Milan is located in Northern Italy so it has a good amount of French and Swiss influence — especially when compared to southern Italy. Milan is also more expensive than many other cities in Italy since it’s the country’s business center. Milan isn’t a huge tourism destination, but Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper and the amazing Duomo Cathedral are the two main draws.
In this Milan travel price guide, we’ll outline the estimated travel expenses for food, accommodation, attractions, alcohol, and other common expenses to help you budget for your trip to Milan.
This article is part of our City Price Guide Series — Click here to see all our city price guides.
AVERAGE DAILY COSTS FOR VISITING MILAN
For budget-minded travelers, it costs around €45-€80/day to visit Milan. These prices are based on what you’ll need to visit the city comfortably as a budget traveler. If you want to upgrade your accommodations, add another €80-€150/night depending on your stay. These prices also don’t include things like big nights out at the bar/pub, club entry fees, souvenir/clothing shopping, tours, random purchases, nicer food, etc.
DAILY COST OF BUDGET TRAVEL IN MILAN: €65 (APPROX. $76)
- Attractions: €10 (one paid attraction + any free sights)
- Food: €25
- Breakfast: €3.5
- Lunch: €7
- Dinner: €14
- Treat (dessert/beer/wine): €2
- Transportation: €1.50
- Accommodation (Hostel): €25
DAILY COST OF FRUGAL TRAVEL IN MILAN: €35 (APPROX. $36)
- Attractions: €5 (free walking tour + visit one of the free sights)
- Food: €15
- Breakfast: €0 (free hostel breakfast)
- Lunch: €5 (street food or takeaway shop fare)
- Dinner: €9 (make your own meal in the hostel or grab something cheap)
- Beer: €1 (chill out at the park and have a cold one)
- Transportation: €0 (walk)
- Accommodation (Cheap Hostel): €15
Milan Attraction and Museum Prices
- Duomo Cathedral: Free; access to the archeological area: €6; museum: €2; terraces: €8-€13
- Monumental Cemetery: Free
- Teatro alla Scala (Opera) Museum: €9
- Museo del Novecento: €10
- Biblioteca Ambrosiana (Ambrosiana Library & Gallery): Dependent on exhibit, usually around €15
- Milan Museum: €10-€30, depending on exhibit – including Da Vinci’s The Last Supper (make reservations super early)
- Walking tours: Free-€38 (Tours in Milan showcase the city’s historic architecture, churches, and gardens.)
- City bike tour: €35
Check out our guide to the Best Things To Do In Milan and our Milan Travel Guide.
MILAN FOOD PRICES
Milan is filled with trattoria — which are little eating establishments far less formal than the typical sit-down restaurants. Trattoria are a solid bet for trying local foods for less: michetta (bread and salami), panettone (a sweet pastry), and cassoeula (meat and vegetable stew) are common staples. Panini are usually a solid, budget choice for lunch or dinner and are served at takeaway restaurants and casual trattoria. Read more of our strategies for Eating and Drinking in Europe on a Budget.
BUDGET BREAKFAST PRICES in Milan: €2–€4
- Many hostels will offer a free simple breakfast of that normally consists of cereal, bread/croissant, and maybe milk, coffee, tea, or juice (some hostels will offer more and some less). Hotel breakfasts tend to be overpriced, so skip those in most cases.
- Panettone – a sweet brioche – is available at bakeries throughout the city. Expect to pay €1.50-€2.50.
- Coffee at a café will run €1-€2.25.
Budget-Friendly Breakfast Spots
- Gobbato Bakery: Lovely bakery with coffee and pastries.
- Gelateria Toldo: Famous for their ice cream but they have great coffee and croissants as well.
- Paranoia Cafe: Cafe with coffee, breakfast sandwiches, and pastries.
- Dolci Memela Srl: Coffee and pastries.
- Caffe Napoli Brera: Excellent coffee.
- Gogol & Company: Bookstore and coffee shop. Nice atmosphere.
- Glufree Bakery: Nice gluten-free bakery.
- Caffe del Naviglio: Another nice cafe.
- Panini Durini: Chain restaurant with multiple locations. Lots of breakfast and lunch options.
BUDGET LUNCH PRICES in Milan: €4–€12
- Super budget travelers can make a super cheap lunch of bread, cheese, and fruit from any grocery store for a few euros.
- Look for local chain Pastarito for pizza and pasta meals that run about €7-€12.
- Panino, grilled sandwiches with cheese and (typically) ham run €4.
