Milan vs Venice for couples

Milan and Venice are both in Italy, about 245 km apart. Every figure below comes from the data behind our city pages: an estimated monthly cost for a couple, tax tier, annual climate, safety, healthcare, internet speed, language and residency rules. Venice leads on cost.

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Side by side

FactorMilanVenice
CountryItalyItaly
SizeLarge: 1 to 5 million peopleSmaller: under 250,000 people
SettingNear the coastCoastal
Est. cost for a couple€3,494 a month€3,041 a month
Tax tierHigh taxHigh tax
Average temperature14°C14°C
Rainfall1,007 mm a year767 mm a year
Safety57 / 10057 / 100
Healthcare76 / 10076 / 100
Internet (median fixed)~70 Mbps~70 Mbps
Main languagesItalianItalian
EnglishLimited EnglishLimited English
Long-term residencyComparatively openComparatively open
Self-funded income routeFrom $2,718 a monthFrom $2,718 a month
Visa-free short visits93 of 198 passports93 of 198 passports

Source: the datasets behind our city pages. Cost is our model estimate (a country-level cost index scaled for city size); tax tiers are assigned by hand from each country's top marginal income tax rate and overall tax reputation; temperature from the Open-Meteo archive (2019 to 2023 averages); rainfall from TerraClimate (1991 to 2020 normals); safety and healthcare are our own country-level estimates; internet from the Ookla Speedtest Global Index; English from the EF English Proficiency Index; residency from our hand-reviewed residency dataset (not legal advice); short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset.

Factor by factor

Cost of living

Venice is cheaper: we estimate about €3,041 a month for a couple living centrally, against €3,494 in Milan. That is €453 a month, or 13%, less.

Taxes

Same country, same tax: Italy is in our high tax tier.

Climate

Both average 14°C over the year. Venice is drier, with about 767 mm of rain a year against 1,007 mm in Milan (24% less).

Safety

Our safety score is country-level, so both cities get the same 57 out of 100.

Healthcare

Our healthcare score is country-level, so both cities get the same 76 out of 100.

Internet

Our broadband figure is country-level: about 70 Mbps median fixed download in both.

Language

Main languages in both: Italian. English proficiency is rated the same in both: limited English.

Residency and visas

Same country, same rules: long-term residency in Italy is rated comparatively open, with a self-funded route from about $2,718 a month in income.

Which one fits a couple

On the factors we measure, Venice leads on cost (€3,041 against €3,494 a month), and Milan leads on none of them. What our data does not cover can still tip it toward Milan: jobs, family nearby, or simply which one each of you prefers after a visit.

Size differs too: Milan is a large city (1 to 5 million people) and Venice a smaller one (under 250,000 people). Milan is near the coast; Venice is coastal.

OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Milan, Venice and 913 other cities for both of you at once.

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