Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palermo and Milan

For one person, living is cheaper in Palermo: $1,566 a month against $2,560 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Palermo
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Palermo Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index

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Palermo

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,566

/mo nomad

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Palermo and in Milan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Palermo and in Milan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,566 in Palermo versus $2,560 in Milan.

Palermo $1,566
Milan $2,560

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,314 in Palermo versus $3,895 in Milan.

Palermo $2,314
Milan $3,895

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,061 in Palermo versus $5,230 in Milan.

Palermo $3,061
Milan $5,230

Living in Palermo costs roughly 39% less than in Milan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Palermo 16% above, Milan 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.02 €13.36

$22.52 €20.03

-33.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 €49.51

$89.3 €79.4

-37.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 €10.01

$13.16 €11.71

-14.51%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.81

$2.13 €1.90

-4.23%

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

$2.36 €2.10

$3.67 €3.26

-35.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.82 €1.62

-30.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$6.65 €5.92

-13.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 €3.58

$6.64 €5.91

-39.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.70 €1.51

-25.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 €1.57

$3.16 €2.81

-43.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$3.54 €3.15

-22.60%

Eggs

$2.99 €2.66

$4.88 €4.34

-38.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.93 €13.28

$22.85 €20.33

-34.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.99 €10.67

$14.72 €13.09

-18.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 €15.18

$22.77 €20.25

-25.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 €2.59

$3.12 €2.77

-6.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.39 €2.12

-11.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.60

$3.39 €3.02

-13.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 €2.72

$4.27 €3.80

-28.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$2.38 €2.12

-28.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$2.04 €1.82

-26.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.75 €1.56

1.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 €0.35

$0.57 €0.51

-29.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.86 €6.10

$7.46 €6.64

-8.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.30 €6.50

$9.58 €8.52

-23.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.01 €1.79

7.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 €2.67

$2.46 €2.19

21.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 €1.41

$2.38 €2.12

-33.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.13 €32.14

$43.27 €38.49

-16.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 €2.92

$7.67 €6.82

-57.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.01

$2.26 €2.01

-49.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.46 €34.21

$65.2 €58.0

-41.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.20 €1.96

-5.91%

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

$36.0K €32.0K

$36.5K €32.4K

-1.18%

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

$35.1K €31.2K

$35.4K €31.5K

-1.04%

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

$228 €203

$247 €220

-7.74%

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

$9.87 €8.78

$10.21 €9.08

-3.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.63 €23.68

$29.16 €25.94

-8.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.70 €41.54

$82.4 €73.3

-43.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.87 €28.35

$34.18 €30.41

-6.76%

Cinema Ticket

$8.81 €7.84

$12.11 €10.77

-27.25%

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

$439 €391

$857 €762

-48.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,629 €5,007

$18.6K €16.5K

-69.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.7 €63.8

$101 €90.2

-29.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.89 €27.47

$50.8 €45.21

-39.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 €77.2

$117 €104

-25.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$167 €149

-25.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 €650

$1,731 €1,540

-57.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 €445

$1,169 €1,040

-57.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,091 €971

$3,402 €3,026

-67.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$730 €649

$2,036 €1,811

-64.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,641 €2,349

$10.5K €9,376

-74.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,263 €1,124

$5,240 €4,661

-75.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,635 €1,455

$2,145 €1,908

-23.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

3.18

6.60%

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

Last update for Palermo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Milan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Palermo

$500 31.9%

Milan

$1.2K 45.7% 134% $669

Groceries & Markets

Palermo

$315 20.1%

Milan

$417 16.3% 32.4% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palermo

$264 16.9%

Milan

$286 11.2% 8.3% $22

Eating Out

Palermo

$230 14.7%

Milan

$314 12.3% 36.6% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Palermo

$142 9%

Milan

$196 7.7% 38.7% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Palermo

$64 4.1%

Milan

$107 4.2% 65.7% $42

Getting Around

Palermo

$51 3.3%

Milan

$72 2.8% 39.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

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

Milan pays 31% 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: $56.0 in Palermo vs $89.0 in Milan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $417 per month, with Palermo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Palermo

🇮🇹 Milan

🕒 Local time

06:32 6:32 AM

Same time as Palermo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

628,165

1,394,798

💱 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

Palermo Milan 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Palermo
Milan

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

Palermo vs Milan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Palermo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 63% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 31% 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: $731 in Palermo versus $1,731 in Milan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $439 in Palermo versus $857 in Milan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Milan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,566 in Palermo versus $2,560 in Milan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Palermo but tight or insufficient in Milan. The gap between the two cities makes Palermo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Palermo 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, Palermo and Milan 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 Palermo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.