Living in Italy as a Pakistani student: money, housing, work and daily life
Italy has nearly 300 English-taught programmes in our catalogue, low public tuition, and a proof-of-funds requirement half of Germany's. What trips students up is not cost — it is the eight-day residence-permit deadline and a bureaucracy that expects you to know the order of things. This guide gives you that order.
Figures come from the Italian Foreign Ministry's Study in Italy portal and the universities' own cost-of-living pages (Bologna, Turin, Milan), checked in September 2026.
What a month costs — it depends on the city
Italy uses the euro. Rent is the variable: Milan costs almost twice what Turin or Bologna does for the same room. The universities publish their own figures:
| City | Single room | Shared room | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milan | ≈ €640–700 | ≈ €490 | Politecnico di Milano |
| Turin | €400–600 | about half | Politecnico di Torino |
| Bologna | ≈ €400 + bills | ≈ €300 + bills | University of Bologna |
| Southern cities (Naples, Bari, Palermo) | lower again | ask the university |
| Item | Per month |
|---|---|
| Groceries | €200–300 |
| University canteen meal | €4.50–6 each |
| Public transport (student pass, e.g. Turin) | ≈ €26 |
| Health service registration (SSN) | ≈ €700 per year ≈ €58/month |
| Phone + internet | €15–30 |
| Total, Bologna or Turin (shared room) | ≈ €650–800 |
| Total, Milan (single room) | ≈ €1,100–1,300 |
What you must show for the visa
| Requirement | Amount |
|---|---|
| Living costs to show | ≈ €468 / month (statutory minimum) |
| Typical total for one year | ≈ €6,000 |
| Study visa (type D) fee | ≈ €50 |
| Whose statement | Your own or a parent's bank statement |
The €468 is the legal floor, not a budget — nobody lives in Milan on it. Show what the consulate asks for; plan on the city figures above.
Your first two weeks: the eight-day rule
Within 8 working days of arrival you must apply for the residence permit (permesso di soggiorno). Miss it and your stay is irregular. The application is a paper kit from a post office with a "Sportello Amico" sign; the fee for a permit of up to one year is €116.46 (revenue stamp €16 + card €70.46 + postage €30). You then get a Questura (police) appointment for fingerprints, often months later — the post-office receipt is your legal proof in the meantime. Keep it with your passport.
| When | Do this | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Before you fly | Get your codice fiscale at the Italian consulate | Needed for the lease, the bank, the SSN, university enrolment |
| Days 1–8 | Submit the permesso di soggiorno kit at a Sportello Amico post office | Legal stay; the deadline is strict |
| Week 1 | Buy an Italian SIM (Iliad, TIM, WindTre) and enrol at the university | Everything is confirmed by SMS |
| Week 2 | Open a bank account (or a Postepay/N26 as a bridge) | Rent, refunds, and your job |
| Week 2 | Register with the SSN at the local ASL (≈ €700/year) or hold private insurance | A doctor and hospital cover |
| Week 2 | Sign your lease and register the contract if the landlord has not | Proof of address for the Questura |
Finding a room
- University residences (residenze, case dello studente): cheapest, allocated by the regional student-aid body (DSU) mainly on family income — Pakistani students often qualify for both a place and a reduced fee. Apply through the university in spring, with your family income documents translated.
- Private room: Immobiliare, Idealista, Subito, and the student Facebook groups. A deposit of one to three months is normal. Insist on a registered contract (contratto registrato) — an unregistered one cannot be used as proof of address.
- Milan specifically: start in June. Politecnico reports single rooms at €700 for new arrivals; the good ones are gone by August.
How to not get scammed
- No deposit before a viewing — video at minimum.
- No unregistered "black" contracts: cheaper for the landlord, useless for your permit.
- A landlord who refuses to let you use the address for the permesso is a landlord to avoid.
Working while you study — 20 hours a week
A student residence permit lets you work up to 20 hours a week and 1,040 hours a year, without a separate work permit. The weekly cap is fixed — you cannot save up hours for a full-time summer, though a slightly heavier week during holidays is tolerated if the annual total holds. Internships that are part of your degree do not count.
| Situation | Allowed? |
|---|---|
| Up to 20 h/week, 1,040 h/year, on a study permit | Yes, no extra permit |
| Full-time in summer | No — the weekly cap stays |
| Curricular internship (tirocinio) | Yes, not counted |
| Working on a tourist or Schengen C visa | No |
Real jobs for students: restaurant kitchens and delivery, tutoring in English, and — for engineering students in Milan and Turin — paid internships. Italian opens the doors here; English alone closes most of them. Budget for a language course in the first semester.
Weather and what to bring
Milan in January averages 3.5°C with damp, foggy mornings around freezing; July averages 25°C and is humid — closer to Lahore in September than most students expect. Rome and the south are milder in winter and hotter in summer.
| Month (Milan) | Typical daytime | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Sep–Oct | 15–24°C | Normal clothes, light jacket |
| Nov–Feb | 2–8°C | Warm coat, scarf, closed shoes — damp cold |
| Mar–May | 10–20°C | Layers |
| Jun–Aug | 25–32°C | Summer clothes from home are perfect |
Halal food, prayer, and being Muslim in Italy
- Mosques and prayer halls in Milan, Rome, Turin, Bologna, Florence and Naples, run largely by the Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Egyptian and Moroccan communities. Ask the Pakistani student association in your city for the nearest one.
- Halal butchers and South Asian grocery shops in every large city — Milan and Rome have whole streets of them. In supermarkets, read labels: pork (maiale) is in many cured meats and sauces.
- Ramadan: universities do not adjust timetables; lecturers are generally understanding if told. Community iftars are organised in Milan, Rome and Turin.
- Alcohol: wine is part of Italian meals and student life. Declining is not remarked upon.
Where the Pakistani students are
Milan and Turin (engineering and design), Bologna, Padua, Rome and Pisa have the largest Pakistani student communities. If your programme is offered in both Milan and a smaller city, the smaller city saves you €300–500 a month for the same degree.
Italy rewards students who arrive with the paperwork in order: codice fiscale in hand, the permesso kit submitted in the first week, a registered lease. Do those three and the rest is a good life at a fair price. Use the Programmes page to filter Italy, and register free to see which of the 288 you qualify for.