Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Papeete

For one person, living is cheaper in Papeete: $2,283 a month against $2,555 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Milan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

122

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Papeete
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Papeete Living Index

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Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,555

/mo nomad

Papeete

🇵🇫 French Polynesia

$2,283

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Papeete

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,555 in Milan versus $2,283 in Papeete.

Milan $2,555
Papeete $2,283

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,859 in Milan versus $3,451 in Papeete.

Milan $3,859
Papeete $3,451

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,163 in Milan versus $4,620 in Papeete.

Milan $5,163
Papeete $4,620

Living in Milan is roughly 12% more expensive than in Papeete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milan 88% above, Papeete 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 €19.80

$18.56 CFPF 1,983

19.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 €79.8

$95.4 CFPF 10.2K

-6.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.35 €11.96

$14.54 CFPF 1,553

-8.18%

Cappuccino

$2.14 €1.91

$3.41 CFPF 364

-37.24%

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

$3.68 €3.30

$2.62 CFPF 280

40.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$3.25 CFPF 347

-40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.96 €6.24

$3.35 CFPF 358

107.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 €6.07

$3.76 CFPF 402

80.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.49 CFPF 159

17.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 €2.85

$2.75 CFPF 293

16.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.31

$1.61 CFPF 172

129.19%

Eggs

$5.02 €4.50

$6.36 CFPF 679

-21.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.30 €20.88

$27.25 CFPF 2,911

-14.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.73 €13.20

$15.12 CFPF 1,616

-2.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.89 €20.51

$26.88 CFPF 2,872

-14.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 €2.65

$4.79 CFPF 512

-38.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.42 CFPF 258

-4.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.23 €2.89

$6.39 CFPF 683

-49.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 €3.86

$7.76 CFPF 830

-44.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$2.64 CFPF 282

-14.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$2.18 CFPF 233

-8.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 €1.60

$3.65 CFPF 390

-51.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 €0.55

$1.14 CFPF 121

-46.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.25 €6.50

$12.97 CFPF 1,386

-44.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.77 €8.75

$21.00 CFPF 2,244

-53.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.73

$2.69 CFPF 288

-28.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.14

$3.19 CFPF 340

-25.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 €2.20

$1.91 CFPF 204

28.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.45 €38.93

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.62 €6.83

$9.23 CFPF 986

-17.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 €2.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.1 €58.3

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.51 CFPF 162

45.70%

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

$36.3K €32.6K

$18.4K CFPF 2.0M

97.65%

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

$37.4K €33.5K

$27.8K CFPF 3.0M

34.74%

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

$248 €222

$179 CFPF 19.2K

38.10%

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

$10.29 €9.22

$19.50 CFPF 2,084

-47.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.70 €26.61

$70.8 CFPF 7,560

-58.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.9 €74.2

$84.0 CFPF 8,976

-1.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.55 €30.06

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 €10.20

$14.21 CFPF 1,518

-19.92%

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

$939 €842

$461 CFPF 49.3K

103.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K €16.8K

$9,248 CFPF 988.1K

102.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.7

$69.2 CFPF 7,390

46.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.50 €44.36

$70.5 CFPF 7,528

-29.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 €104

$77.7 CFPF 8,299

49.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 €147

$89.3 CFPF 9,543

83.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,764 €1,581

$1,328 CFPF 141.9K

32.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 €1,043

$947 CFPF 101.2K

22.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,429 €3,073

$1,806 CFPF 193.0K

89.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,769

$1,513 CFPF 161.6K

30.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K €9,476

$7,081 CFPF 756.6K

49.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,220 €4,677

$7,507 CFPF 802.1K

-30.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,162 €1,937

$2,222 CFPF 237.4K

-2.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

4.5

-29.33%

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

Last update for Milan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Papeete: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.6%

Papeete

$947 41.5% 18.6% $217

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$419 16.4%

Papeete

$517 22.7% 23.6% $99

Eating Out

Milan

$313 12.3%

Papeete

$281 12.3% 10.4% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$288 11.3%

Papeete

$270 11.8% 6.3% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$194 7.6%

Papeete

$138 6% 28.7% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$106 4.1%

Papeete

$112 4.9% 6.4% $6.8

Getting Around

Milan

$72 2.8%

Papeete

$17 * 0.7% 76.7% $55

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,764 in Milan and $1,328 in Papeete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Papeete pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $89 in Milan vs $95 in Papeete for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $419 vs $517 per month, with Milan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇵🇫 Papeete

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

20:27 8:27 PM

11 h behind Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

26,050 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 XPF = 9.36 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Milan Papeete 16,340 km ≈ 21 h 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 Papeete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Papeete is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Milan. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,764 in Milan versus $1,328 in Papeete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Milan pay roughly 19% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,555 per month in Milan versus $2,283 in Papeete – Papeete is about 11% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

For families, Papeete 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 Papeete are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.