Cost of Living: Rome vs Milan (2026)

Italy vs Italy — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Rome

Milan

$1,355/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$1,737/mo

−$10k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

−$20k/yr

5 yr

PR path

5 yr

Impatriati Regime, Regime Forfettario, New Residents Flat Tax, 7% Retiree Flat Tax

Tax breaks

Open incentive regimes for newcomers

Impatriati Regime, Regime Forfettario, New Residents Flat Tax, 7% Retiree Flat Tax

Freelance setup

Regime Forfettario

VAT-free under €85k
26% social
€1000/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Regime Forfettario

VAT-free under €85k
26% social
€1000/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated April 2026

TL;DRRome is 22% cheaper on rent ($1,355/mo vs $1,737/mo). Both are solid options for settling down — the spreadsheet won't save you from this one.

Rome and Milan are almost suspiciously well-matched. Flip a coin.

Verdict delivered. Your move.

Heads

🇮🇹 Rome

Full profile, in case the coin says so.

Tails

🇮🇹 Milan

Full profile, in case it says otherwise.

Plot twist

Milan vs Florence

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Rome

Metric

Milan

✓$635/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$760/mo

✓$7,957

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$9,944

81 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

80 / 100

0.5 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

0.5 / 100k

5.0 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

5.0 / 100k

✓53 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

46 / 100

86°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

82°F

37°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

32°F

75 Mbps

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

90 Mbps✓

✓12.7 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

27.9 μg/m³

82 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

84 / 100

7.6 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

7.6 / 10

6.5 / 9

🤝

Migrant acceptance

higher is better

6.5 / 9

25 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

25 / 100

29/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

29/100

$62k

💼

GDP per capita (PPP)

higher is better

$62k

1.0% · Practically frozen

📈

Inflation

lower is better

1.0% · Practically frozen

89/100 — Mostly stable

⚡

Grid reliability

higher is better

89/100 — Mostly stable

87/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

87/100

A median Software Engineer in Rome takes home $2,342/mo under Standard employee. In Milan: $2,350/mo under Standard employee.

🎯 Rome's Impatriati Regime isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $2,950/mo instead.

🎯 Milan's Impatriati Regime isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $2,962/mo instead.

Each city pays its own median — Software Engineer gross via Levels.fyi / Eurostat. Moving changes your salary too; that's the point.

$45k

💰

Gross income

$46k

−$13k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$13k

−$4k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$4k

$28k/yr

$2k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$28k/yr✓

$2k/mo

−$38k

🏠

Cost of living

−$48k

✓−$10k/yr

🐖

Annual savings

−$20k/yr

Swap the local medians for your actual number

Sources: Numbeo · UNODC · Ookla · WHO · EIU · Gallup · World Bank · Freedom House · Updated April 2026

💰

Cost of Living

Rome

$382/mo cheaper on rent alone

Sun

How much sky you actually get

63% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

57% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

9.1h

Shortest day

Dec

8.7h

15.2h

Longest day

Jun

15.7h

Sun clocks out before 5pm in both cities come December. Plan accordingly.

Source: WeatherSpark (clear-sky share of daytime hours)

Settler Essentials

stable →

Democracy trend

stable →

improving ↑

Inflation trend

improving ↑

governmenttourismmediaaerospace

Industries

fashionfinanceluxurytech

nascent

Startup ecosystem

active

Moderate

🇺🇸 Your visa

Moderate

Easy

EU visa

Easy

Complex

RU visa

Complex

Easy

UA visa

Easy

✅ Partner can work immediately

Spouse works

✅ Partner can work immediately

Not recognized

unione civile / convivenza di fatto (no immigration rights)

Partner pathway

Not recognized

unione civile / convivenza di fatto (no immigration rights)

€2,583/mo

Retiree visa

€2,583/mo

Visa stamps:Easy <90 daysModerate 3–6 moComplex 6+ mo

Sources: EIU · Freedom House · Startup Genome · official immigration portals

Reproductive Rights

Because your body shouldn't need a visa too

On request

Abortion access

On request

12 wk

Gestational limit

12 wk

On request up to 90 days. 7-day waiting period. High rates of conscientious objection limit practical access.

Source: Center for Reproductive Rights

LGBTQ+ Rights

Can you hold hands without doing a risk assessment first

Civil union

Marriage

Civil union

Step-child only

Adoption

Step-child only

Yes

Job protection

Yes

Hate crime law

Rome vs Milan — Common Questions

Is Rome cheaper than Milan?▾

Rome is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $1355/month there vs $1737/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Rome or Milan?▾

Milan is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Rome has a rate of 0.55 per 100,000 and Milan has 0.55 per 100,000.

Should I move to Rome or Milan?▾

Rome and Milan are almost suspiciously well-matched. Flip a coin. See the full comparison above for rent, safety, internet speed, climate, and democracy scores to decide which city fits your priorities.

Is it easier to get residency in Rome or Milan?▾

Rome: Italy Digital Nomad Visa (moderate requirements, 1 year (renewable)). Milan: Italy Digital Nomad Visa (moderate requirements, 1 year (renewable)). See each city's profile page for full requirements.

What's the cost of rent in Rome vs Milan?▾

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $1355/month in Rome, $1737/month in Milan (Numbeo). That's 22% cheaper rent in Rome.