in London

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

A single person spends $2,531 per month in Milan vs $4,086 in London, rent included.

Milan $2,531
London $4,086

A couple spends around $3,874 per month in Milan vs $5,816 in London, rent included.

Milan $3,874
London $5,816

A family of three spends $5,216 per month in Milan vs $7,546 in London, rent included.

Milan $5,216
London $7,546

Milan is about 38% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Milan and London sit above the global median – Milan by 89%, London by 205%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.62 €20.17

$26.62 £20.12

-15.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.2 €78.6

$108 £81.3

-18.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.34 €11.90

$10.39 £7.86

28.39%

Cappuccino

$2.16 €1.93

$5.79 £4.38

-62.69%

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

$3.67 €3.27

$3.01 £2.27

21.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.15 £1.63

-15.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 €6.11

$9.35 £7.07

-26.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.76 €6.03

$7.84 £5.93

-13.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.79 £1.35

-4.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.28 €2.92

$2.06 £1.56

59.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 €3.27

$2.31 £1.74

58.87%

Eggs

$4.93 €4.40

$5.05 £3.82

-2.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.72 €20.26

$12.57 £9.50

80.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.25 €12.70

$10.66 £8.05

33.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.58 €20.13

$17.13 £12.95

31.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$3.03 £2.29

-1.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 €2.18

$1.41 £1.07

73.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 €3.00

$3.05 £2.31

10.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 €3.75

$3.38 £2.56

24.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.67 £1.26

38.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.73 £1.31

20.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.41 £1.07

21.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.79 £1.35

-68.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.31 €6.51

$23.22 £17.55

-68.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.79 €8.73

$12.99 £9.82

-24.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.81

$3.18 £2.41

-36.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 €2.21

$4.41 £3.34

-43.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 €2.19

$3.87 £2.93

-36.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.94 €39.18

$250 £189

-82.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.80 €6.96

$5.71 £4.31

36.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.03

$3.33 £2.51

-31.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$64.7 €57.7

$57.9 £43.77

11.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.04 £1.54

6.86%

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

$36.0K €32.1K

$37.5K £28.4K

-4.21%

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

$35.8K €31.9K

$40.9K £30.9K

-12.44%

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

$252 €225

$376 £284

-32.96%

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

$10.22 €9.11

$17.88 £13.51

-42.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.41 €26.22

$40.01 £30.25

-26.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.6 €76.3

$61.2 £46.23

39.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.45 €30.72

$21.07 £15.93

63.50%

Cinema Ticket

$12.14 €10.83

$17.95 £13.57

-32.37%

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

$837 €747

$2,865 £2,166

-70.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.1K €17.1K

$35.3K £26.7K

-45.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.5

$116 £87.7

-12.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.73 €44.34

$54.1 £40.88

-8.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €105

$127 £95.7

-7.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 €148

$159 £120

3.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,715 €1,529

$2,853 £2,157

-39.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 €1,033

$2,301 £1,740

-49.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,413 €3,043

$5,201 £3,932

-34.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,066 €1,842

$3,723 £2,814

-44.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K €9,470

$19.0K £14.4K

-44.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,004 €4,462

$7,881 £5,957

-36.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,190 €1,952

$4,818 £3,642

-54.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

4.65

-31.61%

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

Last update for Milan: October 5, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.3%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 98.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$415 16.2%

London

$349 8.6% 15.8% $66

Eating Out

Milan

$317 12.4%

London

$397 9.7% 25.3% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$292 11.4%

London

$434 10.7% 48.7% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$195 7.6%

London

$205 5% 5% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$110 4.3%

London

$97 2.4% 11.6% $13

Getting Around

Milan

$73 2.9%

London

$288 7.1% 295% $215

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,715 in Milan versus $2,853 in London. 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 120% higher in London, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Milan versus $108 in London. Groceries tell a different story – $415 in Milan vs $349 in London – so London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

04:28 4:28 AM

1 h behind Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Milan London 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Milan
London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,531 in Milan, $4,086 in London – roughly 61% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,797 per month in Milan and $6,129 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Milan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 19% cheaper in London – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Milan and $108 in London. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,531 in Milan and $4,086 in London. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Milan has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,531 in Milan to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Milan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.