Milan vs Rome
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Rome edges it, 70 to 67, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Milan is stronger on getting there & around; Rome on air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Where they differ
- Air quality. Rome leads on air quality, 85 to 66, against Milan. PM2.5: 20.4 µg/m³ vs 11.8 µg/m³.
- Getting there & around. Milan leads on getting there & around, 72 to 61, against Rome. Non-stop airport destinations: 260 vs 250.
- Climate. Rome leads on climate, 50 to 42, against Milan. Comfortable months: 5 vs 6.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Milan if you want
- more flights and easier getting around
Pick Rome if you want
- to spend about $276 less a month
- faster internet (35.3 Mbps measured)
- cleaner air
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Milan | Rome |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 30 | 36 ✓ |
| Safety | 81 | 81 |
| Healthcare | 88 | 88 |
| Internet | 64 | 67 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 81 | 81 |
| Getting there & around | 72 ✓ | 61 |
| Climate | 42 | 50 ✓ |
| Air quality | 66 | 85 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 81 | 81 |
Cost
| Metric | Milan | Rome |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one person | $2,478 | $2,202 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | $1,273 |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Milan | Rome |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.57 | 0.57 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 73.6 | 73.6 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 82 | 82 |
| Life expectancy | 82.9 yrs | 82.9 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Milan | Rome |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 29.7 Mbps | 35.3 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 9.7 Mbps | 10.6 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Milan | Rome |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Digital nomad and remote worker visa | Digital nomad and remote worker visa |
| Minimum income for the visa | $2,385/mo | $2,385/mo |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Entry, EU passport | unlimited | unlimited |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Milan | Rome |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 260 ✓ | 250 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 4 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 5 ✓ | 3 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Milan | Rome |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 6 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 20.4 µg/m³ | 11.8 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Milan or Rome?
- Rome is cheaper: about $2,202 per month versus $2,478 for one person.
- Is Milan or Rome safer?
- Milan and Rome score the same on safety (81), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Milan or Rome?
- Rome: a measured median of 35.3 Mbps versus 29.7 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.