How much does it cost to live in Milan?
Typical Month (Mid Range)
$2,967 (€2,572)
Housing, food, transport, mobile, coworking and gym.
Updated September 2026 · Sources cited: myroami.com, globalcitizenlife.org
- Typical Month (Lower End)
- $1,486 (€1,288)
- Typical Month (Premium)
- $4,764 (€4,130)
- Furnished 1-bed rent
- $1,961 (€1,700)
Navigli
Good to know
Good to Know
- Milan is widely described as Italy's most expensive city to live in — housing, dining and groceries all run above the Italian average.
- Navigli, Isola and Porta Venezia are the neighborhoods most often mentioned by nomad/expat guides, but 'furnished monthly' listings vary hugely by exact building — the same Brera address type was quoted anywhere from about €2,000 to nearly €5,700/month across different sources, so always confirm the all-in monthly price (bills included or not) before booking.
- Restaurant and grocery prices in Milan run noticeably higher than in Rome, so budget accordingly if you're comparing Italian cities.
- Ask explicitly whether utilities, Wi-Fi and cleaning are bundled into any quoted furnished rent — some listings include them, others add €150–250/month on top.
- Milan's public transport ticketing is mid-transition: paper tickets are being phased out in favor of the RicaricaMi reloadable card and contactless tap-in/out, so expect to set up a card or use a contactless bank card/phone rather than buying paper singles.
- An ATM annual pass works out cheaper per month than paying monthly (roughly €27.50/month equivalent vs €39 paying month-to-month), worth considering only if you're staying most of a year.
- Coworking prices in Milan vary a lot by district — expect premium pricing in Porta Nuova, Montenapoleone and other central/fashion districts versus more affordable options further out.
- Low-cost Italian mobile carriers (e.g. Iliad, ho. Mobile) offer prepaid SIM plans with large data bundles for well under standard-plan pricing — worth comparing before committing to a pricier plan.
- Basic nomad/travel medical insurance is inexpensive for younger travelers but rises noticeably for those in their late 30s and up, and comprehensive plans with gear/trip cover cost significantly more.
Monthly Totals
- Mid-range month
- €2,572
Includes 3 estimated components
- Lean month
- €1,288
Includes 3 estimated components
- Comfortable month
- €4,130
Includes 5 estimated components
Living Costs
- Where nomads live
- No single official 'nomad district' is documented, but Navigli, Isola, and Porta Venezia are the neighborhoods most consistently named by expat/relocation guides as where digital nomads and international residents cluster, with Porta Romana and Brera also popular (Brera skews toward the highest-budget end). Housing figures below are grounded in these areas.
Housing (per month)
- Mid-range 1-bed
- €1,700
Survey / cost-of-living site
Roami digital nomad travel guide describes a furnished one-bedroom apartment near Corso San Gottardo in Navigli listed at €1,700/month including weekly cleaning, utilities and Wi-Fi.
- Budget studio / 1-bed
- €1,400
Survey / cost-of-living site
Roami digital nomad travel guide: "A fully furnished 38 m² studio in old Isola rents for €1,400/month, bills included"
- Premium apartment
- €2,980
Estimated
Roami states verified 1-bedroom apartments in Brera range from €2,980 to €5,680/month, bills included; lower bound of that range used here, so downgraded to estimated per range-pick rule. A separate expat blog (globalcitizenlife.org) independently states Brera 1-bedrooms 'often starting around €2,000 per month', suggesting real variance by exact building/amenities.
- Private room in a shared home
- €750
Estimated
No current live listing for a private room in a shared flat was found at the time of research; figure is an estimate based on typical Milan shared-flat room rates referenced in passing across expat guides, positioned between hostel and studio pricing.
Groceries
- Groceries for one (month)
- €320
Estimated
No single current source stated a clean monthly grocery total for one person; estimate reflects general positioning of Milan as one of Italy's priciest cities for groceries (Numbeo cross-city comparison shows Milan grocery prices running well above Rome's).
Sample prices
1L Milk
- 1L Milk
- €1.50
Estimated
Estimated typical supermarket shelf price; no single live-listing source retrieved for this exact item at the time of research.
Loaf of White Bread
- Loaf Of White Bread
- €2.20
Estimated
Estimated typical supermarket shelf price.
Dozen Eggs
- Dozen Eggs
- €3.50
Estimated
Estimated typical supermarket shelf price.
1.5L Bottled Water (Store)
- 1.5L Bottled Water (Store)
- €0.60
Estimated
Estimated typical supermarket shelf price for still water, store purchase (not restaurant).
