Millennials are leaving the big cities

When talking about the future and uncertainty, public debate often focuses on Gen Z. But there’s another generation already living that future—with a bitter awareness: the Millennials. Born between 1981 and 1996, they are now in their 30s and 40s, the phase of life where, in theory, one builds their dreams. Yet many are now unravelling them. According to the Guardian, London is facing a form of reverse gentrification. The city is growing, but the 25–40 age group has dropped by 4%. Entire neighborhoods, once popular, have been redeveloped and turned into elite areas, driving up housing prices and pushing out the very young middle class that once lived there. According to a study by the Affordable Housing Commission, 13% of British adults under 45, despite being in stable relationships, have chosen to delay or give up on having children because of their housing situation. The trend is not just in the UK: in Italy too, Millennials are the silent protagonists of a reverse urban migration. Sky-high property prices, rising living costs, and declining quality of life are pushing them away from urban centers. According to Immobiliare.it, average prices hit €5,500 per square meter in Milan, €4,500 in Florence, €3,600 in Bologna, €3,500 in Rome, €2,500 in Turin. These crazy, seemingly unstoppable figures are redrawing the urban geography of our country.

Another factor driving Millennials out of cities is the growing urban sense of danger. In the 2024 Il Sole 24 Ore quality of life report, 2.34 million crimes were reported to law enforcement. Of these, 30% occurred in Italy’s 14 metropolitan cities. Milan and Rome alone accounted for 15%, with Milan topping the list for reported thefts, second for robberies, and third for sexual assaults. These figures carry weight, and between news, social media, and public perception, safety becomes a central factor in deciding where to settle down. There's another element to consider: quality of life. The pandemic marked a turning point—bringing cleaner air, no traffic, and enforced slowness—all of which left a mark on Millennials, who now envision a quieter future in smaller urban centers connected to the city but away from the chaos.

The Deloitte report 2025 Gen Z and Millennial Survey captures indirect signals of the younger generations' mass movements from cities to smaller towns. While it doesn’t contain specific data on abandoning major capitals, some numbers linked to university education show that although a traditional degree is still valued by most Millennials, nearly a third of respondents say they don’t want to continue their studies due to the high costs of relocating to a big city. This clearly reflects, between the lines, not only economic difficulties but also existential challenges in continuing to build a future in large urban centers. In short, Millennials seem to have lost the desire to compromise. Big cities, once engines of aspiration and opportunity, now appear as hostile environments where the investment required—financial, emotional, health-related, and time—is no longer justified by the quality of life offered. Millennials now face a generational contradiction: too old and independent to ask parents for help; too precarious to afford life in the city.