City comparison
Cost of living in Berlin vs Milan
One person needs about €2,258 a month in Berlin and €2,149 in Milan, rent included — Milan is 5% cheaper overall.
🇩🇪 Berlin
Highest tech salaries on this list, offset by heating bills and a brutal rental market.
Monthly budget: €2,258
Sources: Destatis + Eurostat, HICP & Mietspiegel (2025) · 377 community reports
🇮🇹 Milan
Italy's business capital: better salaries than Rome, and rents to match.
Monthly budget: €2,149
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 community reports
Should you move to Berlin or Milan?
On salary, Berlin pays more for tech roles (€4,600 versus €3,200 a month), so the money left over after costs is €2,342 in Berlin at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €1,500 in Berlin against €1,450 in Milan. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Berlin at 76 and Milan at 71 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.