Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Pistoia

For one person, living is cheaper in Pistoia: $1,647 a month against $2,560 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Pistoia
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Pistoia Living Index

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Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Pistoia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Pistoia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,560 in Milan versus $1,647 in Pistoia.

Milan $2,560
Pistoia $1,647

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,895 in Milan versus $2,632 in Pistoia.

Milan $3,895
Pistoia $2,632

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,230 in Milan versus $3,617 in Pistoia.

Milan $5,230
Pistoia $3,617

Living in Milan is roughly 55% more expensive than in Pistoia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milan 90% above, Pistoia 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.52 €20.03

$22.64 €20.14

-0.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.3 €79.4

$90.6 €80.6

-1.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.16 €11.71

$13.53 €12.04

-2.73%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.90

$1.66 €1.48

28.31%

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

$3.67 €3.26

$2.92 €2.60

25.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.41 €1.25

29.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.65 €5.92

$5.53 €4.92

20.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 €5.91

$4.58 €4.08

44.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.51 €1.35

12.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 €2.81

$2.03 €1.81

55.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 €3.15

$1.36 €1.21

160.29%

Eggs

$4.88 €4.34

$3.46 €3.08

41.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.85 €20.33

$19.84 €17.65

15.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.72 €13.09

$13.51 €12.02

8.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.77 €20.25

$20.82 €18.52

9.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.59 €2.30

20.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$2.29 €2.04

4.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.15 €2.80

7.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 €3.80

$3.04 €2.70

40.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.81 €1.61

31.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.13 €1.01

80.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.36 €1.21

28.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.67 €0.60

-14.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.46 €6.64

$6.54 €5.82

14.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.58 €8.52

$8.79 €7.82

8.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.55 €1.38

29.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.51 €2.23

-1.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.92 €1.70

23.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.27 €38.49

$54.8 €48.74

-21.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 €6.82

$6.57 €5.84

16.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.41 €1.26

60.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.2 €58.0

$32.49 €28.90

100.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.96 €1.74

12.24%

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

$36.5K €32.4K

$31.5K €28.0K

15.74%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$35.3K €31.4K

0.37%

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

$247 €220

$187 €167

31.84%

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

$10.21 €9.08

$10.24 €9.11

-0.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.16 €25.94

$30.65 €27.26

-4.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.4 €73.3

$75.6 €67.2

9.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.18 €30.41

$28.84 €25.65

18.52%

Cinema Ticket

$12.11 €10.77

$9.89 €8.80

22.45%

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

$857 €762

$439 €390

95.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K €16.5K

$2,710 €2,410

585.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.2

$82.8 €73.7

22.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 €45.21

$33.35 €29.66

52.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €104

$98.6 €87.7

18.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 €149

$108 €95.9

55.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 €1,540

$743 €661

132.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$456 €405

156.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,402 €3,026

$1,116 €992

204.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,036 €1,811

$794 €706

156.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.5K €9,376

$2,885 €2,566

265.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,240 €4,661

$2,172 €1,932

141.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,145 €1,908

$1,900 €1,690

12.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

3.29

-3.34%

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

Last update for Milan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Pistoia: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.7%

Pistoia

$456 27.7% 61% $713

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$417 16.3%

Pistoia

$350 21.3% 15.9% $66

Eating Out

Milan

$314 12.3%

Pistoia

$296 18% 5.7% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$286 11.2%

Pistoia

$228 13.9% 20.3% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$196 7.7%

Pistoia

$145 8.8% 26% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$107 4.2%

Pistoia

$95 5.8% 10.5% $11

Getting Around

Milan

$72 2.8%

Pistoia

$76 4.6% 6% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,731 in Milan and $743 in Pistoia. 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: $89.0 in Milan vs $91.0 in Pistoia. Groceries flip the comparison at $417 vs $350, with Pistoia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇮🇹 Pistoia

🕒 Local time

11:33 11:33 AM

Same time as Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

90,315

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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 Pistoia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pistoia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 55% gap 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: $1,731 in Milan versus $743 in Pistoia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Milan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,647 in Pistoia versus $2,560 in Milan, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Pistoia but tight or insufficient in Milan. The gap between the two cities makes Pistoia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Pistoia 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 Pistoia 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 Pistoia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.