Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tempe, AZ and Milan

For one person, living is cheaper in Milan: $2,560 a month against $2,880 in Tempe, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Tempe, AZ
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Tempe, AZ Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index

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Tempe, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,880

/mo nomad

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,880 in Tempe, AZ versus $2,560 in Milan.

Tempe, AZ $2,880
Milan $2,560

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,836 in Tempe, AZ versus $3,895 in Milan.

Tempe, AZ $3,836
Milan $3,895

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,792 in Tempe, AZ versus $5,230 in Milan.

Tempe, AZ $4,792
Milan $5,230

Living in Tempe, AZ is roughly 12% more expensive than in Milan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tempe, AZ 113% above, Milan 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.77 $19.77

$22.52 €20.03

-12.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.6 $81.6

$89.3 €79.4

-8.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.17 $13.17

$13.16 €11.71

0.08%

Cappuccino

$5.25 $5.25

$2.13 €1.90

146.48%

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

$3.10 $3.10

$3.67 €3.26

-15.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.82 €1.62

34.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.01 $6.01

$6.65 €5.92

-9.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 $7.17

$6.64 €5.91

7.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.70 €1.51

-42.94%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 $4.20

$3.16 €2.81

32.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.19 $6.19

$3.54 €3.15

74.86%

Eggs

$4.68 $4.68

$4.88 €4.34

-4.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 $13.65

$22.85 €20.33

-40.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.44 $13.44

$14.72 €13.09

-8.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$22.77 €20.25

-23.67%

Apples (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$3.12 €2.77

71.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.39 €2.12

-17.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$3.39 €3.02

21.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$4.27 €3.80

16.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.38 €2.12

6.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.04 €1.82

46.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.75 €1.56

26.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.57 €0.51

298.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.89 $10.89

$7.46 €6.64

45.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.65 $13.65

$9.58 €8.52

42.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$2.01 €1.79

19.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.46 €2.19

28.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.38 €2.12

-18.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.4 $64.4

$43.27 €38.49

48.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 $2.83

$7.67 €6.82

-63.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 $1.37

$2.26 €2.01

-39.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.42 $35.42

$65.2 €58.0

-45.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$2.20 €1.96

-46.82%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$36.5K €32.4K

0.78%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$35.4K €31.5K

-27.28%

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

$240 $240

$247 €220

-2.63%

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

$61.4 $61.4

$10.21 €9.08

500.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.0 $78.0

$29.16 €25.94

167.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 $30.16

$82.4 €73.3

-63.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.16 $15.16

$34.18 €30.41

-55.65%

Cinema Ticket

$13.80 $13.80

$12.11 €10.77

13.96%

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

$1,107 $1,107

$857 €762

29.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.4K $15.4K

$18.6K €16.5K

-17.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.6 $62.6

$101 €90.2

-38.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.61 $44.61

$50.8 €45.21

-12.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.4 $98.4

$117 €104

-15.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$167 €149

-32.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,894 $1,894

$1,731 €1,540

9.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 $1,460

$1,169 €1,040

24.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,543 $2,543

$3,402 €3,026

-25.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,683 $1,683

$2,036 €1,811

-17.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.5K €9,376

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,240 €4,661

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,960 $3,960

$2,145 €1,908

84.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

3.18

104.40%

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

Last update for Tempe, AZ: October 12, 2026

Last update for Milan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tempe, AZ

$1.5K 50.7%

Milan

$1.2K 45.7% 19.9% $291

Groceries & Markets

Tempe, AZ

$431 15%

Milan

$417 16.3% 3.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tempe, AZ

$380 13.2%

Milan

$286 11.2% 24.6% $94

Eating Out

Tempe, AZ

$327 11.4%

Milan

$314 12.3% 4.1% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Tempe, AZ

$143 5%

Milan

$196 7.7% 37.1% $53

Getting Around

Tempe, AZ

$82 2.8%

Milan

$72 2.8% 12.3% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Tempe, AZ

$58 2%

Milan

$107 4.2% 84.6% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,894 in Tempe, AZ and $1,731 in Milan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tempe, AZ pays 85% 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: $82.0 in Tempe, AZ vs $89.0 in Milan. Groceries flip the comparison at $431 vs $417, with Milan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Tempe, AZ

🇮🇹 Milan

🕒 Local time

03:28 3:28 AM

12:28 12:28 PM

9 h ahead of Tempe, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

161,719

1,394,798

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Tempe, AZ Milan 9,430 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Tempe, AZ
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

Tempe, AZ vs Milan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Milan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 85% higher in Tempe, AZ, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,894 in Tempe, AZ versus $1,731 in Milan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,107 in Tempe, AZ 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 3% higher in Tempe, AZ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

For families, Milan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Tempe, AZ, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Tempe, AZ 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 Milan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Tempe, AZ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.