Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Trieste

For one person, living is cheaper in Trieste: $1,896 a month against $2,560 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Milan
Learn more

Milan Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Trieste
Learn more

Trieste Living Index

Jump to prices

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Trieste

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Trieste

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,560 in Milan versus $1,896 in Trieste.

Milan $2,560
Trieste $1,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,895 in Milan versus $2,854 in Trieste.

Milan $3,895
Trieste $2,854

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,230 in Milan versus $3,812 in Trieste.

Milan $5,230
Trieste $3,812

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milan 90% above, Trieste 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.52 €20.03

$21.88 €19.46

2.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.3 €79.4

$73.7 €65.6

21.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.16 €11.71

$13.25 €11.79

-0.68%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.90

$2.16 €1.92

-1.39%

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

$3.67 €3.26

$3.62 €3.22

1.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.28 €2.02

-20.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.65 €5.92

$5.70 €5.07

16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 €5.91

$5.71 €5.08

16.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.17 €1.93

-21.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 €2.81

$3.10 €2.76

1.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 €3.15

$3.69 €3.28

-4.07%

Eggs

$4.88 €4.34

$4.20 €3.73

16.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.85 €20.33

$14.99 €13.34

52.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.72 €13.09

$11.45 €10.18

28.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.77 €20.25

$17.55 €15.61

29.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.63 €2.34

18.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$2.18 €1.94

9.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.15 €2.80

7.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 €3.80

$4.29 €3.82

-0.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.35 €2.09

1.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.42 €2.15

-15.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.24 €1.99

-21.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.78 €0.69

-26.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.46 €6.64

$6.55 €5.83

13.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.58 €8.52

$7.78 €6.92

23.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.81 €1.61

11.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.49 €2.22

-1.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.65 €1.47

44.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.27 €38.49

$42.35 €37.67

2.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 €6.82

$8.74 €7.78

-12.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.88 €1.67

20.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.2 €58.0

$32.93 €29.29

97.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.12 €1.88

3.77%

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

$36.5K €32.4K

$35.9K €31.9K

1.55%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$35.5K €31.6K

-0.11%

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

$247 €220

$220 €196

12.30%

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

$10.21 €9.08

$9.80 €8.72

4.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.16 €25.94

$30.59 €27.21

-4.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.4 €73.3

$51.5 €45.81

59.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.18 €30.41

$41.56 €36.97

-17.76%

Cinema Ticket

$12.11 €10.77

$8.70 €7.74

39.20%

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

$857 €762

$790 €703

8.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K €16.5K

$11.5K €10.2K

61.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.2

$109 €97.2

-7.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 €45.21

$34.27 €30.49

48.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €104

$113 €101

2.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 €149

$132 €117

27.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 €1,540

$824 €733

110.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$661 €588

76.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,402 €3,026

$1,349 €1,200

152.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,036 €1,811

$1,008 €897

101.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.5K €9,376

$3,597 €3,200

193.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,240 €4,661

$2,146 €1,909

144.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,145 €1,908

$1,874 €1,667

14.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

3.26

-2.45%

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

Last update for Milan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Trieste: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.7%

Trieste

$661 34.9% 43.4% $508

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$417 16.3%

Trieste

$359 19% 13.8% $58

Eating Out

Milan

$314 12.3%

Trieste

$304 16% 3.1% $9.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$286 11.2%

Trieste

$260 13.7% 9.1% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$196 7.7%

Trieste

$175 9.2% 10.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$107 4.2%

Trieste

$69 3.6% 35.4% $38

Getting Around

Milan

$72 2.8%

Trieste

$67 3.5% 6.5% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,731 in Milan and $824 in Trieste. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Milan pays 14% 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 $74.0 in Trieste for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $417 vs $359 per month, with Trieste cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇮🇹 Trieste

🕒 Local time

22:30 10:30 PM

Same time as Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

200,609

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Milan Trieste 360 km

From you

Milan
Trieste

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 Trieste: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Trieste is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 35% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 14% 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 $824 in Trieste. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $857 in Milan versus $790 in Trieste. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Milan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,896 in Trieste versus $2,560 in Milan, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Trieste but tight or insufficient in Milan. The gap between the two cities makes Trieste the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Trieste 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 Trieste 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 Trieste gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.