Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varese and Essen

For one person, living is cheaper in Essen: $1,982 a month against $2,082 in Varese, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Varese
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Varese Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Essen
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Essen Living Index

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Varese

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,082

/mo nomad

Essen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,982

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Varese and in Essen

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

A single person spends $2,082 per month in Varese vs $1,982 in Essen, rent included.

Varese $2,082
Essen $1,982

A couple spends around $3,466 per month in Varese vs $3,088 in Essen, rent included.

Varese $3,466
Essen $3,088

A family of three spends $4,849 per month in Varese vs $4,195 in Essen, rent included.

Varese $4,849
Essen $4,195

Varese costs about 5% more than Essen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Varese and Essen sit above the global median – Varese by 54%, Essen by 47%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.07 €19.63

$20.00 €17.79

10.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 €89.9

$88.1 €78.4

14.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.91 €12.37

$13.38 €11.90

3.96%

Cappuccino

$2.20 €1.95

$3.88 €3.45

-43.30%

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

$3.50 €3.11

$3.13 €2.78

11.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$2.62 €2.33

-35.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.56 €5.84

$6.09 €5.42

7.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 €5.87

$5.74 €5.11

14.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.21 €1.07

41.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 €2.30

$2.18 €1.94

18.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 €3.06

$3.39 €3.02

1.47%

Eggs

$5.11 €4.55

$3.68 €3.27

38.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$31.18 €27.73

$16.14 €14.36

93.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.83 €11.41

$10.50 €9.34

22.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$27.34 €24.32

$24.76 €22.02

10.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$3.37 €3.00

-16.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.79 €2.48

$2.09 €1.86

33.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 €2.62

$2.25 €2.00

30.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 €2.91

$3.91 €3.48

-16.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.31

$1.30 €1.16

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.28 €1.14

74.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 €2.05

$1.54 €1.37

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 €0.56

$1.20 €1.07

-47.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.01 €7.12

$9.51 €8.45

-15.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.74 €7.78

$5.60 €4.98

56.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 €1.48

$1.08 €0.96

54.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.50 €1.33

8.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 €2.29

$4.09 €3.64

-37.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.71 €44.21

$65.6 €58.4

-24.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 €4.98

$4.93 €4.38

13.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.28 €2.03

$3.49 €3.10

-34.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.25 €34.92

$39.38 €35.02

-0.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.19 €1.95

-2.28%

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

$36.5K €32.5K

$32.2K €28.6K

13.45%

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

$34.4K €30.6K

$38.4K €34.1K

-10.30%

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

$220 €196

$386 €344

-42.99%

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

$12.94 €11.51

$38.73 €34.45

-66.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.30 €28.73

$40.40 €35.94

-20.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 €48.89

$40.94 €36.41

34.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.63 €21.91

$36.05 €32.06

-31.68%

Cinema Ticket

$11.17 €9.94

$15.31 €13.62

-27.04%

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

$733 €652

$459 €408

59.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,069 €6,288

$9,430 €8,388

-25.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €95.3

$96.6 €85.9

10.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 €50.5

$82.1 €73.1

-30.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 €117

$110 €97.6

19.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 €148

$156 €139

6.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$942 €838

$637 €567

47.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 €631

$487 €433

45.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 €1,528

$1,404 €1,249

22.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,603 €1,426

$969 €862

65.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,525 €2,246

$4,704 €4,184

-46.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,707 €1,519

$3,045 €2,709

-43.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,391 €2,127

$2,999 €2,668

-20.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

3.95

-5.57%

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

Last update for Varese: October 11, 2026

Last update for Essen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varese

$709 34.1%

Essen

$487 24.6% 31.4% $223

Groceries & Markets

Varese

$434 20.8%

Essen

$342 17.3% 21.2% $92

Eating Out

Varese

$311 15%

Essen

$312 15.7% 0.1% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varese

$266 12.8%

Essen

$465 23.5% 75.3% $200

Clothing & Footwear

Varese

$208 10%

Essen

$200 10.1% 3.7% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Varese

$77 3.7%

Essen

$72 3.6% 7.4% $5.8

Getting Around

Varese

$77 3.7%

Essen

$104 5.3% 35.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $942 in Varese versus $637 in Essen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 25% higher in Essen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Varese versus $88.0 in Essen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $434 vs $342 – making Essen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Varese

🇩🇪 Essen

🕒 Local time

14:34 2:34 PM

Same time as Varese

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,511

569,884

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Varese Essen 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Varese
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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

Varese vs Essen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,082 in Varese, $1,982 in Essen – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,123 per month in Varese and $2,972 in Essen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Essen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 32% less in Essen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $733 per month in Varese and $459 in Essen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Essen, where all-in costs run around $1,982, than in Varese at $2,082. In Essen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Varese it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Essen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Essen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Varese makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.