Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bologna and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Bologna: $2,203 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $22,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Bologna
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Bologna Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Bologna

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,203

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bologna and in London

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bologna and in London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,203 per month in Bologna vs $4,086 in London, rent included.

Bologna $2,203
London $4,086

A couple spends around $3,399 per month in Bologna vs $5,816 in London, rent included.

Bologna $3,399
London $5,816

A family of three spends $4,595 per month in Bologna vs $7,546 in London, rent included.

Bologna $4,595
London $7,546

Bologna is about 46% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Bologna and London sit above the global median – Bologna by 64%, London by 205%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.43 €20.02

$26.62 £20.11

-15.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 €81.0

$108 £81.3

-15.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.73 €12.25

$10.39 £7.85

32.15%

Cappuccino

$2.20 €1.96

$5.79 £4.38

-62.00%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 €3.16

$3.01 £2.27

17.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.15 £1.63

-18.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.70 €5.97

$9.35 £7.06

-28.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 €4.96

$7.84 £5.93

-29.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.79 £1.35

-25.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 €2.78

$2.06 £1.56

50.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$2.31 £1.74

29.00%

Eggs

$3.90 €3.48

$5.05 £3.82

-22.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.73 €18.50

$12.57 £9.50

64.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.22 €10.90

$10.66 £8.05

14.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.84 €18.60

$17.13 £12.94

21.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 €2.13

$3.03 £2.29

-21.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.14

$1.41 £1.07

70.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$3.05 £2.31

-13.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 €3.00

$3.38 £2.56

-0.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.67 £1.26

14.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.73 £1.31

4.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.41 £1.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 €0.46

$1.79 £1.35

-71.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$23.22 £17.55

-70.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.94

$12.99 £9.82

-40.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 €1.71

$3.18 £2.40

-39.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 €2.54

$4.41 £3.33

-35.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 €2.28

$3.87 £2.93

-34.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.29 €38.63

$250 £189

-82.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 €4.08

$5.71 £4.31

-19.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 €1.53

$3.33 £2.51

-48.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.11 €28.66

$57.9 £43.76

-44.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.04 £1.54

6.86%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$37.0K €33.0K

$37.5K £28.4K

-1.38%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$36.6K €32.7K

$40.9K £30.9K

-10.50%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$245 €219

$376 £284

-34.85%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.42 €10.19

$17.88 £13.51

-36.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.85 €27.53

$40.01 £30.24

-22.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.4 €56.6

$61.2 £46.22

3.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.03 €24.12

$21.07 £15.93

28.29%

Cinema Ticket

$9.94 €8.87

$17.95 £13.57

-44.62%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$772 €689

$2,865 £2,165

-73.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K €14.3K

$35.3K £26.7K

-54.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.4 €81.5

$116 £87.7

-21.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.96 €41.90

$54.1 £40.87

-13.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 €109

$127 £95.7

-3.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$159 £120

-8.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,154 €1,030

$2,853 £2,156

-59.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$871 €777

$2,301 £1,739

-62.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,072 €1,849

$5,201 £3,931

-60.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 €1,398

$3,723 £2,813

-57.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,020 €4,480

$19.0K £14.4K

-73.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,647 €3,254

$7,881 £5,955

-53.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,174 €1,940

$4,818 £3,641

-54.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

4.65

-31.40%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bologna: October 6, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bologna

$871 40.2%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 164% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Bologna

$363 16.8%

London

$349 8.6% 3.9% $14

Eating Out

Bologna

$313 14.4%

London

$397 9.7% 26.8% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bologna

$287 13.3%

London

$434 10.7% 51.1% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Bologna

$183 8.4%

London

$205 5% 12.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Bologna

$83 3.8%

London

$97 2.4% 16.6% $14

Getting Around

Bologna

$67 3.1%

London

$288 7.1% 332% $221

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,154 in Bologna versus $2,853 in London. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 122% higher in London, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Bologna versus $108 in London. Groceries tell a different story – $363 in Bologna vs $349 in London – so London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Bologna

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

10:38 10:38 AM

09:38 9:38 AM

1 h behind Bologna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

386,663

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bologna London 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Bologna
London

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bologna vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London costs about 85% more than Bologna, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,304 per month in Bologna and $6,129 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bologna, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 478% less in Bologna. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $772 per month in Bologna and $2,865 in London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bologna, where all-in costs run around $2,203, than in London at $4,086. In Bologna it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bologna costs $2,203 versus $4,086 in London. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bologna. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.