Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Siena and Milan

For one person, living is cheaper in Siena: $1,836 a month against $2,560 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Siena
Learn more

Siena Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Milan
Learn more

Milan Living Index

Jump to prices

Siena

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,836

/mo nomad

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,836 in Siena versus $2,560 in Milan.

Siena $1,836
Milan $2,560

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,784 in Siena versus $3,895 in Milan.

Siena $2,784
Milan $3,895

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,733 in Siena versus $5,230 in Milan.

Siena $3,733
Milan $5,230

Living in Siena costs roughly 28% less than in Milan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Siena 36% above, Milan 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.36 €13.66

$22.52 €20.03

-31.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.9 €80.9

$89.3 €79.4

1.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.54 €12.05

$13.16 €11.71

2.89%

Cappuccino

$1.89 €1.68

$2.13 €1.90

-11.27%

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

$2.96 €2.63

$3.67 €3.26

-19.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.82 €1.62

-22.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.19 €5.51

$6.65 €5.92

-6.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 €4.98

$6.64 €5.91

-15.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.70 €1.51

-14.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 €2.00

$3.16 €2.81

-29.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 €1.46

$3.54 €3.15

-53.67%

Eggs

$4.03 €3.58

$4.88 €4.34

-17.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.54 €12.04

$22.85 €20.33

-40.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.93 €10.61

$14.72 €13.09

-18.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.56 €19.18

$22.77 €20.25

-5.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$3.12 €2.77

-17.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.39 €2.12

-10.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 €2.79

$3.39 €3.02

-7.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$4.27 €3.80

-26.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.38 €2.12

-23.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$2.04 €1.82

-23.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.75 €1.56

-21.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 €0.46

$0.57 €0.51

-8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

$7.46 €6.64

-10.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.53 €5.81

$9.58 €8.52

-31.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.34

$2.01 €1.79

-24.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$2.46 €2.19

6.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.38 €2.12

-18.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.73 €37.12

$43.27 €38.49

-3.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.45 €5.74

$7.67 €6.82

-15.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.26 €2.01

-38.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.32 €28.74

$65.2 €58.0

-50.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.20 €1.96

-5.45%

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

$27.6K €24.6K

$36.5K €32.4K

-24.29%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$35.4K €31.5K

0.31%

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

$194 €173

$247 €220

-21.31%

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

$13.47 €11.98

$10.21 €9.08

31.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.20 €27.75

$29.16 €25.94

7.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.4 €62.7

$82.4 €73.3

-14.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.18 €30.41

Cinema Ticket

$11.30 €10.05

$12.11 €10.77

-6.69%

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

$576 €513

$857 €762

-32.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K €13.1K

$18.6K €16.5K

-20.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.0 €74.7

$101 €90.2

-17.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.04 €32.95

$50.8 €45.21

-27.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 €85.3

$117 €104

-17.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €95.0

$167 €149

-36.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,138 €1,013

$1,731 €1,540

-34.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 €645

$1,169 €1,040

-37.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 €1,530

$3,402 €3,026

-49.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €998

$2,036 €1,811

-44.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,381 €3,897

$10.5K €9,376

-58.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,930 €3,495

$5,240 €4,661

-25.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,882 €1,674

$2,145 €1,908

-12.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

3.18

3.46%

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

Last update for Siena: October 10, 2026

Last update for Milan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Siena

$725 39.5%

Milan

$1.2K 45.7% 61.3% $444

Groceries & Markets

Siena

$325 17.7%

Milan

$417 16.3% 28.4% $92

Eating Out

Siena

$246 13.4%

Milan

$314 12.3% 27.6% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Siena

$239 13%

Milan

$286 11.2% 19.8% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Siena

$146 7.9%

Milan

$196 7.7% 34.7% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Siena

$93 5.1%

Milan

$107 4.2% 14.6% $14

Getting Around

Siena

$63 3.4%

Milan

$72 2.8% 14.1% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,138 in Siena and $1,731 in Milan. 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: $91.0 in Siena vs $89.0 in Milan. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $417, with Siena cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Siena

🇮🇹 Milan

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

Same time as Siena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,903

1,394,798

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Siena Milan 290 km

From you

Siena
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

Siena vs Milan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Siena is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 14% 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: $1,138 in Siena versus $1,731 in Milan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $576 in Siena 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 28% higher in Milan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,836 in Siena versus $2,560 in Milan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Siena but tight or insufficient in Milan. The gap between the two cities makes Siena the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Siena 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, Siena 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 Siena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.