Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scalea and Milan

For one person, living is cheaper in Scalea: $1,727 a month against $2,560 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Scalea
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Scalea Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index

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Scalea

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,727

/mo nomad

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Scalea 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 Scalea and in Milan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,727 in Scalea versus $2,560 in Milan.

Scalea $1,727
Milan $2,560

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,568 in Scalea versus $3,895 in Milan.

Scalea $2,568
Milan $3,895

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,408 in Scalea versus $5,231 in Milan.

Scalea $3,408
Milan $5,231

Living in Scalea costs roughly 33% less than in Milan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Scalea 27% above, Milan 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.97 €15.09

$22.11 €19.66

-23.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 €49.17

$88.7 €78.9

-37.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.26 €10.01

$13.22 €11.76

-14.83%

Cappuccino

$2.09 €1.86

$2.08 €1.85

0.48%

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

$2.97 €2.64

$3.82 €3.40

-22.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.83 €1.63

16.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.79 €6.04

$6.87 €6.11

-1.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$6.93 €6.17

-38.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.76 €1.56

-28.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.41

$3.29 €2.93

-51.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.57 €3.18

-26.33%

Eggs

$3.48 €3.10

$5.08 €4.52

-31.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.38 €10.12

$23.34 €20.76

-51.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.88 €10.57

$14.68 €13.05

-19.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.59 €13.87

$22.73 €20.22

-31.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$3.07 €2.73

-37.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 €1.49

$2.42 €2.15

-30.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.34 €2.97

-58.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$4.18 €3.72

-38.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.58

$2.41 €2.14

-26.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.95 €1.74

-34.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.14

$1.81 €1.61

-28.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 €0.39

$0.57 €0.50

-22.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.86 €6.10

$7.20 €6.40

-4.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 €6.83

$9.60 €8.54

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.96 €1.74

-6.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.42 €2.15

-36.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 €1.41

$2.52 €2.24

-36.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.36 €38.57

$43.15 €38.38

0.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.57 €4.06

$7.92 €7.04

-42.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.30 €2.04

-52.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.07 €19.63

$64.8 €57.6

-65.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.20 €1.96

-2.73%

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

$36.3K €32.3K

$36.1K €32.1K

0.59%

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

$36.5K €32.4K

$37.0K €32.9K

-1.48%

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

$306 €272

$250 €223

22.30%

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

$10.58 €9.41

$10.20 €9.08

3.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.67 €30.84

$29.45 €26.19

17.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.2 €49.99

$84.6 €75.3

-33.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.48 €23.55

$34.03 €30.27

-22.19%

Cinema Ticket

$8.91 €7.93

$11.05 €9.83

-19.37%

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

$457 €407

$846 €753

-45.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,688 €5,949

$18.6K €16.5K

-64.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.6 €73.5

$101 €89.7

-18.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.33 €29.64

$51.1 €45.43

-34.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 €78.2

$114 €102

-23.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$163 €145

-21.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$658 €585

$1,689 €1,502

-61.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$558 €496

$1,165 €1,036

-52.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 €940

$3,436 €3,056

-69.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$976 €868

$2,038 €1,813

-52.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,430 €1,272

$10.5K €9,339

-86.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,170 €1,041

$5,149 €4,580

-77.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,190 €1,948

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

3.18

11.64%

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

Last update for Scalea: October 17, 2026

Last update for Milan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scalea

$558 32.3%

Milan

$1.2K 45.5% 109% $607

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scalea

$351 20.4%

Milan

$290 11.3% 17.5% $61

Groceries & Markets

Scalea

$277 16%

Milan

$420 16.4% 51.5% $143

Eating Out

Scalea

$258 14.9%

Milan

$312 12.2% 21.3% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Scalea

$150 8.7%

Milan

$193 7.6% 29.3% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Scalea

$74 4.3%

Milan

$107 4.2% 44.2% $33

Getting Around

Scalea

$60 3.5%

Milan

$73 2.8% 21.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $658 in Scalea and $1,689 in Milan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Scalea vs $89.0 in Milan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $277 vs $420 per month, with Scalea cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Scalea

🇮🇹 Milan

🕒 Local time

19:44 7:44 PM

Same time as Scalea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,913

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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Between locations

Scalea Milan 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Scalea
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

Scalea vs Milan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Scalea is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 48% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,591 in Scalea and $3,840 in Milan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $658 in Scalea versus $1,689 in Milan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $457 in Scalea versus $846 in Milan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Milan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,727 in Scalea versus $2,560 in Milan, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Scalea but tight or insufficient in Milan. The gap between the two cities makes Scalea the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Scalea 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, Scalea 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 Scalea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.