Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Olbia

For one person, living is cheaper in Olbia: $1,759 a month against $2,555 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Olbia
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Olbia Living Index

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Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,555

/mo nomad

Olbia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Olbia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,555 in Milan versus $1,759 in Olbia.

Milan $2,555
Olbia $1,759

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,859 in Milan versus $2,600 in Olbia.

Milan $3,859
Olbia $2,600

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,163 in Milan versus $3,440 in Olbia.

Milan $5,163
Olbia $3,440

Living in Milan is roughly 45% more expensive than in Olbia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milan 88% above, Olbia 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 €19.80

$22.01 €19.73

0.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 €79.8

$85.1 €76.3

4.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.35 €11.96

$9.96 €8.93

34.04%

Cappuccino

$2.14 €1.91

$1.84 €1.65

16.30%

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

$3.68 €3.30

$3.27 €2.93

12.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.48 €1.32

31.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.96 €6.24

$3.44 €3.08

102.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 €6.07

$3.37 €3.02

101.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.59 €1.42

10.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 €2.85

$2.00 €1.80

59.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.31

$2.57 €2.30

43.58%

Eggs

$5.02 €4.50

$3.72 €3.33

34.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.30 €20.88

$16.23 €14.55

43.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.73 €13.20

$11.45 €10.26

28.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.89 €20.51

$17.55 €15.72

30.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 €2.65

$2.25 €2.02

31.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.84 €1.65

25.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.23 €2.89

$2.34 €2.09

38.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 €3.86

$2.74 €2.46

56.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.42 €1.28

59.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$1.36 €1.22

47.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 €1.60

$1.55 €1.39

14.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 €0.55

$0.39 €0.35

56.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.25 €6.50

$6.81 €6.10

6.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.77 €8.75

$8.43 €7.55

15.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.61 €1.44

19.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.14

$1.61 €1.44

47.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 €2.20

$1.36 €1.22

80.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.45 €38.93

$16.74 €15.00

159.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.62 €6.83

$9.39 €8.41

-18.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 €2.05

$1.48 €1.33

54.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.1 €58.3

$31.14 €27.90

108.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.99 €1.79

10.55%

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

$36.3K €32.6K

$35.7K €32.0K

1.77%

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

$37.4K €33.5K

$35.0K €31.4K

6.97%

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

$248 €222

$160 €143

55.25%

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

$10.29 €9.22

$8.90 €7.98

15.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.70 €26.61

$26.88 €24.08

10.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.9 €74.2

$36.18 €32.42

128.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.55 €30.06

$27.77 €24.88

20.81%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 €10.20

$11.10 €9.95

2.52%

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

$939 €842

$320 €287

193.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K €16.8K

$8,200 €7,348

128.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.7

$97.4 €87.3

3.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.50 €44.36

$41.83 €37.48

18.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 €104

$91.1 €81.6

27.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 €147

$116 €104

41.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,764 €1,581

$882 €790

100.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 €1,043

$729 €653

59.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,429 €3,073

$1,339 €1,200

155.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,769

$946 €848

108.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K €9,476

$3,234 €2,898

226.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,220 €4,677

$2,590 €2,321

101.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,162 €1,937

$1,909 €1,711

13.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

3.27

-2.75%

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

Last update for Milan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Olbia: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.6%

Olbia

$729 41.4% 37.4% $435

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$419 16.4%

Olbia

$311 17.7% 25.7% $108

Eating Out

Milan

$313 12.3%

Olbia

$271 15.4% 13.5% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$288 11.3%

Olbia

$195 11.1% 32.1% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$194 7.6%

Olbia

$156 8.9% 19.5% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$106 4.1%

Olbia

$58 3.3% 44.7% $47

Getting Around

Milan

$72 2.8%

Olbia

$39 2.2% 46.1% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,764 in Milan and $882 in Olbia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Milan pays 13% 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 in Milan vs $85 in Olbia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $419 vs $311 per month, with Olbia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇮🇹 Olbia

🕒 Local time

02:21 2:21 AM

Same time as Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

56,512

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Milan Olbia 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Milan
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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 Olbia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Olbia is about 31% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 13% 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: $1,764 in Milan versus $882 in Olbia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Milan versus $320 in Olbia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Milan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,759 in Olbia versus $2,555 in Milan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Olbia but tight or insufficient in Milan. The gap between the two cities makes Olbia 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 Olbia are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Olbia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.