Cost of Living: Bologna vs Florence (2026)

Italy vs Italy — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Bologna

Florence

$1,130/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$1,316/mo

−$10k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

−$12k/yr

5 yr

PR path

5 yr

Impatriati Regime, Regime Forfettario, New Residents Flat Tax, 7% Retiree Flat Tax

Tax breaks

Open incentive regimes for newcomers

Impatriati Regime, Regime Forfettario, New Residents Flat Tax, 7% Retiree Flat Tax

Freelance setup

Regime Forfettario

VAT-free under €85k
26% social
€1000/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Regime Forfettario

VAT-free under €85k
26% social
€1000/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated May 2026

TL;DRBologna is 14% cheaper on rent ($1,130/mo vs $1,316/mo). Both are solid options for settling down — the spreadsheet won't save you from this one.

Bologna and Florence are almost suspiciously well-matched. Flip a coin.

How the livability score breaks down

Bologna

Florence

18/25

💰 Affordability

16.2/25

14.4/15

🔒 Violent Crime

14.5/15

5.1/10

🛡️ Perceived Safety

5.8/10

5.3/15

⚡ Internet

3.5/15

11.4/15

🗳️ Democracy

11.4/15

5.4/10

🗣️ English

5.4/10

7.2/10

☀️ Climate

7.5/10

9/10

📊 Stability

9/10

8.8/10

🚗 Road Safety

8.8/10

7.4/10

🕊️ Geopolitical Safety

7.4/10

Verdict delivered. Your move.

Heads

🇮🇹 Bologna

Full profile, in case the coin says so.

Tails

🇮🇹 Florence

Full profile, in case it says otherwise.

Plot twist

Milan vs Florence

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Bologna

Metric

Florence

$724/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$712/mo

✓$6,884

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$7,759

80 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

81 / 100

0.6 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

0.5 / 100k

5.0 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

5.0 / 100k

51 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

58 / 100✓

88°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

86°F

36°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

37°F

—

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

46 Mbps

15 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

10.9 μg/m³✓

85 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

83 / 100

7.6 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

7.6 / 10

6.5 / 9

🤝

Migrant acceptance

higher is better

6.5 / 9

25 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

25 / 100

29/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

29/100

$62k

💼

GDP per capita (PPP)

higher is better

$62k

1.0% · Practically frozen

📈

Inflation

lower is better

1.0% · Practically frozen

—

⚡

Grid reliability

higher is better

89/100 — Mostly stable

87/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

87/100

A median Software Engineer in Bologna takes home $2,253/mo under Standard employee. In Florence: $2,342/mo under Standard employee.

$89/mo more in Florence

🎯 Bologna's Impatriati Regime isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $2,825/mo instead.

🎯 Florence's Impatriati Regime isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $2,950/mo instead.

Each city pays its own median — Software Engineer gross via Levels.fyi / Eurostat. Moving changes your salary too; that's the point.

$43k

💰

Gross income

$45k

−$12k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$13k

−$4k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$4k

$27k/yr

$2k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$28k/yr✓

$2k/mo

−$37k

🏠

Cost of living

−$40k

✓−$10k/yr

🐖

Annual savings

−$12k/yr

Swap the local medians for your actual number

Sources: Numbeo · UNODC · Ookla · WHO · EIU · Gallup · World Bank · Freedom House · Updated May 2026

💰

Cost of Living

Bologna

$186/mo cheaper on rent alone

Sun

How much sky you actually get

50% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

55% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

8.9h

Shortest day

Dec

8.9h

15.5h

Longest day

Jun

15.5h

Sun clocks out before 5pm in both cities come December. Plan accordingly.

Source: WeatherSpark (clear-sky share of daytime hours)

Settler Essentials

Democracy trend

stable →

Inflation trend

improving ↑

—

Industries

fashion-leathertourismfood-winefintech

—

Startup ecosystem

nascent

Moderate

🇺🇸 Your visa

Moderate

Easy

EU visa

Easy

Complex

RU visa

Complex

Easy

UA visa

Easy

—

Spouse works

✅ Partner can work immediately

Not recognized

unione civile / convivenza di fatto (no immigration rights)

Partner pathway

Not recognized

unione civile / convivenza di fatto (no immigration rights)

—

Retiree visa

€2,583/mo

Visa stamps:Easy <90 daysModerate 3–6 moComplex 6+ mo

Sources: EIU · Freedom House · Startup Genome · official immigration portals

Reproductive Rights

Because your body shouldn't need a visa too

On request

Abortion access

On request

12 wk

Gestational limit

12 wk

On request up to 90 days. 7-day waiting period. High rates of conscientious objection limit practical access.

Source: Center for Reproductive Rights

LGBTQ+ Rights

Can you hold hands without doing a risk assessment first

Civil union

Marriage

Civil union

Step-child only

Adoption

Step-child only

Yes

Job protection

Yes

Hate crime law

Bologna vs Florence — Common Questions

Is Bologna cheaper than Florence?▾

Bologna is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $1130/month there vs $1316/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Bologna or Florence?▾

Florence is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Bologna has a rate of 0.57 per 100,000 and Florence has 0.55 per 100,000.

Should I move to Bologna or Florence?▾

Bologna and Florence are almost suspiciously well-matched. Flip a coin. See the full comparison above for rent, safety, internet speed, climate, and democracy scores to decide which city fits your priorities.

Is it easier to get residency in Bologna or Florence?▾

Bologna: no specific remote work visa. Florence: Italy Digital Nomad Visa (moderate requirements, 1 year (renewable)). See each city's profile page for full requirements.

What's the cost of rent in Bologna vs Florence?▾

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $1130/month in Bologna, $1316/month in Florence (Numbeo). That's 14% cheaper rent in Bologna.