by InTrieste
The story of a woman who works as a janitor in Milan and commutes every day from her native Naples has sparked a debate across Italy about the cost of living in our country.
Giuseppina Giuliano, 29, told Il Giorno newspaper that with her salary it makes more economic sense for her to make the roughly 1,600-km round trip each day than to rent a room in Milan.
The woman, who works as a ‘bidella‘ at a Milan high school, has been making the grueling commute for the past five months.
After a 04.00 start, she catches the 05.09 Italo train from Naples and returns home by midnight. In total she spends about nine hours a day on the train.
She starts work at 10.30, finishes at 17.00 and buys a quick dinner to eat on the 18.20 Frecciarossa train to Naples where she arrives – barring delays – at 22.53.
On starting her new job at the school in September, she said: “I tried to find somewhere to live that didn’t cost too much, considering that my monthly salary is €1,165.”
However she realised that in Milan it was “easier to find a needle in a haystack”, telling Il Giorno: “Even in the suburbs the rental prices are no joke, not to mention the cost of living which in the north is a lot more than in the south.”
She worked out that a rented room in Milan “costs an average of €650”, saying: “I know it seems mad but adding it all up I’ve come to the conclusion that commuting is economically better for me”.
She claims that by purchasing train tickets in advance and accumulating multiple travel points, her commute costs her an average of €400 a month.
“On balance I realised that, between rent, bills and groceries, I would have spent all my salary if I had moved to live in the north and most likely I would also have had to ask my family to help me financially.”
Instead by continuing to live in Naples – together with her parents, her grandmother and her dogs – she says she can put aside at least €200 a month in savings.
However she told Il Giorno that it isn’t a lifestyle she wishes to continue long-term, saying: “I’m used to it by this stage and for now it’s okay.”
