Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varese and Milan

For one person, living is cheaper in Varese: $2,113 a month against $2,555 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Milan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

102

Cost of Living Index in Varese
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Varese Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index

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Varese

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,113

/mo nomad

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,555

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,113 in Varese versus $2,555 in Milan.

Varese $2,113
Milan $2,555

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,466 in Varese versus $3,859 in Milan.

Varese $3,466
Milan $3,859

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,818 in Varese versus $5,163 in Milan.

Varese $4,818
Milan $5,163

Living in Varese costs roughly 17% less than in Milan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Varese 55% above, Milan 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.68 €20.31

$22.10 €19.79

2.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €91.7

$89.0 €79.8

14.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.26 €11.88

$13.35 €11.96

-0.67%

Cappuccino

$2.25 €2.02

$2.14 €1.91

5.14%

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

$3.54 €3.17

$3.68 €3.30

-3.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.95 €1.74

-16.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.61 €5.92

$6.96 €6.24

-5.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 €5.85

$6.78 €6.07

-3.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.75 €1.56

-2.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.19 €2.85

-18.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.55 €3.18

$3.69 €3.30

-3.79%

Eggs

$5.01 €4.48

$5.02 €4.50

-0.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$31.22 €27.96

$23.30 €20.87

33.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.97 €11.62

$14.73 €13.19

-11.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$27.61 €24.73

$22.89 €20.50

20.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 €2.66

$2.96 €2.65

0.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.95 €2.65

$2.31 €2.07

27.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 €2.78

$3.23 €2.89

-3.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 €2.98

$4.30 €3.85

-22.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.25

$2.26 €2.03

11.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.93

$2.00 €1.79

7.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 €1.99

$1.78 €1.59

24.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.61 €0.55

4.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 €6.98

$7.25 €6.49

7.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.03 €8.09

$9.77 €8.75

-7.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.93 €1.73

-9.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.38 €2.13

-29.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 €2.38

$2.45 €2.19

8.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.50 €44.33

$43.45 €38.91

13.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.55 €4.97

$7.62 €6.83

-27.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.02

$2.29 €2.05

-1.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.89 €35.73

$65.1 €58.3

-38.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.20 €1.97

-2.27%

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

$36.9K €33.1K

$36.3K €32.6K

1.63%

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

$34.7K €31.1K

$37.4K €33.5K

-7.23%

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

$219 €197

$248 €222

-11.44%

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

$12.64 €11.32

$10.29 €9.22

22.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.52

$29.70 €26.60

10.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.4 €48.73

$82.9 €74.2

-34.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.78 €22.19

$33.55 €30.04

-26.14%

Cinema Ticket

$11.85 €10.62

$11.38 €10.19

4.13%

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

$726 €650

$939 €841

-22.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,098 €6,357

$18.8K €16.8K

-62.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €98.1

$101 €90.7

8.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 €50.2

$49.50 €44.34

13.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.3

$116 €104

-4.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 €144

$164 €146

-1.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$917 €821

$1,764 €1,580

-48.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$742 €665

$1,164 €1,043

-36.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,682 €1,506

$3,429 €3,071

-50.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 €1,406

$1,975 €1,768

-20.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,516 €2,254

$10.6K €9,470

-76.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,712 €1,533

$5,220 €4,675

-67.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,420 €2,167

$2,162 €1,936

11.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

3.18

17.30%

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

Last update for Varese: October 27, 2026

Last update for Milan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varese

$742 35.1%

Milan

$1.2K 45.6% 56.9% $422

Groceries & Markets

Varese

$439 20.8%

Milan

$419 16.4% 4.6% $20

Eating Out

Varese

$315 14.9%

Milan

$313 12.3% 0.5% $1.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varese

$265 12.5%

Milan

$288 11.3% 8.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Varese

$197 9.3%

Milan

$194 7.6% 1.7% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Varese

$78 3.7%

Milan

$106 4.1% 35.2% $27

Getting Around

Varese

$77 3.6%

Milan

$72 2.8% 6.1% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $917 in Varese and $1,764 in Milan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varese pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $102 in Varese vs $89 in Milan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $439 vs $419 per month, with Milan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Varese

🇮🇹 Milan

🕒 Local time

14:08 2:08 PM

Same time as Varese

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,511

1,394,798

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Varese vs Milan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varese is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 12% higher in Varese, 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: $917 in Varese versus $1,764 in Milan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $726 in Varese versus $939 in Milan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Milan pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Varese is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Varese and Milan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.