Prices in Milan
Milan is considered one of the most beautiful cities in Italy. The capital of Italy’s Lombardy region is visited by several million tourists every year, mainly because of its famous monuments, art and rich entertainment offer. Many people even decide to move to this city, but how much does such a pleasure cost? What expenses do you have to reckon with during your stay in Milan?
Prices in restaurants in Milan
Prices in Milan dining establishments depend primarily on location, popularity, type of cuisine served. Italian delicacies can be tasted, for example, at Cesarino – it is an intimate fast food place in the center of Milan, close to popular sights, at Via Pattari 2. Cesarino is open daily, from 10:00 to 22:00, and the selected dish can be eaten on the spot or ordered to take away. The restaurant’s specialty is panini – delicious Italian sandwiches. A panini at Cesarino costs between 5 and 8 euros, depending on the ingredients. All sandwiches are made on site, with fresh ingredients and local bread. The menu includes as many as 40 different versions of panini, plus you can still order a cool drink or cappuccino.
If you fancy a traditional pasta or pizza, you can head to Casa Sorbillo San Babila, an Italian cuisine restaurant. Antipasti costs from 7 to 18 euros, while for a main course you have to pay 9-14 euros. Pizza prices are similar, ranging from 8 to 12 euros. Meat dishes are the most expensive, with prices reaching 20-22 euros. Dessert can be ordered for about 7 euros. Casa Sorbillo San Babila is a restaurant offering dishes on site and with delivery to a given address. The restaurant can be found at Lago Corsia dei Servi, in the center of Milan.
Food prices in stores in Milan
While in Milan, of course, you can also prepare your own meals. Residents like to stock up on essentials at local markets, in addition to which there are plenty of grocery stores and supermarkets throughout the city, and the cheapest shopping can be done at popular discount stores like Penny. What are the prices of food and are they higher than in Poland?
A kilogram of grapes can be bought in Milan for about 2.50 euros, and oranges or apples are also at a similar price. A kilogram of tomatoes costs 1.49 euros, zucchini and cucumbers 1.29 euros, peppers almost 3 euros. A package of lettuce can be purchased for about 0.79 – 1.19 euros. Potatoes in Penny are available at 1.49 euros per kg. As for meat, you can get the cheapest kinds for about €7/kg, but for more expensive products, like prosciutto, you pay up to €22 per kg. Italian cheeses, such as gorgonzola or primosale, cost €11-13 per kg. Discount wines, mostly of local production, can be obtained for as little as 3 to 4 euros.
Other prices for popular food products:
– Italian pasta sauce – 1.19 – 2.29 euros.
– a packet of pasta – 0.79 – 1.39 euros
– a bottle of olive oil – 1.69 euros
– package of olives – 0.99 euros
– a can of tuna – 1.79 euros
– a package of rice for risotto – 1.69 euros
– a jar of jam – 2.15 euros
Accommodation prices in Milan
There are many hotels in Milan, of varying standards. You have to spend the most for accommodation in the center of Milan, also if you plan to rent an apartment instead of a hotel. It is especially expensive in Porta Nuova and Porta Garibaldi, where prices for accommodation can reach several thousand euros for one night. However, this does not mean that it is impossible to find cheaper places.
A good example is the 3-star Hotel Rafael. It stands in a convenient location, a few kilometers from the center, at Via Olgettina 60 – Milan’s attractions and sights are easily accessible from here by public transportation. Rooms are air-conditioned, well-equipped, en suite, and you can use free wifi throughout the hotel. For a double room here, you’ll pay around £960 per night – breakfast is included.
Check: tourist tax in Milan
Accommodation in the historic center is already quite a bit more expensive. At the Upton Palace Hotel, at Via Santa Sofia 10, you pay about 4-5 thousand euros per night, depending on the standard of the room, but outside the tourist season you can count on attractive discounts. The price of accommodation includes breakfast, private bathroom, internet, toiletries, coffee/tea making facilities, cable TV.
Still another accommodation option is to rent an apartment in Milan. Residence Milano Bicocca is located at Viale Sacra 323, close to the Bignami and Ponale metro stations, from where one can quickly reach the center. The apartment offers guests a fully equipped kitchen and bathroom, there is also a living room, a balcony overlooking the garden, and private parking. The rooms are air-conditioned and the beds are protected by a mosquito net. A small studio can be rented for less than a thousand zlotys per night, a 2-bedroom apartment costs about 1200 zlotys per night. The superior standard pays about 1,600 zlotys per night.
