Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Waterford

For one person, living is cheaper in Milan: $2,555 a month against $2,623 in Waterford, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Waterford outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

122

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Waterford
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Waterford Living Index

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Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,555

/mo nomad

Waterford

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,623

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milan and in Waterford

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,555 in Milan versus $2,623 in Waterford.

Milan $2,555
Waterford $2,623

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,859 in Milan versus $3,792 in Waterford.

Milan $3,859
Waterford $3,792

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,163 in Milan versus $4,961 in Waterford.

Milan $5,163
Waterford $4,961

Living in Milan costs roughly 3% less than in Waterford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milan 88% above, Waterford 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 €19.80

$22.70 €20.35

-2.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 €79.8

$92.3 €82.7

-3.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.35 €11.96

$12.42 €11.13

7.49%

Cappuccino

$2.14 €1.91

$3.96 €3.55

-45.96%

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

$3.68 €3.30

$2.88 €2.58

27.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.08 €1.87

-6.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.96 €6.24

$7.15 €6.40

-2.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 €6.07

$6.23 €5.58

8.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.47 €1.32

19.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 €2.85

$2.29 €2.05

39.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.31

$2.23 €2.00

65.47%

Eggs

$5.02 €4.50

$4.30 €3.85

16.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.30 €20.88

$15.68 €14.05

48.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.73 €13.20

$11.06 €9.91

33.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.89 €20.51

$13.25 €11.87

72.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 €2.65

$3.03 €2.72

-2.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.25 €2.02

2.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.23 €2.89

$3.10 €2.78

4.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 €3.86

$4.03 €3.61

6.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.41 €1.27

60.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$1.52 €1.36

31.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 €1.60

$1.30 €1.16

36.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 €0.55

$1.91 €1.71

-68.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.25 €6.50

$18.35 €16.45

-60.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.77 €8.75

$13.73 €12.30

-28.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.73

$3.15 €2.83

-38.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.14

$3.10 €2.78

-23.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 €2.20

$2.26 €2.02

8.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.45 €38.93

$62.5 €56.0

-30.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.62 €6.83

$5.15 €4.61

47.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 €2.05

$1.48 €1.33

54.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.1 €58.3

$55.7 €49.93

16.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.13 €1.91

3.29%

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

$36.3K €32.6K

$39.1K €35.1K

-7.15%

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

$37.4K €33.5K

$37.9K €34.0K

-1.36%

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

$248 €222

$246 €220

0.87%

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

$10.29 €9.22

$20.71 €18.56

-50.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.70 €26.61

$50.4 €45.17

-41.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.9 €74.2

$45.73 €40.98

81.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.55 €30.06

$14.23 €12.75

135.77%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 €10.20

$13.20 €11.83

-13.79%

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

$939 €842

$995 €892

-5.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K €16.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.7

$77.2 €69.2

31.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.50 €44.36

$47.56 €42.62

4.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 €104

$109 €97.7

6.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 €147

$116 €104

40.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,764 €1,581

$1,678 €1,504

5.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 €1,043

$1,306 €1,170

-10.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,429 €3,073

$2,494 €2,234

37.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,769

$2,001 €1,793

-1.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K €9,476

$3,089 €2,768

242.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,220 €4,677

$2,552 €2,287

104.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,162 €1,937

$3,188 €2,857

-32.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

4.14

-23.19%

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

Last update for Milan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Waterford: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.6%

Waterford

$1.3K 49.8% 12.2% $142

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$419 16.4%

Waterford

$352 13.4% 16% $67

Eating Out

Milan

$313 12.3%

Waterford

$334 12.8% 6.7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$288 11.3%

Waterford

$317 12.1% 10.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$194 7.6%

Waterford

$158 6% 18.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$106 4.1%

Waterford

$72 2.8% 31.7% $33

Getting Around

Milan

$72 2.8%

Waterford

$84 3.2% 16.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,764 in Milan and $1,678 in Waterford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Waterford pays 47% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $89 in Milan vs $92 in Waterford. Groceries flip the comparison at $419 vs $352, with Waterford cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇮🇪 Waterford

🕒 Local time

06:01 6:01 AM

05:01 5:01 AM

1 h behind Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

40,300

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Milan Waterford 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Milan
Waterford

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 Waterford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Milan is about 3% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 32% 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 $1,678 in Waterford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Milan versus $995 in Waterford. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Waterford pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Milan 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 Waterford are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Milan wins on affordability, Waterford on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.