Cost of living in Bologna has risen 30% in five years, with rent and utility bills skyrocketing.

Bologna, August 17, 2025 – Rent and utility bills are the biggest burden, while inflation is soaring and the grocery cart is becoming increasingly expensive (and smaller). The mayor also stated this. Matteo Lepore, before launching the idea of a "social shield" for the middle class, probably the hardest hit: "Italian cities are increasingly expensive, and wages continue to fail to keep pace with rising costs of living." But how has household spending actually increased? Which item has the greatest impact?

First, just look at inflation: in Bologna in 2020, the consumer price index (NIC) was stable at -0.5 (-0.2 the Italian average), then increased to +2.1 in 2021 (1.9 in Italy) and even shot up to +9 in 2022 (8.1 the national figure) with the boom in energy and raw material costs , settling back around +5.6 in 2023 and +1.2 in 2024 (5.7 and +1 respectively the national values). In short, an average that over the last five years has shown a +3.48 which certainly affects household budgets.

Then there are five figures that help us understand how middle-class spending has changed on a daily basis. Consider that, in 2019, a Bolognese citizen spent €1.50 for a single ticket and €36 for a monthly pass on local public transportation , while in 2025, they'll spend €2.30 for a single ticket and €39 for a pass (up 53.33% and 8.3%, respectively).

Or paid parking in the "blue lines": the hourly rate was €1.20 for the semi-peripheral ring road in 2019 and rose to €1.80 in the same zone in 2025, while the monthly pass increased from €40 to €60, also in the semi-peripheral ring road (+50% in both cases). And again: regarding the cost of school meals – which varies based on ISEE (Equivalent Economic Situation Indicator), for those with a gross annual income of €30,000 to €34,999, the cost in 2025 will be €6 per meal, compared to €5 in 2020 (source: Cittadinanza Attiva ). It turns out that the monthly cost was €100 in 2020, rising to €120 in 2025 (+20%).

As mentioned, the thorny issue arises especially when considering rent and utility costs. In the former case, according to data from Immobiliare.it , the rent price per square meter increased from €13.49 in January 2019 to €17.05 in July 2025 (+26.3%). Thus, a family renting a 70-square-meter apartment spent €944 per month in 2019, while today they would spend €1,193 (€249 more) for the same accommodation. Finally, bills , according to data processed by the Facile.it Energy Observatory, electricity costs increased from an annual average of €433 in 2018 (€36 per month) to €775 in 2024 (€64 per month), an increase of 77.7%. And there is also the gas chapter : the average annual expenditure went from 863 euros in 2018 (71 euros per month) to 1,558 euros in 2024 (i.e. 129 euros per month), with an increase of 58 euros (+81.6%).

In essence, a middle-class Bolognese in 2019 spent €1,227 a month: €36 for a monthly bus pass, €100 for school lunches (for only one child), €944 for rent, €107 for utilities, and €40 for a parking pass. In 2025, however, they'll spend €1,605: €39 for a bus pass, €120 for lunch, €1,193 for rent, €193 for utilities, and €60 for parking. A surplus of €378 (+30.8%) that undoubtedly weighs on the wallets of many families. Not to mention the fact that, in many cases, middle-class individuals include shopkeepers, small business owners, and artisans, who have had to tighten their belts and face numerous other challenges, such as tax increases, the pandemic, construction sites, and so on.