Public transportation prices in Milan
While in Milan, it is worth using public transportation, which is well organized and affordable. It’s a much more convenient option than your own car – you can take the subway or streetcar to practically any attraction and you don’t have to look for parking spaces, which is particularly inconvenient in the city center. There are subways, buses and streetcars running around Milan, plus there is a well-developed network of bicycle paths and bike rentals. Public transportation operates seven days a week, although schedules may vary on holidays. Selected lines run around the clock.
A purchased ticket works on any means of public transportation. A single ticket costs €2.20 and is valid for 90 minutes from the time it is punched. A day ticket costs 7.60 euros, a three-day ticket costs 12 euros. A package of 10 tickets (Ten-trip booklet) is available for 19.50 euros. You can also purchase the MilanoCard, which not only entitles you to travel on public transportation, but also allows you to spend less on museum tickets and various cultural events. A one-day card can be purchased for 13.50 euros, a two-day card is purchased for 19.50 euros, and a three-day card for 21 euros. Children under the age of 10 use city transportation for free. Bike Sharing bikes can be rented for 9.99 euros for 24 hours.
Standard tickets entitle you to use transportation only within Milan’s borders. A special ticket is required to travel throughout the metropolitan area, which includes nearby Monza, Bergamo, Pavia or Lecco, among others. Mi1-Mi4 tickets, valid for 105 minutes, cost €2.60, while for Mi3-Mi4 tickets, valid for 75 minutes, you pay €1.70. You can get a weekly ticket for 22 euros.
How much does it cost to live in Milan?
The capital of Lombardy is, unfortunately, among the most expensive cities in Europe, which translates into the high cost of living in Milan. This applies not only to the price of renting an apartment, but also to food, public transportation, entertainment expenses and taxes. Very often prices in stores here are higher than in smaller Italian cities, but on the other hand, a lot depends on the location and the standard of services one uses. The prevailing currency in Italy is the euro. Salaries in Milan are relatively high – you can earn more here than in Rome.
One spends at least 1,200-1300 euros per person on living in Milan, but on top of that one must add the cost of housing. The average family spends an average of 3500-4000 euros per month. Rental prices start at 800-1000 euros per month, but the better the standard and more attractive the location, the more expensive, of course. Renting a room alone can reduce this expense to 400-500 euros per month, and it is also possible to reduce the price a lot by choosing an apartment on the outskirts of the city or in the metropolitan area. Those interested in living in Milan should therefore earn at least 2 thousand euros a month – daily maintenance is a minimum of 65 euros, for more comfortable conditions spend at least 80-90 euros. For two people a day is enough for about 100-150 euros.
How does it look from the perspective of a tourist? If you travel on a budget, the daily cost of your stay should not exceed 40 euros, including accommodation, such as in a hostel. Breakfast can be bought for as little as 1 eur, and for dinner in an inexpensive restaurant we will spend about 9-11 euros. However, such savings mean a lot of sacrifices and giving up a lot of entertainment, so a more realistic amount will be about 60-90 euros a day, which will also include going to a cafe, theater or museum.
Real estate prices in Milan
Not only is it expensive to rent, but also to buy your own apartment or house in Milan. The more prestigious the neighborhood, the more expensive the real estate, and the average price per square meter is paid in Milan 5200 euros. The cheapest apartments can be purchased for about 2,700 euros per square meter, while a square meter of an apartment in the center can cost close to 10,000 euros per square meter.
In the Baggio district, on the outskirts of Milan, a small two-room apartment with kitchen and bathroom, with access to a small garden next to the block, can be purchased for as little as about 140 thousand euros. A larger apartment, about 90 sqm, and closer to the center or right next to the subway station, in an old building, is an expense of 600-700 thousand euros. A two-bedroom near Parco Sempione, to a good standard, in a pre-war building, is worth about 310-350 thousand euros on the real estate market, and to live in the historic center, in a luxury property, right next to such monuments as the Duomo di Milano, you have to spend well over a million euros.
Ticket prices for attractions in Milan
Some museums and historic buildings are open to the public for free, but most such places require the purchase of a ticket. Those who plan to visit extensively should purchase a MilanoCard, with which you receive many discounts and even free admission to selected attractions. You can also purchase a Tourist Museum Card, which costs 12 euros and allows you to enter all of Milan’s state museums for free. The Musei Lombardia Pass, available for 45 euros, offers entry to numerous monuments and museums throughout Lombardy.
Single tickets to the most popular attractions cost:Milan Cathedral – €7
“The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci – €15.
Sforza Castle – €5
La Scala Theater (including museum and workshops) – €12
Pinacoteca Brera – €15
Pinacoteca Ambrosiana – €15
Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology – €10.
