Shared flat, studio or university residence: what each option costs for a student in Milan, the neighborhoods to consider and the steps before you sign.
As a student in Milan, you have three ways to find housing: a room in a shared flat, a studio or two-room apartment of your own, or a place in a university residence. The shared flat is the most common option, because it is the only one that remains more or less bearable in the most expensive city in Italy. According to the latest Immobiliare.it Insights survey, published in August 2026, a single room there rents for an average of 704 euros per month.
Living alone costs much more: according to our city page, a two-room apartment (bilocale) rents for between 800 and 1,200 euros per month in the most affordable neighborhoods, and up to 2,400 euros in the historic centre. The university residence, finally, is the cheapest solution, but places are scarce and allocated on income and merit criteria.
Here is what each option costs, the neighborhoods to consider depending on your budget and the steps to plan before you sign.
Milan remains the city where a room costs the most in Italy, ahead of Florence (627 euros) and Rome (615 euros). The trend is nonetheless downward: the average price of a single room fell 4% in a year, in a national market where room rents fell 6.2%. Supply has also shrunk: the number of single rooms listed on the portal fell 15% nationally, which leaves little room for manoeuvre for those who search late.
The advertised price is generally a gross rent, to which charges may be added. Always ask whether water, heating, electricity, internet and condominium charges (spese condominiali) are included, and how they are split between housemates.
According to the idealista portal index, Milan remains the most expensive city in Italy to rent in, with an average rent of 22.4 euros per square metre in the third quarter of 2026, up 0.9% on the quarter. For a 50-square-metre home, that comes to about 1,100 euros per month excluding charges. Our city sheet gives consistent ranges: a bilocale between 800 and 1,200 euros in Città Studi, Lambrate or NoLo, between 1,100 and 1,600 euros in the Navigli, between 1,400 and 2,000 euros in Porta Nuova or Isola.
Shared by two in a bilocale in the more affordable neighbourhoods, each person's share falls between 400 and 600 euros, less than a room rented alone. It is often the most attractive calculation if you arrive with a friend or a classmate.
Universities and the regional right-to-study body offer places in residences, allocated first to students who meet means and merit criteria. Conditions, rates and timelines vary from one institution to another: ask your university's housing service as soon as you are admitted, and keep a fallback solution, because the number of places is limited.
Milan works by micro-neighbourhoods: two metro stops are enough to change the rent of a room by more than 200 euros. The Immobiliare.it Insights survey gives the gaps for single rooms.
The centre is the most expensive area, with a room at 823 euros per month on average. Next come Porta Romana, Cadore and Montenero (812 euros), then Garibaldi, Moscova and Porta Nuova (807 euros). These neighbourhoods have the advantage of being central and well served, but they weigh heavily on a student budget.
Città Studi, the university district in the east of the city, close to the Politecnico di Milano, offers more accessible rents and a student atmosphere. Lambrate, quieter and semi-peripheral, and NoLo (North of Loreto), multicultural and in full transformation, are also among the most affordable areas on our city sheet. This is where most student house-shares are set up.
The canal district is lively, very popular for the aperitivo and evening life. Rents there are mid to high, and night-time noise is something to consider if you want quiet to study.
The cheapest area in the survey is Ponte Lambro and Santa Giulia, where a single room costs 571 euros per month on average. Further from the centre, always check the travel time to your campus before committing: saving 150 euros a month is not always worth an hour of travel a day.
Preparing your start in Milan from France or another country means viewing remotely, reading a lease in Italian and reacting within hours in a market where good rooms go fast. A Remoters home finder based in Milan can search according to your campus and budget, view homes for you, prepare your application and review the lease before you sign. The first conversation and the quote are free.
Short answers to the questions our readers ask, written to stand on their own.
Sources cited in this article
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