Cost of Living: Bologna vs Madrid (2026)

Italy vs Spain — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Bologna

Madrid

$1,130/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$1,498/mo

−$10k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

$9k/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

Beckham Law (Régimen Especial), Startups Law — Entrepreneur & Remote-Worker Route into Beckham (Limited)

Freelance setup

Regime Forfettario

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

WiseStripe

Autónomo

No VAT exemption
€1800/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated May 2026

TL;DRBologna is 25% cheaper on rent ($1,130/mo vs $1,498/mo). English is much more widely spoken in Madrid. Both cities treat summer as an endurance sport.

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

How the livability score breaks down

Bologna

Madrid

18/25

💰 Affordability

14.4/25

14.4/15

🔒 Violent Crime

14.4/15

5.1/10

🛡️ Perceived Safety

7.1/10

5.3/15

⚡ Internet

7.1/15

11.4/15

🗳️ Democracy

12.2/15

5.4/10

🗣️ English

6.3/10

7.2/10

☀️ Climate

6.8/10

9/10

📊 Stability

7.2/10

8.8/10

🚗 Road Safety

9.7/10

7.4/10

🕊️ Geopolitical Safety

7.7/10

Verdict delivered. Your move.

Heads

🇪🇸 Madrid

Full profile, in case the coin says so.

Tails

🇮🇹 Bologna

Full profile, in case it says otherwise.

Plot twist

Barcelona vs Madrid

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Bologna

Metric

Madrid

$724/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$627/mo✓

✓$6,884

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$7,448

80 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

87 / 100✓

✓0.6 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

0.6 / 100k

5.0 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

3.5 / 100k✓

51 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

71 / 100✓

88°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

88°F

36°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

34°F

—

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

94 Mbps

15 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

9.1 μg/m³✓

85 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

86 / 100

7.6 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

8.1 / 10✓

6.5 / 9

🤝

Migrant acceptance

higher is better

7.4 / 9✓

25 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

76 / 100✓

29/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

38/100✓

✓$62k

💼

GDP per capita (PPP)

higher is better

$58k

✓1.0% · Practically frozen

📈

Inflation

lower is better

2.8% · Boringly steady

—

⚡

Grid reliability

higher is better

70/100 — Mostly stable

87/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

90/100

A median Software Engineer in Bologna takes home $2,253/mo under Standard employee. In Madrid: $4,068/mo under Standard employee.

$1,815/mo more in Madrid

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

🎯 Madrid's Beckham Law (Régimen Especial) isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $4,280/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

$73k

−$12k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$20k

−$4k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$4k

$27k/yr

$2k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$49k/yr✓

$4k/mo

−$37k

🏠

Cost of living

−$40k

−$10k/yr

🐖

Annual savings

$9k/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

$368/mo cheaper on rent alone

🗳️

Democracy

Madrid

8.1/10 EIU index

🗣️

English

Madrid

higher proficiency score

Sun

How much sky you actually get

50% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

62% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

8.9h

Shortest day

Dec

9.3h

15.5h

Longest day

Jun

15.1h

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

financeconsultingtechmedia

—

Startup ecosystem

hub

Moderate

🇺🇸 Your visa

Moderate

Easy

EU visa

Easy

Complex

RU visa

Complex

Easy

UA visa

Moderate

—

Spouse works

✅ Partner can work immediately

Not recognized

unione civile / convivenza di fatto (no immigration rights)

Partner pathway

Conditional (1+ yr)

pareja de hecho

—

Retiree visa

€2,400/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

14 wk

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

On request up to 14 weeks. 2023 reform removed mandatory waiting period.

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 Madrid — Common Questions

Is Bologna cheaper than Madrid?▾

Bologna is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $1130/month there vs $1498/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Bologna or Madrid?▾

Bologna is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Bologna has a rate of 0.57 per 100,000 and Madrid has 0.61 per 100,000.

Should I move to Bologna or Madrid?▾

Bologna and Madrid 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 Madrid?▾

Bologna: no specific remote work visa. Madrid: Spain Digital Nomad Visa (moderate requirements, 1 year (renewable to 5)). See each city's profile page for full requirements.

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

Madrid is easier for street-level English (38/100) 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 Madrid?▾

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $1130/month in Bologna, $1498/month in Madrid (Numbeo). That's 25% cheaper rent in Bologna.

Is Bologna or Madrid better for democracy and rule of law?▾

Madrid scores 8.1/10 on the EIU Democracy Index vs 7.6/10 for Bologna. That puts it in 'full democracy' territory — free press, independent courts, the works.