Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Thunder Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Thunder Bay: $2,169 a month against $2,560 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
106

Cost of Living Index in Thunder Bay
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Thunder Bay Living Index

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Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Thunder Bay

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,169

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Thunder Bay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,560 in Milan versus $2,169 in Thunder Bay.

Milan $2,560
Thunder Bay $2,169

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,895 in Milan versus $3,338 in Thunder Bay.

Milan $3,895
Thunder Bay $3,338

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,231 in Milan versus $4,508 in Thunder Bay.

Milan $5,231
Thunder Bay $4,508

Living in Milan is roughly 18% more expensive than in Thunder Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milan 89% above, Thunder Bay 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.11 €19.66

$17.63 CA$24.93

25.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.7 €78.9

$60.2 CA$85.1

47.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.22 €11.76

$12.62 CA$17.84

4.75%

Cappuccino

$2.08 €1.85

$3.40 CA$4.81

-38.82%

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

$3.82 €3.40

$1.86 CA$2.63

105.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.59 CA$2.25

15.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 €6.11

$5.43 CA$7.68

26.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 €6.17

$5.03 CA$7.12

37.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.56

$2.27 CA$3.20

-22.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.29 €2.93

$2.55 CA$3.60

29.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.57 €3.18

$3.29 CA$4.65

8.51%

Eggs

$5.08 €4.52

$3.59 CA$5.08

41.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.34 €20.76

$16.69 CA$23.59

39.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.68 €13.05

$15.91 CA$22.50

-7.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.73 €20.22

$16.25 CA$22.98

39.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 €2.73

$3.33 CA$4.71

-7.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$1.21 CA$1.71

100.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 €2.97

$3.92 CA$5.54

-14.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 €3.72

$3.48 CA$4.92

20.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$2.50 CA$3.53

-3.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.16 CA$3.05

-9.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.81 €1.61

$2.91 CA$4.12

-37.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.50

$2.38 CA$3.36

-76.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.20 €6.40

$10.69 CA$15.11

-32.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.60 €8.54

$8.67 CA$12.26

10.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.96 CA$2.77

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 €2.15

$2.92 CA$4.14

-17.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.28 CA$3.22

10.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.15 €38.38

$64.3 CA$90.9

-32.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.92 €7.04

$5.26 CA$7.44

50.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 €2.04

$2.08 CA$2.94

10.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$64.8 €57.6

$35.48 CA$50.2

82.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.16 CA$1.63

89.66%

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

$36.1K €32.1K

$28.0K CA$39.6K

29.00%

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

$37.0K €32.9K

$21.0K CA$29.7K

76.40%

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

$250 €223

$159 CA$225

57.16%

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

$10.20 €9.08

$57.9 CA$81.8

-82.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.45 €26.19

$79.3 CA$112

-62.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.6 €75.3

$29.52 CA$41.73

186.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.03 €30.27

$18.06 CA$25.54

88.43%

Cinema Ticket

$11.05 €9.83

$17.88 CA$25.27

-38.20%

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

$846 €753

$670 CA$947

26.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K €16.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €89.7

$76.7 CA$108

31.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 €45.43

$35.15 CA$49.69

45.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €102

$76.6 CA$108

49.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 €145

$130 CA$184

25.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 €1,502

$1,053 CA$1,488

60.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,165 €1,036

$908 CA$1,283

28.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,436 €3,056

$1,898 CA$2,683

81.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,038 €1,813

$1,741 CA$2,461

17.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.5K €9,339

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,149 €4,580

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,190 €1,948

$3,027 CA$4,279

-27.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

4.58

-30.57%

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

Last update for Milan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Thunder Bay: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.5%

Thunder Bay

$908 41.9% 22.1% $257

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$420 16.4%

Thunder Bay

$396 18.3% 5.7% $24

Eating Out

Milan

$312 12.2%

Thunder Bay

$271 12.5% 13.3% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$290 11.3%

Thunder Bay

$296 13.7% 2.2% $6.4

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$193 7.6%

Thunder Bay

$143 6.6% 25.8% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$107 4.2%

Thunder Bay

$65 3% 38.9% $41

Getting Around

Milan

$73 2.8%

Thunder Bay

$89 4.1% 22.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,689 in Milan and $1,053 in Thunder Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thunder Bay pays 38% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $89.0 in Milan vs $60.0 in Thunder Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $420 vs $396 per month, with Thunder Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇨🇦 Thunder Bay

🕒 Local time

10:41 10:41 AM

04:41 4:41 AM

6 h behind Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

107,909

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Milan Thunder Bay 6,930 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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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 Thunder Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thunder Bay is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 18% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Thunder Bay. 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: $1,689 in Milan versus $1,053 in Thunder Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $846 in Milan versus $670 in Thunder Bay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Milan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,169 in Thunder Bay versus $2,560 in Milan, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Thunder Bay but tight or insufficient in Milan. The gap between the two cities makes Thunder Bay the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Thunder Bay 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 Thunder Bay 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 Thunder Bay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.