Milan is perhaps the last city you'd expect where you can shop on a budget. This is the Italian fashion capital, after all, home to luxury labels like Prada, Versace, Gucci, and more. It almost seems impossible that you could ever spend just a little time in this famously glamorous city, but it is possible! Milan has many outlet stores, vintage shops, flea markets, and more, where you can get a lot for less. The Highline Outlet is always popular, especially since it's one of the city's best designer outlet stores. Il Salvagente, on the other hand, specializes in discounted designer goods that are always high-quality. Who wouldn't want to shop in such hotspots?
Franciacorta Outlet Village
Though it's a bit way's away from
Milan's central neighborhoods, it's still worth the effort to go to Franciacorta Outlet Village to shop. True to its name, it's an entire village of designer outlet stores, all offering some of the best deals and discounts on the most famous brands. It's easy to get overwhelmed with all the luxury in Milan, and if you're not part of the 1%, you probably think that you could never afford any of it. Well, Franciacorta Outlet Village is here to tell you that you can!
Address: Piazza Cascina Moie, 1/2, 25050 Rodengo Saiano BS, Italy
The Highline Outlet
The Highline Outlet is undoubtedly one of
Milan's best designer outlet stores. Located on Corso Vittorio Emanuele, this is where you'll want to shop on a budget! For one thing, the store layout is so simple and organized that it's easy to navigate. There's no fancy structure and very few distracting displays to pull you from the groove of shopping. Once you start going through one rack, you'll go through dozens more and get the most amazing finds. Naturally, the best part is that many of the pieces are sold at only a fraction of the cost!
Address: Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 30, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Diffusione Tessile
Admittedly, the clothes in Diffusione Tessile are not designer. Nevertheless, they're amazing pieces that are arguably as good as any of the popular high street brands or sub-line designer labels. The prices here are also fairly low, so much so that it almost feels you're ripping the store off when you shop there. While a high-quality jeans will typically cost you more than €100.00 in any of Milan's popular malls and stores, you can get a pair here that are only about €50.00 to €60.00. How's that for budget shopping?
Address: The Central Tower, Largo Corsia dei Servi, 15N03, 20122 Milano MI, Italy
Corso Buenos Aries
Truth be told, any high street brand will look like a godsend when you've been bombarded by some of the most famous luxury labels 24/7. When you
move to Milan, you'll see the names “Versace” and “Gucci” probably more times than your own name. And if you can't afford them, it'll undoubtedly sting! Fortunately, you can always go to Corso Buenos Aries to do your shopping! Lined with famous stores like Zara and H&M, the place is the main go-to for fashionistas on a budget. They may not be the most prominent labels, but they still offer quality, trendy pieces with reasonable prices.
Il Salvagente
Il Salvagente is another great outlet store you shouldn't miss as a budget shopper in Milan. While it's not exactly as properly laid out as some of the other shops on this list, it still offers amazing pieces at low prices. It's especially great for finding basics and staples. Instead of paying a thousand Euros for a white shirt at Prada, you can get a nice, equally crisp piece here for less than €100.00. That's how different the prices are here compared to the rest of Milan, which is known, practically notorious, for its high-end retail scene.
Address: Via Fratelli Bronzetti, 16, 20129 Milano MI, Italy
Fiera di Sinigaglia
When it comes to budget shopping in Milan—or any other European city, for that matter—flea markets are always the way to go. Not only will you find the lowest prices possible in many of them, but they're always great for getting rare finds! Take Fiera di Sinigaglia, for example, which is near Ripa di Porta Ticinese. The graffiti art and grittier vibes of the surrounding area might intimidate you at first glance, but this is one of the best places to shop till you drop on a budget. The clothes sold here are always so chic and vintage, perfect for those who want to develop their own sense of style.
Address: Ripa di Porta Ticinese, 20143 Milano MI, Italy
Mercato Papiniano
Though Mercato Papiniano only opens every Saturday morning, it's still worth going there to shop. For one thing, it often has the lowest prices you'll ever see in Milan. It's mostly because the clothes and accessories here are secondhand, but rest assured that they're still high-quality! Truth be told, an outfit bought here will look just as clean and crips as any purchased in the famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. You'll just have to go there early and look around to get them! Mercato Papiniano is a popular flea market in Milan, so it tends to get crowded when it opens.
Address: Piazza Sant'Agostino, 1, 20123 Milano MI, Italy
Cormano Flea Market
Here's another one that's outside of Milan's city center: the Cormano Flea Market. Located in Cormano, one of Milan's suburbs, it's a fabulous flea market filled with antiques, vintage toys, and, of course, secondhand clothes. Don't forget that these are clothes bought and worn by many Milanese and Lombardian locals, some of which were sold decades or even a century ago. To say that the Cormano Flea Market boasts some of the rarest finds in the world is an understatement. Here, many clothes feature labels that aren't around anymore and/or styles that you haven't seen in a while. What's not to love?
Address: Via Europa, 20032 Cormano MI, Italy
Did you know that you can shop in Milan on a budget? Despite its reputation as the Italian fashion capital, there are surprisingly many spots in the city where you can shop for quality clothes without breaking the bank!
