Cost of Living: Bologna vs Porto (2026)

Italy vs Portugal — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Bologna

Porto

$1,130/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$1,297/mo

−$10k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

$3k/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

IFICI (NHR 2.0) (Limited)

Freelance setup

Regime Forfettario

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

WiseStripe

Trabalhador Independente

VAT-free under €15k
21.4% social
€900/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated May 2026

TL;DRBologna is 13% cheaper on rent ($1,130/mo vs $1,297/mo). Bologna summers average 88°F vs 73°F. Both are solid options for settling down — the spreadsheet won't save you from this one.

Porto scores 82 to Bologna's 71 on livability — the gap is real. Bologna has its charms, but the numbers favor Porto.

How the livability score breaks down

Bologna

Porto

18/25

💰 Affordability

16.4/25

14.4/15

🔒 Violent Crime

14.3/15

5.1/10

🛡️ Perceived Safety

6.6/10

5.3/15

⚡ Internet

15/15

11.4/15

🗳️ Democracy

12.1/15

5.4/10

🗣️ English

8.7/10

7.2/10

☀️ Climate

9.2/10

9/10

📊 Stability

7.6/10

8.8/10

🚗 Road Safety

7.5/10

7.4/10

🕊️ Geopolitical Safety

8.5/10

Verdict delivered. Your move.

The winner's file

🇵🇹 Porto

Full profile. Verify before you pack.

Due diligence

🇮🇹 Bologna

Every verdict deserves an appeal.

Plot twist

Lisbon vs Porto

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Bologna

Metric

Porto

$724/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$503/mo✓

$6,884

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$6,049✓

80 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

83 / 100

✓0.6 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

0.7 / 100k

✓5.0 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

7.2 / 100k

51 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

66 / 100✓

88°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

73°F

36°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

43°F

—

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

226 Mbps

15 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

11.8 μg/m³✓

85 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

83 / 100

7.6 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

8.1 / 10✓

6.5 / 9

🤝

Migrant acceptance

higher is better

6.7 / 9

25 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

67 / 100✓

29/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

72/100✓

✓$62k

💼

GDP per capita (PPP)

higher is better

$52k

✓1.0% · Practically frozen

📈

Inflation

lower is better

2.4% · Boringly steady

—

⚡

Grid reliability

higher is better

78/100 — Mostly stable

87/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

96/100✓

A median Software Engineer in Bologna takes home $2,253/mo under Standard employee. In Porto: $3,150/mo under Standard employee.

$897/mo more in Porto

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

🎯 Porto's IFICI (NHR 2.0) isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $3,691/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

$64k

−$12k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$19k

−$4k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$7k

$27k/yr

$2k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$38k/yr✓

$3k/mo

−$37k

🏠

Cost of living

−$34k

−$10k/yr

🐖

Annual savings

$3k/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

$167/mo cheaper on rent alone

🗳️

Democracy

Porto

8.1/10 EIU index

☀️

Weather

—

88°F vs 73°F summers

🗣️

English

Porto

higher proficiency score

Sun

How much sky you actually get

50% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

58% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

8.9h

Shortest day

Dec

9.2h

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

fintechsoftware-ithealthtechlogistics-tech

—

Startup ecosystem

active

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

Recognized (2+ yr)

união de facto

—

Retiree visa

€920/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

10 wk

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

On request up to 10 weeks since 2007 referendum. Mandatory 3-day reflection 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 Porto — Common Questions

Is Bologna cheaper than Porto?▾

Bologna is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $1130/month there vs $1297/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Bologna or Porto?▾

Bologna is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Bologna has a rate of 0.57 per 100,000 and Porto has 0.69 per 100,000.

Should I move to Bologna or Porto?▾

Porto scores 82 to Bologna's 71 on livability — the gap is real. Bologna has its charms, but the numbers favor Porto. 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 Porto?▾

Bologna: no specific remote work visa. Porto: Portugal Digital Nomad Visa (moderate requirements, 2 years (renewable for 3-year periods)). See each city's profile page for full requirements.

Which has better weather, Bologna or Porto?▾

Bologna is warmer in summer (88°F vs 73°F). Porto has milder summers, which suits those who prefer cooler weather. Climate preference is personal — use the weather section above to compare seasons.

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

Porto is easier for street-level English (72/100) 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 Porto?▾

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $1130/month in Bologna, $1297/month in Porto (Numbeo). That's 13% cheaper rent in Bologna.

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

Porto 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.