27 y/o new yorker girl moving to milan! need american expat advice! :)

Hello katy and welcome to Expat.com!

Here is the American Expat Network in Milan > https://www.expat.com/en/nationalities/ … aly/milan/, it may help.

All the best,
Harmonie.

Sadly I am not American, but I am British so that must come in a close second?!

Language:

My Italian is basic but I can survive. Some people speak English very well, others only a few words. People in shops generally are keen to meet you half way if you try to communicate in Italian first. I have heard the local government put on free classes around the city. I havent been to one so cant confirm where they are or how good they are.

Cost of living:

Cost of living is quite high here but thats mainly down to rent - which you dont need to worry about. If you dont have a travel card a single ticket for tram/bus/underground will cost 1 Euro 50 Cents. A return is 3 Euro. The transport here is good and cheap. 6 euros to get a ticket to Lake Como!
Supermarket prices are fine. Alcohol is expensive. $100 would be comfortable living..unless your a heavy drinker.

Travel:

For someone without a car, like me, lake Como is very close - 40 mins by train, 6 euros for the ticket, and a truely beautiful place to visit. Venice 3 hours away by train, Rome 3 or 4 on the high speed train. Further a field I guess Germany, Switzerland, and the South of France are all quite close by.

There are several expat groups that meet up. I dont think it will be hard finding fellow Americans.

thanks so much for the advice!

just a few more questions, if you don't mind! is it possible to buy food and wine with a credit card at most supermarkets? also, how did you go about getting a cell phone -- with a plan, or prepaid card?

thanks for all your helpful info!

I used my UK bank card for several months before getting my Italian one. It was fine - both debit and credit card. For a cell phone you can get a pay as you go no problem but will need your phone unlocked which might be easiest to get done before you come over, that is of course if you want to use your current phone. Or, you can get a contract but over here for a free phone you need to sign up for a minimum of 2 years. For a one year contract you need to buy the phone but at a reduced rate - although a couple of hundred euros none the less. What you need to get a contract is your Codice Fiscal (tax code, I got mine from the Embassy in the UK before coming over) and an Italian bank account or credit card.

As for bank accounts, I got one with Barclays - which is a UK bank but with lots of branches in Milan. The benefit of this is that their call centre all speak English...which really helps.