Townleap

Cost of Living: Bologna vs Seville (2026)

Italy vs Spain — relocation comparison

Your passport:
Bologna
Seville
$1,130/mo
Rent

1BR centre

$980/mo
−$10k/yr
Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

$11k/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;DRSeville is 13% cheaper on rent ($980/mo vs $1,130/mo). English is much more widely spoken in Seville. Both cities treat summer as an endurance sport.
Bologna and Seville are almost suspiciously well-matched. Flip a coin.
How the livability score breaks down
Bologna
Seville
18/25
💰 Affordability
19.4/25
14.4/15
🔒 Violent Crime
14.4/15
5.1/10
🛡️ Perceived Safety
6.3/10
5.3/15
Internet
5.3/15
11.4/15
🗳️ Democracy
12.2/15
5.4/10
🗣️ English
6.3/10
7.2/10
☀️ Climate
5.5/10
9/10
📊 Stability
7.2/10
8.8/10
🚗 Road Safety
9.7/10
7.4/10
🕊️ Geopolitical Safety
7.7/10
Household
Bologna
Metric
Seville
$724/mo
🛒
Living costs (no rent)
lower is better
$491/mo
$6,884
🧳
Cost to land
lower is better
$4,952
80 / 100
🛡️
Settler safety
higher is better
85 / 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
63 / 100
88°F
☀️
Summer high
personal taste
93°F
36°F
❄️
Winter low
personal taste
45°F
15 μg/m³
🌬️
Air quality (PM2.5)
lower is better
9.4 μg/m³
85 / 100
🏥
Healthcare
higher is better
88 / 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
87/100
🗽
Freedom House
higher is better
90/100
A median Software Engineer in Bologna takes home $2,253/mo under Standard employee. In Seville: $3,336/mo under Standard employee.
$1,082/mo more in Seville
🎯 Bologna's Impatriati Regime isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $2,825/mo instead.
🎯 Seville's Beckham Law (Régimen Especial) isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $3,470/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
$60k
−$12k
🏛️
Income tax
Standard employee
−$16k
−$4k
🛡️
Social contributions
−$4k
$27k/yr
$2k/mo
💵
Take-home pay
$40k/yr
$3k/mo
−$37k
🏠
Cost of living
−$30k
−$10k/yr
🐖
Annual savings
$11k/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
Seville
$150/mo cheaper on rent alone
🗳️
Democracy
Seville
8.1/10 EIU index
☀️
Weather
88°F vs 93°F summers
🗣️
English
Seville
higher proficiency score

Sun

How much sky you actually get

50% clear
Win
Spr
Sum
Fall
Sky clear
avg daytime
67% clear
Win
Spr
Sum
Fall
8.9h
Shortest day
Dec
9.6h
15.5h
Longest day
Jun
14.7h

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
stable
Inflation trend
improving
Moderate
🇺🇸 Your visa
Moderate
Easy
EU visa
Easy
Complex
RU visa
Complex
Easy
UA visa
Moderate
Not recognized
unione civile / convivenza di fatto (no immigration rights)
Partner pathway
Conditional (1+ yr)
pareja de hecho

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
No
Hate crime law
Yes

Bologna vs Seville — Common Questions

Is Bologna cheaper than Seville?

Seville is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $980/month there vs $1130/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Bologna or Seville?

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

Should I move to Bologna or Seville?

Bologna and Seville 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.

Which has better weather, Bologna or Seville?

Seville is warmer in summer (93°F vs 88°F). Bologna 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 Seville without speaking the local language?

Seville 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 Seville?

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $980/month in Seville, $1130/month in Bologna (Numbeo). That's 13% cheaper rent in Seville.

Is Bologna or Seville better for democracy and rule of law?

Seville 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.

Plot twist: other matchups exist

Maybe the real city was the comparisons we made along the way.

Let the algorithm judge you

2 min quiz — surprisingly accurate

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