Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Sondrio

For one person, living is cheaper in Sondrio: $1,888 a month against $2,555 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
91

Cost of Living Index in Sondrio
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Sondrio Living Index

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Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,555

/mo nomad

Sondrio

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Sondrio

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,555 in Milan versus $1,888 in Sondrio.

Milan $2,555
Sondrio $1,888

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,859 in Milan versus $2,815 in Sondrio.

Milan $3,859
Sondrio $2,815

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,163 in Milan versus $3,741 in Sondrio.

Milan $5,163
Sondrio $3,741

Living in Milan is roughly 35% more expensive than in Sondrio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milan 88% above, Sondrio 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 €19.85

$22.56 €20.26

-2.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 €80.0

$55.5 €49.85

60.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.35 €11.99

$13.15 €11.81

1.52%

Cappuccino

$2.14 €1.92

$2.08 €1.86

2.88%

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

$3.68 €3.31

$3.84 €3.45

-4.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.75

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.96 €6.25

$7.07 €6.36

-1.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 €6.09

$6.61 €5.94

2.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.69 €1.52

3.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 €2.86

$3.23 €2.90

-1.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.31

$3.43 €3.08

7.58%

Eggs

$5.02 €4.51

$4.83 €4.34

3.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.30 €20.93

$14.34 €12.89

62.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.73 €13.23

$14.49 €13.02

1.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.89 €20.56

$22.62 €20.32

1.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 €2.66

$3.10 €2.78

-4.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.30 €1.17

77.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.23 €2.90

$3.20 €2.88

0.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 €3.87

$4.35 €3.91

-1.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$2.30 €2.07

-1.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$2.04 €1.83

-1.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 €1.60

$1.74 €1.56

2.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 €0.55

$0.56 €0.51

8.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.25 €6.51

$7.15 €6.42

1.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.77 €8.77

$9.49 €8.52

2.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.74

$1.97 €1.77

-2.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.14

$2.52 €2.26

-5.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 €2.20

$1.87 €1.68

31.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.45 €39.03

$39.07 €35.10

11.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.62 €6.85

$7.81 €7.01

-2.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 €2.06

$2.20 €1.98

4.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.1 €58.5

$63.4 €57.0

2.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.13 €1.92

3.29%

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

$36.3K €32.7K

$36.2K €32.6K

0.28%

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

$37.4K €33.6K

0.01%

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

$248 €223

$249 €223

-0.39%

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

$10.29 €9.24

$10.03 €9.01

2.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.70 €26.68

$29.09 €26.13

2.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.9 €74.4

$54.3 €48.74

52.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.55 €30.13

$22.69 €20.39

47.86%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 €10.22

$11.09 €9.96

2.61%

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

$939 €844

$935 €840

0.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K €16.8K

$19.0K €17.1K

-1.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.9

$100 €90.0

1.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.50 €44.47

$50.8 €45.60

-2.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 €104

$115 €104

0.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 €147

$162 €146

0.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,764 €1,585

$739 €664

138.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 €1,046

$567 €510

105.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,429 €3,080

$580 €521

491.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,774

$886 €796

122.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K €9,499

$2,666 €2,395

296.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,220 €4,689

$1,992 €1,789

162.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,162 €1,942

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

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

Last update for Milan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Sondrio: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.6%

Sondrio

$567 30.1% 51.3% $597

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$419 16.4%

Sondrio

$382 20.2% 8.8% $37

Eating Out

Milan

$313 12.3%

Sondrio

$317 16.8% 1% $3.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$288 11.3%

Sondrio

$288 15.2% 0% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$194 7.6%

Sondrio

$193 10.2% 0.4% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$106 4.1%

Sondrio

$76 4.1% 27.6% $29

Getting Around

Milan

$72 2.8%

Sondrio

$65 3.5% 9.6% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,764 in Milan and $739 in Sondrio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $89 in Milan vs $55 in Sondrio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $419 vs $382 per month, with Sondrio cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇮🇹 Sondrio

🕒 Local time

18:42 6:42 PM

Same time as Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

21,267

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Milan Sondrio 95 km

From you

Milan
Sondrio

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 Sondrio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sondrio is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 35% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,833 in Milan and $2,832 in Sondrio to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,764 in Milan versus $739 in Sondrio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Milan versus $935 in Sondrio. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Milan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Sondrio 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 Sondrio gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.