- Piadino are similar to crepes (either sweet or savory) and cost between €2-€3.50.
- Panzerotto (similar to calzones) cost €2-€3/each at local bakeries, and 1-2 make a solid meal.
- Kebabs from street vendors run €2.50-€5, depending on soda/additions.
BUDGET DINNER PRICES in Milan: €9–€18
- Pretty much all the options from the ‘Budget Lunch’ section above will also apply for dinner.
- A pizza at a sit-down place will run €10-€13.
- Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine is cheap and available for €8-€12 for a full meal.
- Risotto alla Milanese – Milanese risotto – a saffron-hued (and flavored) risotto dish famous in Milan, traditionally accompanied by ossobucco (veal). At a more upscale restaurant, it will run €22-€30.
Budget-Friendly Lunch and Dinner Restaurants
- Piz: Must-try pizza place in downtown Milan.
- Pizza AM: Amazing Italian pizza.
- POMET: Pomet-style pizza.
- Piadineria Artigianale Pascoli: Excellent flatbread sandwiches.
- Mr Panozzo: Solid sandwich place.
- Pizzeria Snuppi: Tasty pasta and pizza.
- Mr Panozzo: Pizza and sandwiches.
- Tram: Tramezzino-style sandwiches.
- Un’Altra Pasta: Amazing fresh pasta.
- TheLab: A solid burger joint.
- Vita Italian Burger: Vege-burgers.
- Corey’s Soul Chicken: Soul food and fried chicken.
- Mi-Ramen Bistro: Great ramen.
DRINKS AND ALCOHOL PRICES IN MILAN
- Expect to pay €4-€5 for a beer out.
- At a grocery, beer runs about €1.30, and a bottle of wine about €5.75.
- Espresso is usually €1.
MILAN TRANSPORTATION PRICES
Tickets for Milan’s Urban transportation system are good for 90 minutes after first stamped, and are valid for one journey on the rail or underground network. The network is only within Milan. The city is fairly compact but you’ll probably use public trans a few times if you want to visit the outer neighborhoods.
Public Transport:
- 1 journey: €1.50
- 4 journeys: €6
- 10 ticket: €13.80
- 24-hour ticket: €4.50
- 48-hour ticket: €8.25
Cumulative tickets should be purchased to allow access to towns in the greater Milan area, in addition to the urban network. Cumulative tickets are issued per-journey and range from €1.90-€4.70 depending on the distance of the zone you’re traveling to.
Airport transit from the city center:
- via train: €12
- via bus from Milan central station: €8
- via taxi: €90
Bicycle rental:
€.50 for the first hour, €1.50 for 90 minutes. 2 hour maximum per rental from Milan city bikes, with a €2 penalty per additional hour late. (Users can renew bicycles at bike stations).
MILAN HOSTEL, HOTEL, & RENTAL APARTMENT PRICES
Accommodation runs the gamut in Milan, but many of the hotels cater to the rich — but there are a few budget options. There aren’t too many hostels in Milan but the prices aren’t too expensive. However, you may want to book a little in advance since they can fill up fairly quickly.
Hostel Prices in Milan: €15-€35
You should budget about €20-€25/night per person for a decent hostel — although many hostels raise their prices on the weekend. Remember, these prices are for a bed in a shared dorm room. If you want a private room, expect to pay €50-€90 total (for two people). Check out the latest hostel prices at Hostelworld.
Best Rated Hostels in Milan:
Be sure to check out our Guide To The Best Hostels in Milan.
Budget Hotel Prices in Milan: €80-€150+/night
A decent budget hotel that is in the city center will cost around €100/night. You can find cheaper hotels if you want to stay farther away from the center of the city or if you don’t mind staying in a junky place.
We suggest checking out Booking.com to see hotel prices for your dates since they’re always changing.
Rental Apartment Prices in Milan: €60-€150/night
Milan has plenty of rental apartments. They can be a good option for large groups or travelers who want a little more space (and a kitchen). On the other hand, you may also have to deal with inconvenient check-in processes and things like extra cleaning fees and service charges. For short stays, we prefer hotels/hostels but rental apartments can be a nice option for longer stays. Airbnb is always popular but you can sometimes find cheaper/better options on our list of Airbnb Alternatives.
LEARN MORE ABOUT EUROPE TRAVEL COSTS
Check out our guide on How Much It Costs To Backpack Europe to learn more about budgeting your entire trip (including many more city price guides).
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