TL;DRBologna is 19% cheaper on rent ($1,130/mo vs $1,395/mo). Italy gets you to permanent residency 5 years faster (5 vs 10 years). Both cities treat summer as an endurance sport.

Bologna scores 71 to Kansas City's 53 on livability — the gap is real. Kansas City has its charms, but the numbers favor Bologna.

How the livability score breaks down

Bologna

Kansas City

18/25

💰 Affordability

15.4/25

14.4/15

🔒 Violent Crime

0/15

5.1/10

🛡️ Perceived Safety

4.1/10

5.3/15

⚡ Internet

5.3/15

11.4/15

🗳️ Democracy

11.8/15

5.4/10

🗣️ English

10/10

7.2/10

☀️ Climate

7.2/10

9/10

📊 Stability

7.1/10

8.8/10

🚗 Road Safety

4.3/10

7.4/10

🕊️ Geopolitical Safety

4.2/10

Verdict delivered. Your move.

The winner's file

🇮🇹 Bologna

Full profile. Verify before you pack.

Due diligence

🇺🇸 Kansas City

Every verdict deserves an appeal.

Plot twist

Milan vs Bologna

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Bologna

Metric

Kansas City

✓$724/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$805/mo

$6,884

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

—

✓80 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

35 / 100

✓0.6 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

27.6 / 100k

5.0 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

—

✓51 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

41 / 100

88°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

88°F

36°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

25°F

15 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

—

85 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

—

7.6 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

7.8 / 10

6.5 / 9

🤝

Migrant acceptance

higher is better

8.0 / 9✓

25 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

67 / 100✓

29/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

100/100✓

$62k

💼

GDP per capita (PPP)

higher is better

$86k✓

✓1.0% · Practically frozen

📈

Inflation

lower is better

2.9% · Boringly steady

✓87/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

80/100

See exactly what you keep after taxes in each city

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

💰

Cost of Living

Bologna

$265/mo cheaper on rent alone

🔒

Safety

Bologna

0.6 homicides per 100k

📋

Residency

Bologna

PR in 5 years

Sun

How much sky you actually get

50% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

49% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

8.9h

Shortest day

Dec

9.5h

15.5h

Longest day

Jun

14.9h

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

—

Moderate

🇺🇸 Your visa

Easy

EU visa

Moderate

Complex

RU visa

Suspended

Easy

UA visa

Moderate

Not recognized

unione civile / convivenza di fatto (no immigration rights)

Partner pathway

Not recognized

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

24 wk

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

Volatile: Amendment 3 (Nov 2024) created a constitutional right; the trigger ban was blocked, briefly reinstated, then struck down again 18 Jun 2026, restoring access to viability. A Nov 2026 ballot measure to re-ban is pending — recheck before relying on this long-term.

Source: Center for Reproductive Rights

LGBTQ+ Rights

Can you hold hands without doing a risk assessment first

Civil union

Marriage

Legal

Step-child only

Adoption

Joint adoption

Yes

Job protection

Yes

Hate crime law

Yes

Bologna vs Kansas City — Common Questions

Is Bologna cheaper than Kansas City?▾

Bologna is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $1130/month there vs $1395/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Bologna or Kansas City?▾

Bologna is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Bologna has a rate of 0.57 per 100,000 and Kansas City has 27.60 per 100,000.

Should I move to Bologna or Kansas City?▾

Bologna scores 71 to Kansas City's 53 on livability — the gap is real. Kansas City has its charms, but the numbers favor Bologna. See the full comparison above for rent, safety, internet speed, climate, and democracy scores to decide which city fits your priorities.

Can I live in Bologna or Kansas City without speaking the local language?▾

Kansas City is easier for street-level English (100/100) than Bologna (29/100). That's the score that matters for doctors, landlords, and bureaucracy. Office English can still run higher than street English in both cities.

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

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $1130/month in Bologna, $1395/month in Kansas City (Numbeo). That's 19% cheaper rent in Bologna.