Best Areas to Live in Milan for Students

How to choose an area

There is no single best neighbourhood for students. The useful question is: best for which campus, budget and lifestyle? Use four filters: commute, monthly cost, evening atmosphere and housing stock.

Porta Romana

Good for: Bocconi, IED and students who want a central-residential environment. Porta Romana combines established residential streets, restaurants and easy access to southern/central Milan. Prices can be above the city average in renovated properties.

Navigli & Ticinese

Good for: Bocconi, NABA and students prioritising social life. The canals and surrounding streets have strong nightlife and student energy. Noise and building condition vary significantly street by street, so viewings matter.

Porta Vittoria, Risorgimento & Dateo

Good for: IED and students who want east-central Milan. The area provides fast access to central districts and is useful for IED’s Sciesa/Bezzecca locations.

Città Studi & Lambrate

Good for: Politecnico Leonardo and students who prefer an established university district. The housing mix ranges from traditional apartments to student-oriented rooms, with a different price profile from the historic centre.

Bovisa & Dergano

Good for: Politecnico Bovisa. Living on the correct side of the city can remove an unnecessary cross-town commute. Bovisa has a growing student population and strong rail links.

Romolo, Barona & Famagosta

Good for: NABA, IULM and students who want southern Milan with access to the M2 corridor. Housing can be more varied in price than the Navigli core.

Sant’Ambrogio, Magenta & Sant’Agostino

Good for: Università Cattolica and students prioritising central access. These areas can be expensive, so widen the search if proximity is less important than budget.

Bicocca, Greco & Precotto

Good for: University of Milano-Bicocca and students who want northern Milan. Purpose-built residences and private rooms coexist with conventional residential stock.

A neighbourhood comparison