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Milano: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Milano, Lombardia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Milano

The report looks at the exact point: landslide and flood risk, seismic zone, price per square metre for the area, services and nearby stops.

For example: Viale Monza 1, Milano.

Milano, a city that keeps on growing

Milano (Milan) is Italy's economic and financial capital, home to the stock exchange, major trade fairs, universities and fashion houses, and a magnet for students and workers from across the country and abroad. The centre revolves around the Duomo, but the city, which began as Roman Mediolanum, spreads across a completely flat plain where the skyline is defined by towers rather than hills.

Population figures reflect that pull. At the end of 2023 Milano had 1,371,499 residents, 10.4% more than at the 2011 census, one of the strongest rises among Italy's provincial capitals. The city holds 42.3% of its province's population. It is also younger than the Lombardy average, with an estimated average age of 45.3 and 22.2% of residents over 65 (23.5% regionally), and highly international, with foreign nationals making up 19.6%. Households are small, at 1.85 people on average.

Public transport is a real strength. The open timetables of ATM and Trenord list 3,279 stops inside the municipality, served by 135 bus lines, 38 train lines, 17 tram lines and 5 metro lines. The services data count 797 schools, 1,385 healthcare facilities and 427 pharmacies on the official register.

On earthquakes, Milano is officially in seismic zone 3, yet its expected ground acceleration is about 0.049 g, just under the 0.05 g national threshold that corresponds to zone 4; indeed, 73 of the province's 133 municipalities are in zone 4. Cadastral maps are published, so the report can find the sheet and parcel (foglio and particella) from the address. Old irrigation channels, canals and partly culverted watercourses mean flood hazard differs between neighbourhoods, and so do prices: the report gives both for the specific address, the latter as a range for the zone.

Key points

  • 1,371,499 residents, up 10.4% since 2011.
  • 3,279 public transport stops, including 5 metro lines.
  • Seismic zone 3, but expected acceleration below 0.05 g.
  • 19.6% foreign residents; households average 1.85 people.

Overview

Milano is the capital of the province of Milano, in Lombardia. At the end of 2023 it had 1,371,499 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 42% of the province's residents live here.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Milano is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Only 60 of 133 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.049 g, a low value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

Even in zone 3, seismic standards apply to new buildings: for an older building, ask about the design year and any structural work.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has grown by 10.4%. The estimated average age is 45 years, in line with the province. 22% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 19.6% of the population. On average, a household has 1.8 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Milano declared an average taxable income of 40,237 euros, above the provincial average (33,635 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Milano is in climate zone E, with 2,404 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 October to 15 April, for up to 14 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 122 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Milano has 797 schools and 427 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 334 grocery shops and supermarkets, 1,385 healthcare facilities, 1,086 sports facilities and 247 parks and green areas.

There are 1.0 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.8).

Public transport

Within the municipality there are 3,279 public transport stops, served by 135 bus lines, 38 train lines, 17 tram lines, 5 metro lines. That is about 2.4 stops per 1,000 residents.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 58.7% of the land in Milano, compared with 32.0% in the province and 12.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land shrank by 7.8 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Milano is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Lombardia in 2023. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.

Official databases list 279 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Milano, and 1006 more have been cleaned up or closed. The report tells you whether one is close to the address.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Milano: the report checks the address against the ISPRA maps.

House prices

The Revenue Agency's price ranges per square metre (OMI) apply to zones, not to whole municipalities: the report gives the range for the address's zone.

Land registry

The cadastral maps for Milano are public: from the address the report finds the sheet and parcel number.

Liveability area by area

The Vicinalia liveability index runs from 0 to 100 and looks at the place, not the people who live there: services within walking distance, transport, green space, natural hazards, air, quiet, buildings and connection. Here it is worked out at the centre of each of the 5,937 inhabited census areas in Milano. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 81 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.0%
  • fair 3.6%
  • good 34.4%
  • very good 52.4%
  • excellent 9.5%

Vicinalia index by census area, licence CC BY-SA 4.0. Data: IdroGEO ISPRA (2026), Istat, INGV, EEA, AGCOM, Overture Maps and OpenStreetMap.

The colour is the value at the centre of the area. For an exact address, search for it above: the free check looks at that exact point. How the index is worked out

Data sources

ISTAT code 015146. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.