City comparison
Cost of living in Milan vs Austin
One person needs about €2,149 a month in Milan and €2,411 in Austin, rent included — Milan is 12% cheaper overall.
Salary you'd need to keep the same lifestyle
Enter your current net monthly pay. We scale it by the full cost basket — rent, groceries, transport, utilities, eating out and internet.
To live in Austin the way you live in Milan on €3,000, you need
€3,366/ month net
12% more than today (+€366)
- Milan today
- Basket €2,149 · left over €851 (28%)
- Austin at the matched salary
- Basket €2,411 · left over €955 (28%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 270% over in Austin (very strong) vs 149% in Milan. Purchasing power index · How we calculate this
🇮🇹 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
🇺🇸 Austin
No state income tax and a real tech market, with car costs baked in.
Monthly budget: €2,411
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 community reports
Should you move to Milan or Austin?
On salary, Austin pays more for tech roles (€6,500 versus €3,200 a month), so the money left over after costs is €4,089 in Austin at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €1,450 in Milan against €1,600 in Austin. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Milan at 71 and Austin at 73 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.