Bologna Cost of Living vs Salary

Urban Stress Index: 60.32

Is Bologna an affordable place to live? A typical resident spends around 38.3% of income on rent and 22.1% on food. That leaves approximately 39.7% of income available for savings and daily expenses.

The Urban Stress Index (USI) provides a structured way to evaluate cost-of-living pressure in Bologna. By combining housing and essential food costs, it highlights how much income is required to maintain a basic standard of living relative to local wages.

Cost Breakdown

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Cost Structure Analysis

Bologna records a USI of around 60, placing it at the boundary between high and severe burden. In absolute terms, Bologna is not an expensive city by European standards. Rent accounts for around 38% of income, while food adds approximately 22%, leaving a relatively balanced remaining income compared with other Italian cities.

The food component may be partially influenced by the use of restaurant prices as a proxy. Bologna is a well-known food and tourism destination, and restaurant pricing can be elevated relative to everyday consumption. As a result, the measured food share may slightly overstate the actual burden for residents.

The city benefits from a strong regional economy, driven by education, manufacturing, and services. Compared with Milan, Bologna has lower housing costs but also slightly lower income levels. Compared with Turin, Bologna shows higher pressure due to a higher share of income spent on rent.

Within Italy, Bologna represents a relatively balanced northern city where income and cost levels are more aligned. Overall, it remains a more stable case compared with southern cities such as Naples.

Methodology

The Urban Stress Index (USI) measures how much of a typical income is spent on housing and essential food.

USI = Housing burden + Food cost share.

See full methodology here.

Sources

Income, rental, and food cost data for Italy are compiled from national statistics, rental market data, and consumer price datasets.

• Income data: ISTAT (Italian National Institute of Statistics) – Average annual earnings by province (2023). Annual earnings are converted to monthly income and adjusted to 2025 levels using inflation data.
• Rental data: City-level rent estimates are based on aggregated rental listings for 1-bedroom apartments in city centre locations.
• Food cost estimates: Based on Numbeo data for an inexpensive meal, used as a proxy for essential food expenditure.

In major tourist cities, restaurant-based price proxies may slightly overestimate actual food costs for residents, as dining prices can reflect tourism demand rather than everyday consumption patterns.

For full methodology and assumptions, see Methodology.

See Related Cities & Comparisons

Other cities in Italy:

• Compare with Milan (USI: 68.0)
• Compare with Turin (USI: 49.1)
• Compare with Rome (USI: 73.3)
• Compare with Naples (USI: 88.4)

Cities with similar affordability outside Italy:

• Compare with Amsterdam, Netherlands (USI: 60.3)
• Compare with Montreal, Canada (USI: 59.8)
• Compare with London, United Kingdom (USI: 58.5)
• Compare with Kosice, Slovakia (USI: 62.8)