Milan vs Vienna
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Vienna edges it, 70 to 67, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Milan is stronger on nothing outright; Vienna on air quality, quality of life. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Milan | Vienna |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 30 ✓ | 29 |
| Safety | 81 | 85 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 85 ✓ | 85 |
| Internet | 58 | 61 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 91 ✓ | 90 |
| Getting there & around | 72 ✓ | 69 |
| Climate | 42 ✓ | 33 |
| Air quality | 66 | 90 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 80 | 92 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Milan | Vienna |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one person | $2,344 ✓ | $2,407 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | $1,261 |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Milan | Vienna |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.6 | 0.5 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 71.2 | 74.3 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 82 | 84 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 82.2 yrs ✓ | 81 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Milan | Vienna |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 29.7 Mbps | 33.9 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 9.7 Mbps ✓ | 9.5 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Milan | Vienna |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Visto per nomadi digitali e lavoratori da remoto ✓ | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | $2,436/mo | no data |
| Visa-free days, US passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Visa-free days, EU passport | unlimited | unlimited |
| Visa-free days, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Milan | Vienna |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 259 ✓ | 204 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 5 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 5 | 5 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Milan | Vienna |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 5 ✓ | 4 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 20.4 µg/m³ | 9.7 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Milan or Vienna?
- Milan is cheaper: about $2,344 per month versus $2,407 for one person.
- Is Milan or Vienna safer?
- Vienna scores higher on safety (85 vs 81), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Milan or Vienna?
- Vienna: a measured median of 33.9 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); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; 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). Dataset 2026.09.4. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.