Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Massa

For one person, living is cheaper in Massa: $1,579 a month against $2,560 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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 Massa
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Massa Living Index

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Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Massa

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Massa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,560 in Milan versus $1,579 in Massa.

Milan $2,560
Massa $1,579

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,895 in Milan versus $2,524 in Massa.

Milan $3,895
Massa $2,524

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,230 in Milan versus $3,470 in Massa.

Milan $5,230
Massa $3,470

Living in Milan is roughly 62% more expensive than in Massa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.52 €20.03

$17.00 €15.12

32.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.3 €79.4

$73.4 €65.3

21.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.16 €11.71

$13.60 €12.10

-3.24%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.90

$2.26 €2.01

-5.75%

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

$3.67 €3.26

$2.31 €2.05

58.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.15 €1.02

58.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.65 €5.92

$4.54 €4.04

46.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 €5.91

$6.03 €5.36

10.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.40 €1.25

21.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 €2.81

$2.76 €2.46

14.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 €3.15

$2.59 €2.30

36.68%

Eggs

$4.88 €4.34

$4.25 €3.78

14.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.85 €20.33

$18.31 €16.29

24.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.72 €13.09

$13.06 €11.62

12.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.77 €20.25

$17.36 €15.44

31.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.26 €2.01

38.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$1.71 €1.52

39.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.96 €1.74

72.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 €3.80

$2.47 €2.20

72.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.30 €1.16

83.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.36 €1.21

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.66 €1.47

5.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.60 €0.53

-5.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.46 €6.64

$6.53 €5.81

14.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.58 €8.52

$7.93 €7.05

20.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.60 €1.42

25.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.85 €1.64

32.97%

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

$41.07 €36.53

5.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 €6.82

$5.42 €4.82

41.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.47 €1.31

53.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.2 €58.0

$27.70 €24.64

135.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.97 €1.75

11.68%

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

$36.5K €32.4K

$36.6K €32.6K

-0.48%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

-0.00%

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

$247 €220

$237 €211

4.23%

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

$10.21 €9.08

$11.74 €10.45

-13.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.16 €25.94

$27.78 €24.71

4.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.4 €73.3

$55.1 €48.97

49.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.18 €30.41

$23.85 €21.21

43.31%

Cinema Ticket

$12.11 €10.77

$9.21 €8.19

31.49%

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

$857 €762

$559 €497

53.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K €16.5K

$4,386 €3,902

323.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.2

$87.8 €78.1

15.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 €45.21

$42.33 €37.65

20.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €104

$93.5 €83.1

24.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 €149

$156 €139

7.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 €1,540

$603 €536

187.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$414 €368

182.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,402 €3,026

$1,079 €960

215.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,036 €1,811

$851 €757

139.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.5K €9,376

$2,915 €2,593

261.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,240 €4,661

$2,038 €1,812

157.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,145 €1,908

$1,690 €1,504

26.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

3.46

-8.09%

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

Last update for Milan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Massa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.7%

Massa

$414 26.2% 64.6% $756

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$417 16.3%

Massa

$331 21% 20.6% $86

Eating Out

Milan

$314 12.3%

Massa

$253 16% 19.5% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$286 11.2%

Massa

$276 17.5% 3.4% $9.9

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$196 7.7%

Massa

$171 10.8% 12.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$107 4.2%

Massa

$73 4.7% 31.1% $33

Getting Around

Milan

$72 2.8%

Massa

$61 3.8% 15.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,731 in Milan and $603 in Massa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Milan pays 27% 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 $73.0 in Massa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $417 vs $331 per month, with Massa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇮🇹 Massa

🕒 Local time

03:20 3:20 AM

Same time as Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

69,479

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Massa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Milan and Massa differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($2,560 vs $1,579 including rent). Massa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 27% 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 $603 in Massa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Massa – a meal for two runs $73.0 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 $1,579 in Massa – a 62% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,579 in Massa versus $2,560 in Milan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Massa but tight or insufficient in Milan. The gap between the two cities makes Massa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Milan and Massa 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 Massa 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.