Eating out
- Cheap meal
- €18
Estimated
HikersBay Milan price aggregator: "Meal in a cheap restaurant: 28 USD (24 EUR)", last checked August 2026. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 24 EUR reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
- High-end meal
- €90
Estimated
Estimate based on typical per-person tasting/multi-course pricing at Milan's upper-tier restaurants; no single current source retrieved at the time of research.
- Mid-range meal
- €30
Estimated
No single-person mid-range figure was retrieved at the time of research (Numbeo's comparable figure is quoted per couple, not per person, so it was not used); estimate reflects general market positioning of Milan mid-range dining one tier above the sourced cheap-meal figure. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 40 EUR reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
Work, Transport & Essentials
- Coworking Monthly Venue
- Regus (multiple Milan locations, e.g. Porta Nuova, Navigli)
Coworking
- Venue
- YoRoom (Isola / Porta Garibaldi district)
- Day pass
- €30
Survey / cost-of-living site
Blog review of Milan coworking spaces: YoRoom (Isola district, near Porta Garibaldi) day pass listed at €30, with hourly hot-desking at €7/hour and a €20 half-day option.
- Monthly hot desk
- €109
Operator's own price
Regus's own Milan coworking page states desk rental 'starts from €109 to €759 per person per month', based on Regus.com pricing on a 24-month contract.
Transport
- Single ride
- €2.20
Survey / cost-of-living site
Travel guide states 'A single ATM ticket costs €2.20 and is valid for 90 minutes on the metro, tram and bus (one metro entry)'.
- Monthly pass
- €39
Official figure
YesMilano (official Milan city info site) lists the 'ordinary monthly pass: €39 (valid for unlimited journeys during the month of validity)' for the Mi1 urban zone.
Mobile & data
- Monthly plan
- €25
Survey / cost-of-living site
Digital nomad visa guide states 'a prepaid SIM card costs around €10, while you'll need to spend around €25 for an unlimited monthly plan.'
Short Stays (per night)
- Seasonal pricing
- Yes
- Why
- Milan Fashion Week (February, September–October) and Salone del Mobile design fair (April) drive sustained multi-week pricing spikes; luxury hotel rates double or triple during these events, with overall seasonal swings of 35–97% between peak (Feb) and low seasons (Nov, Jan).
Low season
- Budget
- €65
Aggregator baseline 2-star hotels ($47 USD) plus estimated seasonal discount; Airbnb entry-level (bottom 25%) $102 per night ≈ €94
- Luxury
- €850
5-star hotel low-season estimate: ~65–75% of high-season rate; Mandarin Oriental/Armani high-season at $1,308–$1,354 scaled down to approximate November/January discount
- Premium
- €190
Airbnb top-25% strong-performing properties $200+ per night; 4-star hotel low-season baseline; AirROI typical-median $139–$206 range
- Standard
- €110
Airbnb median tier $139 per night ≈ €127; 3-star baseline hotels; Likibu March low-season average $183 per night ≈ €168 (conservative mid-point used)
High season
- Budget
- €95
Hotel aggregator (KAYAK 2-star $47–$82 range); low-tier hotel booking data adjusted for Fashion Week markup; conservative mid-range estimate within documented €70–€130 cluster
- Luxury
- €1,200
5-star hotel nightly: Mandarin Oriental $1,308 USD, Armani Hotel Milano $1,354 USD; named property-based luxury segment pricing
- Premium
- €320
4-star hotel (KAYAK $59+); Airbnb top-25% properties ~$200+ per night; conservative estimate avoiding peak Design Week/Fashion Week extreme outliers (€375–€6,900/week)
- Standard
- €160
3-star hotel data (KAYAK $57+); Likibu weekend average $518/3 days ≈ $172; typical mid-range hotel in high season before event surge
Low-season months
- January
- August
- November
High-season months
- February
- April
- September
- October
- December
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this cost of living research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
- 1.myroami.com
- 2.globalcitizenlife.org
- 3.hikersbay.com
- 4.world-prices.com
- 5.numbeo.com
- 6.movingto.com
- 7.theblueground.com
- 8.internationalcitizens.com
- 9.regus.com
- 10.regus.com
- 11.remotelyserious.com
- 12.yesmilano.it
- 13.introducingmilan.com
- 14.quantocostadavvero.it
- 15.pumble.com
- 16.milandigitalnomads.com
- 17.thebrokebackpacker.com
- 18.getwherenext.com
More About Milan
Data last updated September 2026 · Verify anything important.