Milan is the capital of micro-apartments: over 5,700 sales below 50 sqm in 2025

Official data, Italian Revenue Agency

In the Lombardy and national property landscape, Milan is confirmed as the undisputed capital of micro-apartments. The official surveys of residential sales (Normalised Number of Transactions - NTN) show how the search for compact spaces — studios and small one-bedroom flats up to 50 square metres — is a structural and dominant component of the market in the shadow of the Madonnina.

While at regional level homes below 50 sqm cover just 10.20% of total sales, in the municipality of Milan (Code F205) this percentage rises to 22.71%: almost one home in four bought in the city falls within this size band.

Key data on micro-apartments in Milan (2023–2025)

Over the three years analysed, the segment of homes below 50 sqm showed uninterrupted growth in Milan city, withstanding even the contraction phases that affected larger floor areas during 2024.

Source: official data, Italian Revenue Agency

In 2025 alone, 448 more purchases of this type were recorded than in the previous year, bringing the total to the three-year peak of 5,715.99 transactions.

Comparison: Milan City vs Hinterland and the Rest of Lombardy

The comparison between the city of Milan and the rest of the region shows a clear divide in the geographic distribution of demand for small sizes.

1. A third of all micro-apartments in Lombardy are sold in Milan: In 2025, 16,540.85 sales of homes below 50 sqm were recorded across the whole Lombardy region. Of these, as many as 5,715.99 were concentrated in the municipality of Milan alone, equal to 34.56% of the entire regional total.
2. The gap with the Milan Hinterland: In the municipalities of the province of Milan (excluding the city), micro-apartments account for just 8.57% of total sales (3,891.67 NTN out of 45,422.82). Outside the city, buyers' preferences shift overwhelmingly towards medium-large floor areas (50–115 sqm).

Source: official data, Italian Revenue Agency

How the other floor areas rank in Milan in 2025

Although the band below 50 sqm records a percentage share more than double the regional average, the structure of Milan sales in 2025 sees the 50 to 85 sqm band in first place:

Source: official data, Italian Revenue Agency

Combining the first two bands shows that over 64.97% of homes bought in Milan do not exceed 85 square metres.

Useful observations from reading the data

For those looking for homes in the city

The data show that the supply and sale of spaces up to 50 sqm are particularly high in the city. Those looking for more generous floor areas within the city boundaries find a significant share of sales in the 50–85 sqm band (42.26%), while for sizes above 115 sqm the supply traded on the city market falls to 14.95% of the total.

For those who own or sell compact homes

The stability of transactions even during the 2024 decline (+0.47% while the overall city market lost -3.40%) shows a constant level of absorption for small sizes in Milan. The 22.71% share of total municipal sales attests to a rapid turnover of small floor areas within the city market.

For market and territory observers

The concentration of 34.56% of regional micro-apartments in the municipality of Milan alone reflects the specific demographic and social structure of the metropolis (students, young professionals, single-person households and relocated workers), clearly differentiating the city from the fabric of the metropolitan belt and the other Lombardy provinces.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Related articles

• The 2024 contraction in Milan: the impact of interest rates and the 2025 recovery
• The 50–85 sqm one-bedroom flat covers 42.3% of sales in Milan: the queen floor area of the city