Hi can anyone give me a idea of what it costs to live in Milan Italy?

Question

I live in Australia and i am thinking of moving to Milan next year to study design, so I'm trying to get a idea of what it cost to live in Milan compared to Brisbane Australia. What kind of jobs i can expect to get, the pay and will i be able to afford to live on my own or will i have to get flat mates.

Answer 1

I really have no idea of what it costs to live in Brisbane, Australia. I've never been to Australia, although I'd love to (too expensive for me right now).

I used to live in Milan and I currently live in the Washington DC Metro area. Compared to DC, Milan is a little cheaper. I used to rent a one-bedroom apartment for 450 Euros per month in a nice, semicentral neighboorhod close to the Fiera metro station (here I pay $850, which would be 673 Euros). If you eat out, it can be expensive, but if you have time to do your grocery shopping it's still cheaper than DC (no more than $100 per week).

As for the jobs you can get, are you going to stay in Italy on a student visa? I'm on a student visa in the States, and I can't do much -- only crappy jobs on campus (no more than 20 hours per week) or babysitting, catsitting, and freelancing (I'm a design student, too. Graphic Design to be precise). I don't know if international students in Italy are allowed to work, though. Maybe they can get a work permit.

If for some reason you are going on a different type of visa, or you are an Italian citizen, you will eventually find a job, especially if you are fluent in Italian and you are 26 or younger. Any job in Italy doesn't pay as much as in the States -- you usually get paid on a monthly basis, and you can expect your first salary to be around 600 Euros per month or less. I highly doubt that you can live on your own with that. Utility bills aren't as high as in the States (calculate around 100 Euros per month), TV is almost free (you pay a fee just once a year) unless you want to get a satellite dish or Sky to watch English channels. But still... at least for the first few months, you will need to get flat mates. You can search online:

http://www.sublet.com/spider/LeAreaList....

or check with the college you are going to attend. There's always students looking for other students to share an apartment with.

Hope this helps, and good luck!!!

Answer 2

It's expensive.

You need a work permit for a job

So, think three times before you move.

Answer 3

If you don't have an EU passport, you won't be able to find legal full-time work.  If you have a student visa you will be able to find legal part-time employment, but it will probably be teaching English or bartending in an English-style pub.  I would allocate EUR 650 per month for a small monolocale (studio) apartment near the center, including gas, electricity and building fees.  You could get down to EUR 450 if you were willing to share.  Phone and internet will be more.  Budget EUR 100 per week for basic living expenses (food, entertainment, phone air time) and a whole lot more if you want to travel, have a car or party heavily.  When I lived in Torino (which is only slightly less expensive than Milan) I needed (at the very minimum) EUR 1200 per month to live the kind of life I wanted.

Answer 4

Mac is about $7.00