Living in Milan: 10 reasons to live in the city and 10 reasons not to

Milan is either loved or hated. There are two schools of thought: some people find it gray, inhospitable and chaotic, while others find it fascinating, magical and beautiful. Giovanni D’Anzi also sang it in the 1940s: “Lassa pur che ‘l mund el disa ma Milan l’è un gran Milan” (Let the world say, but Milan is a great Milan). He was part of the second school of thought, for sure. But why come to live in Milan? What are the reasons why people choose Milan as their home? And what are the reasons for avoiding the city? We asked our readers, let’s see the most common ones, including from our point of view:

10 reasons to live in Milan

Milan is a city that offers so much

This reason was one of the most quoted among our readers, and indeed how can you argue with that statement. Milan is a great city and as such it always has so much to offer. From events, to culinary choices, from shopping, to entertainment, in short there is so much of everything. So, living in Milan why? Because you are never bored, there is always something to do, go out, have fun, exhibitions to see, shows to attend and so much more.

Milan is a city on a human scale

This was also quite common. We agree up to a point but still wanted to include it among the reasons why to live in Milan. The capital city of Milan despite being a metropolis is not huge, think of the size of Rome, or other European capitals. The Ambrosian city is yes large but everything is quite easily accessible, thanks in part to an effective public transportation system. We are a bit perplexed in that it may be fit for human scale but it often puts a strain on the hustle and bustle, the traffic, the noise, the smog, like any big city for that matter. So yes human-scale for services, desires, work and entertainment, but what about personal health?

Milan is the city of novelties

Why live in Milan? Because you are always on the cutting edge. Here in Milan you find the latest news before everyone else, the latest movie released at the cinema, the latest book by such a writer, the latest trend, special new openings, think Salt Bae, to give an example. World product premieres are always presented first in Milan, from fashion to food to everything.

Milan is a city of culture

Milan’s cultural offerings are always exceptional. So many cultural realities dot the city. Museums, foundations, cultural centers, galleries, picture galleries. Big names pass through Milan. Works of art that are among the most important in the world are here-think of the Vinciano cenacle or the treasures contained inside the Pinacoteca di Brera. Whether you are more into ancient, modern or contemporary art, you can satisfy your needs in Milan.

The offerings in theater and film are also worthy of praise, renowned theater companies, shows, films, previews and more are offered all the time. House of Gucci had its world premiere right here with Lady Gaga for example. And then movies with Tom Cruise, George Clooney, Matt Damon, and more were presented here.

Milan is an elegant city

Let it be said but Milan is a beautiful city. Put out of your mind the grayness of the suburbs or the sky in winter. Almost everywhere is like that, unless you live in the Maldives, but even there there would be reasons against. Why live in Milan then? Because you can witness beauty all the time. Think of the Duomo, the Galleria, the Art Nouveau buildings, the Castello, and all the historic buildings in the center but not only. It is not just about simple charm. These attractions really exude elegance, class, lordliness. Milan is a stately city, there is no denying it.

Milan is a rainbow city

At this point there may be some people who turn their noses up at what we are about to say. Milan is a city where one can live free. Meaning freedom to be who you want, in reference to the LGBTQIA+ community. Milan more than many other cities does not constrain, is not bigoted, on the contrary. So many are the associations defending the rights of the rainbow community. But, there is a but, the city when compared to the world is far behind, prejudices are very deep-rooted, the difficulties in acceptance also. But this is not Milan’s fault. It is Italy in general that is rather backward in this area compared to other states. However, it cannot be denied that Milan allows a more acceptable life all things considered.

Milan has one of the best university offerings.

Why live in Milan? Milan is also an excellent choice for studying. So many excellent educational institutions are present. From Bocconi, to Cattolica, to Politecnico. Universities that every year are included in the world rankings of the best universities. Universities of great quality where to train and thus have a better chance of getting a good job.

But not only universities. Milan has a good school choice at all levels. Excellent high schools, middle schools, kindergartens, international schools, private schools, religious schools, academies. As already anticipated , the Milanese offer is vast, and in education it is no less.

Milan has an excellent public transportation network

Among the reasons why to live in Milan, some readers have pointed out the excellence of the public transport network, recently awarded among the best in the world. It can certainly be a reason to choose to come and live in Milan, why not. To be fair, everything works well here, usually, barring accidents, strikes or other obstacles that can happen. Between buses, streetcars and subways one can forget the car serenely and live without it.

Milan is style

We said earlier that Milan is a beautiful city. But it is also the capital of fashion. Not only architectural elegance, but also swankiness in style, in the way of life. Here you will find extremely cool, chic, cutting-edge stores where you can let yourself go on a shopping spree. Milan and fashion go hand in hand. You will come across models running from one shoot to another, designers ready to present their latest collection. A blizzard of colors, frenzy and trends that will bewitch you.

