Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Varese

For one person, living is cheaper in Varese: $2,113 a month against $2,555 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Varese
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Varese Living Index

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Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,555

/mo nomad

Varese

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,113

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Varese

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,555 in Milan versus $2,113 in Varese.

Milan $2,555
Varese $2,113

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,859 in Milan versus $3,466 in Varese.

Milan $3,859
Varese $3,466

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,163 in Milan versus $4,818 in Varese.

Milan $5,163
Varese $4,818

Living in Milan is roughly 21% more expensive than in Varese, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milan 88% above, Varese 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 €19.79

$22.68 €20.31

-2.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 €79.8

$102 €91.7

-12.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.35 €11.96

$13.26 €11.88

0.68%

Cappuccino

$2.14 €1.91

$2.25 €2.02

-4.89%

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

$3.68 €3.30

$3.54 €3.17

3.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.63 €1.46

19.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.96 €6.24

$6.61 €5.92

5.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 €6.07

$6.53 €5.85

3.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.71 €1.53

2.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 €2.85

$2.59 €2.32

23.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.30

$3.55 €3.18

3.94%

Eggs

$5.02 €4.50

$5.01 €4.48

0.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.30 €20.87

$31.22 €27.96

-25.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.73 €13.19

$12.97 €11.62

13.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.89 €20.50

$27.61 €24.73

-17.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 €2.65

$2.97 €2.66

-0.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.95 €2.65

-21.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.23 €2.89

$3.11 €2.78

3.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 €3.85

$3.32 €2.98

29.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$2.51 €2.25

-9.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$2.15 €1.93

-6.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 €1.59

$2.22 €1.99

-19.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 €0.55

$0.64 €0.57

-4.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.25 €6.49

$7.79 €6.98

-6.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.77 €8.75

$9.03 €8.09

8.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.75 €1.57

10.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.13

$1.68 €1.50

41.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.66 €2.38

-7.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.45 €38.91

$49.50 €44.33

-12.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.62 €6.83

$5.55 €4.97

37.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 €2.05

$2.26 €2.02

1.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.1 €58.3

$39.89 €35.73

63.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.15 €1.92

2.33%

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

$36.3K €32.6K

$36.9K €33.1K

-1.60%

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

$37.4K €33.5K

$34.7K €31.1K

7.79%

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

$248 €222

$219 €197

12.92%

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

$10.29 €9.22

$12.64 €11.32

-18.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.70 €26.60

$32.96 €29.52

-9.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.9 €74.2

$54.4 €48.73

52.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.55 €30.04

$24.78 €22.19

35.39%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 €10.19

$11.85 €10.62

-3.97%

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

$939 €841

$726 €650

29.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K €16.8K

$7,098 €6,357

164.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.7

$110 €98.1

-7.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.50 €44.34

$56.1 €50.2

-11.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 €104

$111 €99.3

4.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 €146

$161 €144

1.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,764 €1,580

$917 €821

92.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 €1,043

$742 €665

56.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,429 €3,071

$1,682 €1,506

103.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,768

$1,569 €1,406

25.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K €9,470

$2,516 €2,254

320.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,220 €4,675

$1,712 €1,533

204.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,162 €1,936

$2,420 €2,167

-10.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

3.73

-14.75%

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

Last update for Milan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Varese: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.6%

Varese

$742 35.1% 36.3% $422

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$419 16.4%

Varese

$439 20.8% 4.8% $20

Eating Out

Milan

$313 12.3%

Varese

$315 14.9% 0.5% $1.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$288 11.3%

Varese

$265 12.5% 7.9% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$194 7.6%

Varese

$197 9.3% 1.7% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$106 4.1%

Varese

$78 3.7% 26% $27

Getting Around

Milan

$72 2.8%

Varese

$77 3.6% 6.4% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,764 in Milan and $917 in Varese. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varese pays 12% 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 $102 in Varese for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $419 vs $439 per month, with Milan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇮🇹 Varese

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

Same time as Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

80,511

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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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 Varese: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varese is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 11% 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 $917 in Varese. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Milan versus $726 in Varese. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Milan pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Varese is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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