Studying in Milan and finding a place

Milan has more than two hundred thousand university students and not enough homes for them. That is the starting point of any honest discussion about accommodation: demand has outstripped supply for years, prices reflect it, and anyone arriving unprepared in September finds little, and expensive.

This guide is for people coming for a semester, a master's, an Erasmus or a PhD, who have to solve the problem from a distance.

The university districts

Bicocca, in the north. The University of Milano-Bicocca has around thirty thousand students across economics, law, psychology, sociology, science and medicine. The campus is open, modern and built into the neighbourhood. It is also where rents remain most reasonable.

Città Studi, in the east. The Politecnico's Leonardo campus, the Statale science faculties, the medical school and the major hospitals. Residential, well connected, in high demand.

The centre, for the Statale and the Cattolica. Beautiful and expensive.

The Bocconi area, in the south. As expensive as the centre.

If you study at Bicocca or the Politecnico, the first two are the only ones that really make sense: the time you save every morning, over eight months, is worth more than the difference in rent.

What it actually costs

A single room in a shared flat in Milan usually costs between six hundred and nine hundred euro a month, with bills excluded or partly included depending on the contract. A whole studio starts considerably higher.

On top of that come the deposit — normally two or three months — and often a guarantee from parents or an employer. These are the two things that most often stop international students: they find the place and then cannot sign.

Why almost everyone starts with a short-term rental

The path that works, and that we see repeat every year, is this:

1. Arrive with a short-term rental already booked, for one or two months.
2. View places in person. Milan is a city where listings lie, and a room can only be judged by walking into it.
3. Sign something permanent while already in the city, with an address, a tax code and the ability to attend viewings.

Searching from another country, paying a deposit remotely and discovering the reality on arrival is the fastest way to lose money. The Milan market has its share of fake listings too: nobody legitimate asks for a bank transfer before a viewing.

The minimum paperwork

• Codice fiscale — the Italian tax code, obtained from the Agenzia delle Entrate. You need it for almost everything: contract, bank, SIM card, gym.
• Identity document — required even for a short-term rental, because guests must be reported to the police.
• Residence permit, if you come from outside the European Union.
• Health card or insurance, depending on your country.

Having an address in the city already makes every one of these easier.

Our apartments for students

We have several a short walk from the Bicocca campus — E-Bicocca, D-Bicocca, Bicocca Università — and others in Città Studi. They are complete one-bedroom flats, with a kitchen, washing machine, Wi-Fi and a desk, suitable for one person or two.

We take long stays, and for stays of several months the nightly price comes down. If you are looking for a base for the first months while you find something permanent, this is exactly the case they work best for.

→ See the apartments · Staying in Bicocca