Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Bologna

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.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
Learn more

London Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Bologna
Learn more

Bologna Living Index

Jump to prices

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Bologna

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Bologna

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

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

London $4,086
Bologna $2,203

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

London $5,816
Bologna $3,399

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

London $7,546
Bologna $4,595

London costs about 85% more than Bologna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.11

$22.43 €20.02

18.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$90.7 €81.0

18.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.85

$13.73 €12.25

-24.33%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$2.20 €1.96

163.18%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$3.54 €3.16

-14.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$1.75 €1.56

22.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.06

$6.70 €5.97

39.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$5.56 €4.96

41.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.33 €1.19

34.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$3.11 €2.78

-33.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$2.98 €2.66

-22.48%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$3.90 €3.48

29.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$20.73 €18.50

-39.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$12.22 €10.90

-12.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.94

$20.84 €18.60

-17.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$2.38 €2.13

27.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$2.40 €2.14

-41.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$2.63 €2.35

15.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$3.36 €3.00

0.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.92 €1.72

-13.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$1.81 €1.61

-4.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.41 €1.26

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$0.51 €0.46

250.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$6.87 €6.13

237.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$7.78 €6.94

66.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.40

$1.92 €1.71

65.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.33

$2.84 €2.54

55.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$2.55 €2.28

51.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$43.29 €38.63

477.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$4.58 €4.08

24.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$1.72 €1.53

93.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.76

$32.11 €28.66

80.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$2.18 €1.94

-6.42%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$37.0K €33.0K

1.40%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$36.6K €32.7K

11.73%

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

$376 £284

$245 €219

53.49%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$11.42 €10.19

56.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.24

$30.85 €27.53

29.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.22

$63.4 €56.6

-3.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$27.03 €24.12

-22.05%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$9.94 €8.87

80.58%

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

$2,865 £2,165

$772 €689

271.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$16.0K €14.3K

120.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$91.4 €81.5

26.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.87

$46.96 €41.90

15.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$122 €109

3.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$146 €130

9.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,156

$1,154 €1,030

147.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,739

$871 €777

164.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,931

$2,072 €1,849

151.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,813

$1,566 €1,398

137.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$5,020 €4,480

278.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,955

$3,647 €3,254

116.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,641

$2,174 €1,940

121.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

3.19

45.77%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bologna: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Bologna

$871 40.2% 62.1% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Bologna

$287 13.3% 33.8% $147

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Bologna

$313 14.4% 21.2% $84

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Bologna

$363 16.8% 4% $14

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Bologna

$67 3.1% 76.8% $221

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Bologna

$183 8.4% 10.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Bologna

$83 3.8% 14.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $1,154 in Bologna. 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 $108 in London versus $91.0 in Bologna. Groceries tell a different story – $349 in London vs $363 in Bologna – so London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇮🇹 Bologna

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

13:29 1:29 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

386,663

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.847 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Bologna 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Bologna

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

London vs Bologna: 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 $6,129 per month in London and $3,304 in Bologna. 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 $2,865 per month in London and $772 in Bologna. 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.