City comparison
Cost of living in Vienna vs Milan
One person needs about €1,856 a month in Vienna and €2,149 in Milan, rent included — Vienna is 16% 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 Milan the way you live in Vienna on €3,000, you need
€3,474/ month net
16% more than today (+€474)
- Vienna today
- Basket €1,856 · left over €1,144 (38%)
- Milan at the matched salary
- Basket €2,149 · left over €1,325 (38%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 149% over in Milan (adequate) vs 216% in Vienna. Purchasing power index · How we calculate this
🇦🇹 Vienna
Huge subsidised housing stock keeps rents unusually sane for a rich capital.
Monthly budget: €1,856
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 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 Vienna or Milan?
On salary, Vienna pays more for tech roles (€4,000 versus €3,200 a month), so the money left over after costs is €2,144 in Vienna at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €1,150 in Vienna against €1,450 in Milan. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Vienna at 75 and Milan at 71 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.