✦ Compare
Berlin vs
Milan
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Berlin, DE vs Milan, IT at a glance — Milan, IT is 1% more expensive than Berlin, DE overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,500/mo versus $1,400/mo. Top income tax: 43% vs 45%.
To keep the same standard of living in Milan, IT, you'd need
$75,710 / year
Milan, IT is 1% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Milan, IT vs Berlin, DE)
- Housing+11%
- Food & groceries-3%
- Transport-6%
- Utilities-9%
- Healthcare-14%
- Goods & services0%
◎ How Berlin, DE and Milan, IT compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Berlin, DE | Milan, IT | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 110 | 111 |
| Housing | 122 | 135 |
| Food | 108 | 105 |
| Transport | 85 | 80 |
| Utilities | 132 | 120 |
| Healthcare | 95 | 82 |
| Goods & services | 106 | 106 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,400/mo | $1,500/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $1,000/mo | $1,150/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $2,800/mo | $3,000/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $8,500 | $8,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $910 | $902 |
| Inexpensive meal | $15 | $16 |
| Monthly transit pass | $55 | $42 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 43% |
| VAT / sales tax | 19% | 22% |
| Social security (employee) | 20% | — |
| Corporate tax | 30% | 24% |
| Capital gains | 26.4% | 26% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,900/mo | $1,900/mo |
| Minimum wage | $2,716/mo✓ | — |
| GDP per capita | $60,496✓ | $43,309✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 2.2%✓ | 1.5%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | Yes |
| English proficiency | High | Moderate |
| Coworking spaces | 120 | 60 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+1 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 69 | 66 |
| Safety index | 60 | 55 |
| Healthcare index | 78 | 80 |
| Pollution index | 55 | 70 |
| Internet speed | 120 Mbps | 120 Mbps |
| Walkability | 88 | 85 |
| Public transport | 90 | 82 |
| Family-friendly | 68 | 64 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 81 yr✓ | 84 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | Moderate |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +1 °C | +3 °C |
| July avg | +19 °C | +24 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 60 | 130 |
| Rainfall / year | 570 mm | 1,000 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1.5 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Germany vs Italy. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (Eurostat 2026, World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Berlin vs Milan — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Berlin
Germany's creative and startup magnet — still the cheapest major Western-European capital, though rents are climbing fast.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- German
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 120 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 60/100
- Climate
- ❄ 1°C · ☀ 19°C · 60 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Kreuzberg · Mitte · Neukölln
Good to know before you move to Milan
Italy's business, finance and fashion capital — the country's best job market, at its highest prices.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- Italian
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 120 Mbps
- English
- Fairly common
- Safety
- 55/100
- Climate
- ❄ 3°C · ☀ 24°C · 130 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F/L · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Navigli · Brera · Isola
Plan your move to Berlin
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
Plan your move to Milan
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Airport transferWelcome Pickups
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Berlin to Milan: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Berlin to Milan, your cost of living will be roughly 1% more expensive. Milan’s cost-of-living index is 111 versus 110 for Berlin (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Berlin cheaper than Milan?
Milan is about 1% more expensive than Berlin overall — its cost-of-living index is 111 versus 110 for Berlin.
Which is more expensive, Berlin or Milan?
Milan is more expensive than Berlin. Its cost-of-living index is 111 vs 110 (US = 100) — about 1% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Berlin or Milan?
Rent is cheaper in Berlin — about $1,400/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,500 in Milan.
How much do you need to earn in Milan to live like in Berlin?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Berlin is worth about $75,710 in Milan. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Berlin or Milan?
Italy has the lower top income-tax rate — 43% versus 45% in Germany.
◷ More comparisons from Berlin
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.