Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Palermo

For one person, living is cheaper in Palermo: $1,566 a month against $2,560 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
76

Cost of Living Index in Palermo
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Palermo Living Index

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Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Palermo

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,566

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Palermo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,560 in Milan versus $1,566 in Palermo.

Milan $2,560
Palermo $1,566

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,895 in Milan versus $2,314 in Palermo.

Milan $3,895
Palermo $2,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,230 in Milan versus $3,061 in Palermo.

Milan $5,230
Palermo $3,061

Living in Milan is roughly 63% more expensive than in Palermo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milan 90% above, Palermo 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.52 €20.03

$15.02 €13.36

49.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.3 €79.4

$55.7 €49.51

60.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.16 €11.71

$11.25 €10.01

16.98%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.90

$2.04 €1.81

4.41%

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

$3.67 €3.26

$2.36 €2.10

55.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.27 €1.13

43.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.65 €5.92

$5.74 €5.10

15.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 €5.91

$4.02 €3.58

65.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.26 €1.12

34.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 €2.81

$1.77 €1.57

78.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 €3.15

$2.74 €2.44

29.20%

Eggs

$4.88 €4.34

$2.99 €2.66

63.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.85 €20.33

$14.93 €13.28

53.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.72 €13.09

$11.99 €10.67

22.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.77 €20.25

$17.07 €15.18

33.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.91 €2.59

7.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$2.11 €1.88

13.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.93 €2.60

15.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 €3.80

$3.06 €2.72

39.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.71 €1.52

39.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.50 €1.34

36.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.78 €1.59

-1.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.40 €0.35

42.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.46 €6.64

$6.86 €6.10

8.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.58 €8.52

$7.30 €6.50

31.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.79

$2.17 €1.93

-7.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$3.00 €2.67

-18.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.58 €1.41

50.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.27 €38.49

$36.13 €32.14

19.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 €6.82

$3.29 €2.92

133.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.14 €1.01

98.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.2 €58.0

$38.46 €34.21

69.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.07 €1.84

6.28%

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

$36.5K €32.4K

$36.0K €32.0K

1.19%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$35.1K €31.2K

1.05%

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

$247 €220

$228 €203

8.39%

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

$10.21 €9.08

$9.87 €8.78

3.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.16 €25.94

$26.63 €23.68

9.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.4 €73.3

$46.70 €41.54

76.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.18 €30.41

$31.87 €28.35

7.25%

Cinema Ticket

$12.11 €10.77

$8.81 €7.84

37.46%

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

$857 €762

$439 €391

95.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K €16.5K

$5,629 €5,007

230.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.2

$71.7 €63.8

41.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 €45.21

$30.89 €27.47

64.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €104

$86.8 €77.2

34.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 €149

$125 €111

33.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 €1,540

$731 €650

136.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$500 €445

133.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,402 €3,026

$1,091 €971

211.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,036 €1,811

$730 €649

178.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.5K €9,376

$2,641 €2,349

299.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,240 €4,661

$1,263 €1,124

314.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,145 €1,908

$1,635 €1,455

31.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

3.39

-6.19%

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

Last update for Milan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Palermo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.7%

Palermo

$500 31.9% 57.2% $669

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$417 16.3%

Palermo

$315 20.1% 24.5% $102

Eating Out

Milan

$314 12.3%

Palermo

$230 14.7% 26.8% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$286 11.2%

Palermo

$264 16.9% 7.7% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$196 7.7%

Palermo

$142 9% 27.9% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$107 4.2%

Palermo

$64 4.1% 39.6% $42

Getting Around

Milan

$72 2.8%

Palermo

$51 3.3% 28.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

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

Milan pays 31% 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 $56.0 in Palermo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $417 vs $315 per month, with Palermo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇮🇹 Palermo

🕒 Local time

07:31 7:31 AM

Same time as Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

628,165

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Milan Palermo 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Milan
Palermo

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 Palermo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Palermo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 63% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 31% 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 $731 in Palermo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $857 in Milan versus $439 in Palermo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Milan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,566 in Palermo versus $2,560 in Milan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Palermo but tight or insufficient in Milan. The gap between the two cities makes Palermo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Palermo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Milan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Milan and Palermo 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 Palermo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.