Long-term 4+4 contracts give tenants secure tenure of up to eight years, with early exit on six months' notice for serious justified reasons or if a withdrawal clause is included
Transitory (1-18 month) and student (6-36 month) contracts plus platforms like Flatio and Uniplaces serve mid-term, furnished stays suited to nomads
Single EU-wide emergency number 112 is free (even without a SIM or credit) and routes calls to ambulance/medical, police and fire
Universal national health service with strong outcomes (EU's highest life expectancy, 84.1 years in 2024, tied with Sweden)

Watch out for

Upfront costs are steep: a deposit (commonly two to three months' rent) plus an agency fee of roughly one month + 22% VAT means setting aside several months' rent before moving in
Apartments listed as unfurnished (non arredato) can be near-empty shells, sometimes lacking kitchen cabinets, appliances and light fittings
Tourists and short-stay foreigners (under ~3 months) generally cannot register with the SSN and need private insurance
Voluntary SSN enrolment requires a valid residence permit and an annual contribution with a minimum of about EUR 2,000 (a reduced flat rate of about EUR 700 applies for students and au pairs) - it is not open to a typical short-stay nomad

Cost of living

Milan

€1,900–€2,900/mo