City comparison
Rome vs Bologna: which is better to live in?
Quick verdict
Bologna is the cheaper of the two — our estimate for a single person is about €150 a month less than Rome, mostly because of rent. Rome has the milder winter (about 13°C vs 8°C average highs in Dec–Feb). Both are in Italy, so the visa rules, taxes and healthcare system are the same — the choice comes down to cost, climate and lifestyle.
Choose Rome for
- Flights home
- Expat community
- Sunny, warm climate
- Beach life
Choose Bologna for
- Safety
- Walkability
- Mountains nearby
- Family life
- Lower living costs
Rome vs Bologna at a glance
| Rome | Bologna | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Italy | Italy |
| Single budget / month | €2,100 | €1,950 |
| Couple budget / month | €3,200 | €3,000 |
| 1-bed rent, center | €1,300 | €1,000 |
| Winter highs (Dec–Feb) | 13°C / 55°F | 8°C / 47°F |
| Summer highs (Jun–Aug) | 30°C / 86°F | 30°C / 87°F |
| Sunshine (hours/yr) | 2,724 | — |
| City size | Capital / metropolis | Mid-size city |
| Coastal | No | No |
| Direct flights to the US | Yes | No |
| Affordability | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Sunny, warm climate | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| English-friendliness | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Safety | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Walkability | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Public transport | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Nature & green space | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Beach life | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Mountains nearby | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Culture | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Nightlife | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Family life | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Remote-work scene | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Expat community | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Flights home | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Calm, slower pace | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
Cost of living: Rome or Bologna?
By our estimates, a comfortable mid-range life costs about €2,100 a month for one person in Rome and €1,950 in Bologna, rent included. For a couple it’s €3,200 vs €3,000, and for a family of four €4,600 vs €4,100.
Rent drives most of the gap: a one-bedroom in the center runs about €1,300 in Rome against €1,000 in Bologna, while a monthly transit pass costs €35 vs —. Want to plug in your own lifestyle? Use the cost of living calculator.
Climate and weather
Winters average highs of about 13°C (55°F) in Rome and 8°C (47°F) in Bologna. In summer it’s roughly 30°C vs 30°C.
2,724 hours of sunshine a year · 752 mm of rain a year · Source: Ciampino station, 1991-2020 normals via NOAA, as tabulated on Wikipedia (Rome). Ciampino is an airport station south-east of the center, so nights run cooler than in the historic center.
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12°C / 54°F | 3°C / 38°F |
| Feb | 13°C / 55°F | 3°C / 38°F |
| Mar | 16°C / 60°F | 6°C / 43°F |
| Apr | 19°C / 66°F | 9°C / 47°F |
| May | 22°C / 72°F | 13°C / 55°F |
| Jun | 28°C / 83°F | 17°C / 62°F |
| Jul | 31°C / 88°F | 19°C / 67°F |
| Aug | 32°C / 89°F | 20°C / 68°F |
| Sep | 27°C / 80°F | 16°C / 61°F |
| Oct | 22°C / 72°F | 12°C / 54°F |
| Nov | 17°C / 62°F | 9°C / 47°F |
| Dec | 13°C / 55°F | 5°C / 40°F |
668 mm of rain a year · Source: Bologna Borgo Panigale station, 1991-2020 normals as tabulated on Wikipedia (Bologna), citing local meteorological observatories. Annual sunshine is only given for 1961-1990 (about 2,041 hours), so it is left null.
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7°C / 45°F | -1°C / 31°F |
| Feb | 10°C / 50°F | 0°C / 33°F |
| Mar | 15°C / 59°F | 4°C / 39°F |
| Apr | 19°C / 66°F | 8°C / 46°F |
| May | 24°C / 75°F | 13°C / 55°F |
| Jun | 29°C / 83°F | 17°C / 62°F |
| Jul | 31°C / 89°F | 19°C / 66°F |
| Aug | 31°C / 88°F | 19°C / 66°F |
| Sep | 26°C / 78°F | 15°C / 58°F |
| Oct | 19°C / 67°F | 11°C / 51°F |
| Nov | 13°C / 55°F | 5°C / 42°F |
| Dec | 8°C / 46°F | 1°C / 33°F |
Daily life
Rome is a capital / metropolis; Bologna is a mid-size city. Rome is the Italian city with the biggest expat community and the most direct flights home, and it is heavy on history and light on efficiency. Expect a one-bed in the center to run about €1,300 a month, a comfortable single budget of about €2,100, and plenty of bureaucracy. Best for people who want big-city Italy more than ease. Bologna is a food-obsessed university city with Italy's best rail position: Florence in about 40 minutes and Milan in about an hour. Rents are lower than Rome, Milan or Florence (the citywide average is about €16.50 per m² per month), and a comfortable single budget is about €1,950. It suits families, students and remote workers who want a real city without the tourist crush.
Living in Rome: the upsides and downsides
- Largest international community in Italy and many English-friendly services
- Direct flights to the US and Canada from Fiumicino
- World-class museums, food and neighborhood markets at every turn
- Downside: Rome's hot August, plus crowds year-round in the center
- Downside: Patchy public transit with only three metro lines
Living in Bologna: the upsides and downsides
- One of the most livable mid-size cities in Italy, with a huge student population
- Excellent food and a calm, human-scale center with miles of porticoes
- Central rail hub with fast trains to Florence, Milan, Venice and Rome
- Downside: No direct North America flights; you connect elsewhere
- Downside: Humid summers and cold, foggy winters
Visas and residency
Both cities are in Italy, so you’d use the same residence routes either way:
- Italian Citizenship by Descent (Jure Sanguinis) — Citizenship by descent, changing
- Italy Digital Nomad Visa (Remote Worker Visa) — Digital nomad visa, open, €2,125/mo income
- Italy Elective Residency Visa — Retirement visa, open, €2,583/mo income
- Italy Investor Visa (Golden Visa) — Golden visa, open, €250,000 investment
Read the full guides: living in Rome and living in Bologna.
Related comparisons
Costs are our estimates for a comfortable mid-range lifestyle; scores are editorial, relative to the 40 cities we cover. Methodology.