Milan is the city of la dolce vita

When one hears “dolce vita” the scene from Fellini’s film “Marcello, come here” immediately comes to mind. Why do we talk about “dolce vita” in Milan? The locution evokes a carefree lifestyle devoted to worldly pleasures. Milan is the capital of pleasure, good food, aperitifs, soirees, wellness, opulence, fashionable clubs and luxury.

10 reasons not to live in Milan

As we have seen the reasons for coming to Milan are many and there would be many more but we limit ourselves to giving you about ten, also thanks to our readers who helped us.

But now let’s look at the reasons not to live here in the city. Because it all sounds good but let’s be honest, the Lombard capital also has flaws. Let’s face it.

Milan has exorbitant rents

It’s all very glitzy, the fashion, the art, the dolce vita, but it has to be said that among the reasons why not to live in Milan, one reason is that rents are sky-high. Often you find houses that are rather scarce, far from the center, rathole we can say that cost a shot per month. Exorbitant rents that are not justified. Stellar prices that never seem to go down. Don’t even think of buying a house there unless your salary includes 6 zeros a month.

The cost of living

From rents we turn to the cost of living. In Milan you can be very good at splurging entire assets in a single night. From restaurants, to cabs, to stores. In the city it is very complicated to save money. One can go out serenely on a Saturday night and return home having spent at least 150 euros, if not more. Then it depends on one’s lifestyle and possibilities but everything here is very expensive.

Quality of life sometimes low

By quality of life we talk about a person’s psychophysical health. True, there are many services in Milan. One can find work easily. Studying here allows for a better future. In short, the pros, as we have seen, there are of why to live in Milan. But if we consider other factors, such as the air quality, the stress, the hustle and bustle, it’s hair-raising. All of these things do not help to live a peaceful and balanced life although on the surface these peculiarities do not seem to affect you that much, but in the long run they are not beneficial for the human being. However, if you want the metropolis these are some factors to take into consideration.

Traffic

Mercy does not exist when you are in the middle of Milan’s traffic, endless queues, honking, insults and impatient screaming. Traffic, especially on the ring road, is a major nuisance. If you are lucky and do not use your car, it is not a big problem but if you live there as a commuter, it is a hard life.

The multitude

As the big city that Milan is, it is obviously characterized by the presence of a flood of people. Which can be good from one point of view. But on the other it can be stressful. When you first come to live here it is also fun to see how many souls pass through. But after a while it becomes exacerbating. There is never any peace. People everywhere, full subways, queues, angry crowds jostling for space. A simple walk downtown is not possible because you are surrounded by a throng of people all the time, every season, every day, whether summer, spring or winter there are always people. Maybe some people like it; that’s not necessarily a flaw. But take a trip to Rinascente during the Christmas season and we’ll talk about it.

The gray sky

Unfortunately, here we have to agree with those who say that the sky in Milan is gray. But not always eh, on the contrary. In summer there are sometimes extraordinary blue skies. During the colder seasons the cape that forms over the city really annihilates you, more than gray sky it is a colorless white mass that envelops the capital. It has no shape, no end, it seems as if the sky ceases to exist and you feel suspended in a timeless dimension. Kind of like the Dragon Ball’s Room of Spirit and Time, for those who are familiar. A white sea in the sky. If fog comes along, it’s a deadly combo.

The hurry

Milan is not made for those who go slowly. Haste rules here, you either run or get cut off. In Milan you run even to do your shopping at the market. This is how you live, even those who deny that they don’t. Maybe that’s how it is at first but then you get engulfed and start getting used to the hustle and bustle in everything you do.

Parking lots

Maybe not a defining reason of why not to live in Milan, but the parking issue is not to be underestimated if you arrive by car. There are virtually no parking lots in Milan. On Saturday nights you can wander for up to an hour to place your car. And then you have to consider Area C, which costs more every year and constrains people tremendously.

Summer

The Milanese summer is deadly. Mosquitoes, humidity at inhuman levels and excruciating heat characterize the capital city. If you live in a studio apartment without air conditioning, life can be very hard because there is no way to defend yourself except by praying for a thunderstorm to come, as has been happening lately after all.

The snobbish attitude

You can’t lump everything together, but unfortunately when you come to Milan you tend to take on what we can call the stink under your nose. But not only of the Milanese DOC eh, we are also talking about outsiders who move to the city. Since Milan is the city of fashion, luxury and wealth, when you arrive here and perhaps find a rather affluent job, you immediately trigger that detached, judgmental attitude that stops at appearances and judges you based on how much you earn or what job you do, where you live or who and what you hang out with. There may be people who are opposed to these statements, but a kernel of truth cannot be denied.