✦ Compare
Milan vs
Rome
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Milan, IT vs Rome, IT at a glance — Rome, IT is 10% cheaper than Milan, IT overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,200/mo versus $1,500/mo. The top national income-tax rate is 43%.
To keep the same standard of living in Rome, IT, you'd need
$67,770 / year
Rome, IT is 10% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Rome, IT vs Milan, IT)
- Housing-19%
- Food & groceries-5%
- Transport-6%
- Utilities0%
- Healthcare-2%
- Goods & services-6%
◎ How Milan, IT and Rome, IT compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Milan, IT | Rome, IT | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 111 | 100 |
| Housing | 135 | 110 |
| Food | 105 | 100 |
| Transport | 80 | 75 |
| Utilities | 120 | 120 |
| Healthcare | 82 | 80 |
| Goods & services | 106 | 100 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,500/mo | $1,200/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $1,150/mo | $900/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $3,000/mo | $2,400/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $8,500 | $6,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $902 | $998 |
| Inexpensive meal | $16 | $15 |
| Monthly transit pass | $42 | $38 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 43% | 43% |
| VAT / sales tax | 22% | 22% |
| Corporate tax | 24% | 24% |
| Capital gains | 26% | 26% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $1,900/mo | $1,900/mo |
| GDP per capita | $43,309✓ | $43,309✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 1.5%✓ | 1.5%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | Yes |
| English proficiency | Moderate | Low |
| Coworking spaces | 60 | 40 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+1 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 66 | 68 |
| Safety index | 55 | 55 |
| Healthcare index | 80 | 78 |
| Pollution index | 70 | 60 |
| Internet speed | 120 Mbps | 100 Mbps |
| Walkability | 85 | 85 |
| Public transport | 82 | 75 |
| Family-friendly | 64 | 64 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 84 yr✓ | 84 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | Moderate | Moderate |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +3 °C | +8 °C |
| July avg | +24 °C | +25 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 130 | 200 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,000 mm | 800 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Italy vs Italy. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Milan vs Rome — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
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
Good to know before you move to Rome
Living inside an open-air museum — unbeatable food and history, but slow bureaucracy and patchy transit.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- Italian
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 100 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 55/100
- Climate
- ❄ 8°C · ☀ 25°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F/L · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Trastevere · Monti · Prati
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
Plan your move to Rome
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 Milan to Rome: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Milan to Rome, your cost of living will be roughly 10% cheaper. Rome’s cost-of-living index is 100 versus 111 for Milan (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Milan cheaper than Rome?
Rome is about 10% cheaper than Milan overall — its cost-of-living index is 100 versus 111 for Milan.
Which is more expensive, Milan or Rome?
Milan is more expensive than Rome. Its cost-of-living index is 111 vs 100 (US = 100) — about 11% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Milan or Rome?
Rent is cheaper in Rome — about $1,200/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,500 in Milan.
How much do you need to earn in Rome to live like in Milan?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Milan is worth about $67,770 in Rome. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Milan or Rome?
Both cities are in the same country, so national income tax (43%) and VAT are identical; only local cost of living differs.
◷ More comparisons from Milan
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.