Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thunder Bay and Milan

For one person, living is cheaper in Thunder Bay: $2,169 a month against $2,560 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Thunder Bay
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Thunder Bay Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index

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Thunder Bay

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,169

/mo nomad

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,169 in Thunder Bay versus $2,560 in Milan.

Thunder Bay $2,169
Milan $2,560

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,338 in Thunder Bay versus $3,895 in Milan.

Thunder Bay $3,338
Milan $3,895

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,508 in Thunder Bay versus $5,231 in Milan.

Thunder Bay $4,508
Milan $5,231

Living in Thunder Bay costs roughly 15% less than in Milan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thunder Bay 60% above, Milan 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.63 CA$24.93

$22.11 €19.66

-20.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 CA$85.1

$88.7 €78.9

-32.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.62 CA$17.84

$13.22 €11.76

-4.54%

Cappuccino

$3.40 CA$4.81

$2.08 €1.85

63.46%

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

$1.86 CA$2.63

$3.82 €3.40

-51.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$1.83 €1.63

-13.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 CA$7.68

$6.87 €6.11

-20.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.03 CA$7.12

$6.93 €6.17

-27.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.27 CA$3.20

$1.76 €1.56

28.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 CA$3.60

$3.29 €2.93

-22.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.65

$3.57 €3.18

-7.84%

Eggs

$3.59 CA$5.08

$5.08 €4.52

-29.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.69 CA$23.59

$23.34 €20.76

-28.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.91 CA$22.50

$14.68 €13.05

8.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.25 CA$22.98

$22.73 €20.22

-28.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 CA$4.71

$3.07 €2.73

8.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$2.42 €2.15

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.54

$3.34 €2.97

17.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.48 CA$4.92

$4.18 €3.72

-16.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 CA$3.53

$2.41 €2.14

3.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CA$3.05

$1.95 €1.74

10.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 CA$4.12

$1.81 €1.61

60.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 CA$3.36

$0.57 €0.50

317.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.69 CA$15.11

$7.20 €6.40

48.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.67 CA$12.26

$9.60 €8.54

-9.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 CA$2.77

$1.96 €1.74

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 CA$4.14

$2.42 €2.15

20.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 CA$3.22

$2.52 €2.24

-9.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.3 CA$90.9

$43.15 €38.38

49.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.26 CA$7.44

$7.92 €7.04

-33.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 CA$2.94

$2.30 €2.04

-9.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.48 CA$50.2

$64.8 €57.6

-45.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.63

$2.20 €1.96

-47.27%

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

$28.0K CA$39.6K

$36.1K €32.1K

-22.48%

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

$21.0K CA$29.7K

$37.0K €32.9K

-43.31%

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

$159 CA$225

$250 €223

-36.37%

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

$57.9 CA$81.8

$10.20 €9.08

467.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.3 CA$112

$29.45 €26.19

169.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.52 CA$41.73

$84.6 €75.3

-65.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.06 CA$25.54

$34.03 €30.27

-46.93%

Cinema Ticket

$17.88 CA$25.27

$11.05 €9.83

61.81%

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

$670 CA$947

$846 €753

-20.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K €16.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.7 CA$108

$101 €89.7

-23.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.15 CA$49.69

$51.1 €45.43

-31.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 CA$108

$114 €102

-32.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 CA$184

$163 €145

-20.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 CA$1,488

$1,689 €1,502

-37.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$908 CA$1,283

$1,165 €1,036

-22.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,898 CA$2,683

$3,436 €3,056

-44.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,741 CA$2,461

$2,038 €1,813

-14.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.5K €9,339

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,149 €4,580

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,027 CA$4,279

$2,190 €1,948

38.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.58

3.18

44.03%

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

Last update for Thunder Bay: 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

Thunder Bay

$908 41.9%

Milan

$1.2K 45.5% 28.3% $257

Groceries & Markets

Thunder Bay

$396 18.3%

Milan

$420 16.4% 6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thunder Bay

$296 13.7%

Milan

$290 11.3% 2.2% $6.4

Eating Out

Thunder Bay

$271 12.5%

Milan

$312 12.2% 15.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Thunder Bay

$143 6.6%

Milan

$193 7.6% 34.9% $50

Getting Around

Thunder Bay

$89 4.1%

Milan

$73 2.8% 18.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Thunder Bay

$65 3%

Milan

$107 4.2% 63.6% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,053 in Thunder Bay and $1,689 in Milan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thunder Bay pays 38% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $60.0 in Thunder Bay vs $89.0 in Milan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $396 vs $420 per month, with Thunder Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Thunder Bay

🇮🇹 Milan

🕒 Local time

09:27 9:27 AM

15:27 3:27 PM

6 h ahead of Thunder Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

107,909

1,394,798

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Thunder Bay Milan 6,930 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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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

Thunder Bay vs Milan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thunder Bay is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 18% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 38% higher in Thunder Bay, 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: $1,053 in Thunder Bay versus $1,689 in Milan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $670 in Thunder Bay 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 6% higher in Milan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,169 in Thunder Bay versus $2,560 in Milan, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Thunder Bay but tight or insufficient in Milan. The gap between the two cities makes Thunder Bay the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Thunder Bay 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, Thunder Bay 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 Thunder Bay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.