Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Mestre

For one person, living is cheaper in Mestre: $1,784 a month against $2,555 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Mestre
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Mestre Living Index

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Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,555

/mo nomad

Mestre

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Mestre

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

A single person spends $2,555 per month in Milan vs $1,784 in Mestre, rent included.

Milan $2,555
Mestre $1,784

A couple spends around $3,859 per month in Milan vs $2,808 in Mestre, rent included.

Milan $3,859
Mestre $2,808

A family of three spends $5,163 per month in Milan vs $3,832 in Mestre, rent included.

Milan $5,163
Mestre $3,832

Milan costs about 43% more than Mestre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Milan and Mestre sit above the global median – Milan by 88%, Mestre by 31%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 €19.80

$13.15 €11.79

68.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 €79.8

$91.0 €81.6

-2.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.35 €11.96

$12.44 €11.15

7.32%

Cappuccino

$2.14 €1.91

$2.04 €1.83

4.90%

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

$3.68 €3.30

$2.95 €2.65

24.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.46 €1.31

33.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.96 €6.24

$6.62 €5.93

5.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 €6.07

$5.40 €4.84

25.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.72 €1.54

1.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 €2.85

$2.51 €2.25

27.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.31

$3.22 €2.88

14.60%

Eggs

$5.02 €4.50

$3.76 €3.37

33.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.30 €20.88

$17.48 €15.66

33.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.73 €13.20

$12.60 €11.29

16.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.89 €20.51

$21.49 €19.26

6.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 €2.65

$3.06 €2.74

-3.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.92 €1.72

20.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.23 €2.89

$3.41 €3.05

-5.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 €3.86

$3.13 €2.80

37.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.99 €1.79

13.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$2.28 €2.04

-12.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 €1.60

$1.65 €1.48

7.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 €0.55

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.25 €6.50

$6.90 €6.19

5.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.77 €8.75

$6.88 €6.17

42.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.54 €1.38

25.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.14

$1.72 €1.54

38.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 €2.20

$1.70 €1.52

44.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.45 €38.93

$40.79 €36.55

6.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.62 €6.83

$4.73 €4.24

61.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 €2.05

$1.40 €1.26

63.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.1 €58.3

$30.66 €27.48

112.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.02 €1.81

8.91%

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

$36.3K €32.6K

$35.4K €31.7K

2.59%

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

$37.4K €33.5K

$36.9K €33.1K

1.33%

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

$248 €222

$205 €184

20.57%

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

$10.29 €9.22

$8.66 €7.76

18.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.70 €26.61

$29.29 €26.24

1.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.9 €74.2

$48.25 €43.23

71.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.55 €30.06

$20.01 €17.93

67.67%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 €10.20

$11.13 €9.97

2.25%

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

$939 €842

$682 €611

37.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K €16.8K

$11.1K €9,974

68.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.7

$78.8 €70.7

28.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.50 €44.36

$34.06 €30.53

45.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 €104

$105 €94.1

10.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 €147

$167 €150

-2.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,764 €1,581

$857 €768

105.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 €1,043

$653 €585

78.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,429 €3,073

$1,459 €1,308

134.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,769

$1,163 €1,042

69.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K €9,476

$1,871 €1,677

465.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,220 €4,677

$1,579 €1,415

230.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,162 €1,937

$1,909 €1,711

13.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

3.31

-3.93%

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

Last update for Milan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mestre: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.6%

Mestre

$653 36.6% 43.9% $511

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$419 16.4%

Mestre

$355 19.9% 15.1% $63

Eating Out

Milan

$313 12.3%

Mestre

$229 12.8% 27.1% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$288 11.3%

Mestre

$243 13.7% 15.4% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$194 7.6%

Mestre

$173 9.7% 10.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$106 4.1%

Mestre

$71 4% 33.2% $35

Getting Around

Milan

$72 2.8%

Mestre

$59 3.3% 18% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,764 in Milan versus $857 in Mestre. 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 13% higher in Milan, 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 $89 in Milan versus $91 in Mestre. Groceries tell a different story – $419 in Milan vs $355 in Mestre – so Mestre wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇮🇹 Mestre

🕒 Local time

07:13 7:13 AM

Same time as Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

87,377

💱 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 Mestre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,555 in Milan, $1,784 in Mestre – Mestre comes out roughly 30% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,833 per month in Milan and $2,675 in Mestre. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mestre, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $857 there versus $1,764 in Milan.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,555 in Milan and $1,784 in Mestre. That makes Mestre about 30% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $939 per month in Milan and $682 in Mestre. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,555 in Milan and $1,784 in Mestre, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Mestre – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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