Most frequently asked questions about life in Milan

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As I get quite a few questions from people who could possibly be interested in living in Milan or just coming here to visit, I thought I would make a post with my answers to these questions and to let other people who may not have the chance of knowing somebody leaving here know my answers. Here are some of the questions that I could think of, please feel free to ask more in the comments if you have any other questions, I'll be happy to answer them!

How is life in Milan?

This is quite a global question that can have many answers. I would say that if you are a person who likes to be in a big, dynamic city, with an interest for international things and you don’t want to feel stressed or overwhelmed when you go out in the streets, then Milan would be great for you.

There are many events taking place here, whether they are local, national or international events. To keep up with all the things that are going on, you should check Facebook. Many of the events are announced on there. You can also check this website, which is about all the most important international events, like the Fashion Week for example.

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Is renting a room expensive?

I think the rent is quite the “normal” price for a big city. If you want to live in the city itself, most of the rents are around 700€. You can choose to live a little more out of the city but it’s still around 600€.

The apartments are usually divided into 4 or 5 rooms, which are rented by young workers or other students. Most of them are owned by agencies which are used to renting them to international students.

Do locals speak English?

Italians are not known to be the best English speakers but as there are quite a lot of tourists most of the locals can at least speak basic English. If you go to restaurants, coffees, or shops close to the center they will most likely speak English. I don’t think the language is a big problem here.

Quite a few of them can also speak, or at least understand, Spanish.

Where to eat?

For dinner, I would definitely suggest going to Navigli and have an aperitivo: in more or less every bar, usually from 6pm until 9 or 10 pm, you can order any drink you want at a unique price and that gives you access to a buffet where you can eat as much as you want. This is a very Milanese concept and it is really appreciated by locals and international people.

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For lunch, I would suggest finding a restaurant around the center. I don’t think they are so much more expensive than other restaurants located further away, you are quite close to the places you could want to visit, and there are some really nice ones with a good choice of Italian food.

Be careful though, the prices you can see on the menus do not include the service, that will be added to the bill at the end.

How are the clubs?

There are so many different clubs all across the city that you will find one that you will for sure. The entry is usually not so expensive and most of them have special prices for Erasmus students: you can either just get in for 1€, or pay 10€ at the entrance and get 2 drinks with it. So you see what you prefer!

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How to move around in Milan?

Going around by car is quite "risky" in my opinion. There are many traffic restricted areas around the center, you can’t park your car anywhere and you might have to pay a special ticket to get into some areas, otherwise you will just get a fine. Car is definitely not the best option to go around in Milan.

Fortunately, the city offers some options for transportation that are not too expensive. There are many lines of trams and buses, and 4 (soon 5) of metros. If you are going to live in Milan and need transportation a lot, the easiest and most economic thing to do is probably to get a card with a monthly pass. The card alone costs 10€ that you have to pay only once when you do it (or each time you lose it), and the monthly pass is 22€ (you can pay every beginning of the month or pay for several months at the same time) and enables you to use the buses, trams and metros with no limits.

There are also some shared bikes that you can rent and that are not so expensive.

Finally, going around walking is a nice option too, but then it depends on the distance that you have to cover.

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Is life expensive in Milan?

I think that it depends on where you come from and how your lifestyle is. Apart from the rent, I would say that Milan is not such an expensive city. The prices in restaurants are quite reasonable, you can find some really good food for not too much money. The transportation card is also not too much according to me, especially because you don't have a limit on how many times you can use it in the month. Coming from France, the prices in supermarkets are also quite similar (although pasta is quite cheaper! ). Overall, Italy is considered as a country where the cost of living is quite high, but if you come from a country that is considered the same you won't see such a big difference.

What is the weather like in Milan?

When I arrived here at the end of August, it was reeeaaally really hot outside (around 30-35 ͦ C in the day and the temperatures didn’t really drop during the night). It was like this for at least 2 weeks before it became a little fresher and we could finally enjoy going outside.

It has not rained a lot since then, I would say maybe around 10 days (in 5 months, that’s really not bad). The sky is usually clear and the sun shines, even though some days it’s all grey and cloudy.

Right now the temperatures are quite low: the highest are around 10 ͦ C in the day and they drop to 0 almost every night.

We had a little bit of snow before Christmas, but it was just the matter of one day. But as it gets really cold in the night it might happen again in the upcoming weeks, who knows!

So depending on when you plan to come to Milan, you have to pack different types of clothes cause we really get all kinds of weather here!

UPDATE: it's February now and it's freezing cold and snowing right now. So Milan definitely does get a real summer and a real winter!

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Is Milan a nice place for an Erasmus semester / year?

For me the answer to this question is yes. Milan is a very international city and there are a lot of international students here, coming from all around the world. It's great to make new friends that you can go and visit later, and to discover their culture. The city is also quite organized for Erasmus student and you can have discounts in different places of the city thanks to your Erasmus card (see more details on my post here). Milan is also located quite in the center of Europe, so it makes it easier to travel to different countries, how a lot of Erasmus students do.

Are Italian luxury brands less expensive in Milan / Italy?

I was once asked this question and I have to say that I never really thought about it. I did not really try to compare the prices since I am not really used to going to shops like Gucci, Versace, Prada... I would say that since they are luxury brands, these prices are quite similar in all the countries. That being said, I don't think there is any kind of difference in the price in Italy just because they are Italian brands, their products are still quite expensive.

What is the best place to stay?

(This is for both visiting and doing an Erasmus in Milan). Speaking of city areas, I think it's always easier to be in the center, althought the prices might be higher. If you can afford it, go in the center where you are basically close to everything, even though you might still need to use the metro to go somewhere, but maybe you can buy only a few tickets and don't need a monthly pass. Then, the further you get from the town center, the lower the rents will be, but there you will need a transportation pass for sure. It's really up to your budget!

So yes, I think Milan is great if you are looking to live in a big city for your Erasmus experience, if you want to discover many things and people and take some time to travel around!

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