- Country
- Italy
- Region
- Emilia-Romagna
- Population
- 390,151 in 2025. Comune di Bologna, residents on 1 January 2025 (Istat); the metropolitan city is larger. [N1]
- Settings
- In a city [N1]
- Weather
- Four seasons [Bologna C1]
Why it is here
Why Bologna is on the list.
A city is listed when there is evidence that people move there. This is the evidence.
The Fernshore Index
How it grades, factor by factor.
Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.
Cost of living
41 of 100MixedCountry figure
Price level 0.690 of United States prices (2025).
Source: Price level index (GDP), Italy. Checked 15 October 2026.
Climate
UnknownCountry figure
Turin, the main city, has no usable official 1991–2020 normals: the only Turin station in the WMO set sits on a hill at 709 m, not in the city.
Safety
63 of 100MixedCountry figure
Global Peace Index 2026: 35th of 163.
Source: Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank. Checked 15 October 2026.
Healthcare
73 of 100StrongCountry figure
WHO UHC service coverage index 82 (2023).
Source: UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1). Checked 15 October 2026.
Schools
UnknownCountry figure
Our research doesn't cover schools yet.
Community
63 of 100MixedCountry figure
Expat Insider 2026 Ease of Settling In: 14th of 31.
Source: Expat Insider 2026: Ease of Settling In. Checked 15 October 2026.
Lifestyle
56 of 100MixedCountry figure
Expat Insider 2026 Quality of Life: 18th of 31.
Source: Expat Insider 2026: Quality of Life. Checked 15 October 2026.
Work and career
85 of 100StrongCountry figure
Strong: a national visa for remote workers and freelancers exists, and fixed broadband is 31.8 per 100 people (2024), over the 30 line.
Source: Digital nomad / remote worker visa (New York consulate); Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Italy. Checked 15 October 2026.
Retirement
85 of 100StrongCountry figure
Strong: the elective residence visa is for people with stable income that does not come from work, and consulates describe it as for those who plan to reside permanently; the Polizia di Stato says the EU long-term residence permit can be requested after five years with a valid residence permit.
Source: Elective residency visa (Los Angeles consulate); Elective residency (New York consulate); Permesso di soggiorno UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo. Checked 15 October 2026.
Internet
71 of 100StrongCountry figure
31.78 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people (2024).
Source: Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Italy. Checked 15 October 2026.
English
42 of 100MixedCountry figure
EF EPI 2025 score 513 (59th of 123), in EF's moderate band.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index 2025: Italy. Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, United States passport
85 of 100StrongCountry figure
Strong: A national remote worker and freelancer visa is open without a local job offer for a stay of a year, renewable while the conditions hold, with no minimum age and no deposit or investment. Income test about 24,800 to 27,000 euros a year (about US$27,800 to $30,300 at the ECB rate of 9 October 2026), well under the US$60,000 line. To be safe, have more than 28,000 euros a year. Needs a qualification, six months of experience and a registered lease.
Source: Digital nomad / remote worker visa (New York consulate); Digital nomad / remote worker visa (Los Angeles consulate). Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, Canada passport
85 of 100StrongCountry figure
Strong: A national remote worker and freelancer visa is open without a local job offer for a stay of a year, renewable while the conditions hold, with no minimum age and no deposit or investment. Income test about 24,800 euros a year (about US$27,800 at the ECB rate of 9 October 2026), well under the US$60,000 line. To be safe, have more than 25,000 euros a year. Needs a qualification, six months of experience and suitable accommodation.
Source: Digital nomad / remote worker visa (Ottawa embassy); Digital nomad and remote worker national visa (Toronto consulate). Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, Australia passport
85 of 100StrongCountry figure
Strong: A national remote worker and freelancer visa is open without a local job offer for a stay of a year, renewable while the conditions hold, with no minimum age and no deposit or investment. Income test about 25,500 euros a year (about US$28,600 at the ECB rate of 9 October 2026); a remote employee's contract must pay about 33,000 euros, still under the US$60,000 line. To be safe, have more than 26,000 euros a year. Needs a qualification, six months of experience and a registered lease.
Source: Digital nomad / remote worker visa checklist (Sydney consulate); Digital nomad / remote worker visa checklist (Melbourne consulate); Schengen visa checklist: digital nomads and remote workers (Adelaide consulate). Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, New Zealand passport
85 of 100StrongCountry figure
Strong: A national remote worker and freelancer visa is open without a local job offer for a stay of a year, renewable while the conditions hold, with no minimum age and no deposit or investment. Income test about 25,500 euros a year (about US$28,600 at the ECB rate of 9 October 2026); a remote employee's contract must pay about 33,500 euros, still under the US$60,000 line. To be safe, have more than 26,000 euros a year. Needs a qualification, six months of experience and a registered lease.
Source: Digital nomad / remote worker visa checklist (Wellington embassy). Checked 15 October 2026.
The country
More on Italy.
Questions about Bologna.
How much is rent in Bologna?
One Tecnocasa advert (a private agency network, not official) from 8 October 2026 asked €890 a month for a furnished 65 m² loft in Saragozza, and wanted a three-month deposit and a bank guarantee of six months' rent. One advert is not an average, and other Bologna costs are unknown.
How big is Bologna, and how many foreigners live there?
The comune of Bologna had 390,151 residents on 1 January 2025, and Istat counts 58,806 of them as foreign citizens (15.1%). That counts every foreign citizen registered there, not only expats. The metropolitan city is larger.
Does Bologna have an expat community?
InterNations, a private expat network, lists 9,179 members in Bologna, with 8 monthly events and 19 interest groups. That shows an international community, not a headcount of residents. Across Italy, Expat Insider 2026 ranks ease of settling in 14th of 31 countries.
Can foreigners join the public health service in Bologna?
A January 2024 notice from Bologna's local health authority (archived copy) says some foreigners without compulsory enrolment can join voluntarily, with a minimum contribution of €2,000 a year for most categories. It is a local notice; whether it covers remote work visa holders is unknown.
What is the weather like in Bologna?
Bologna has four seasons: monthly mean temperatures run from 3.6 °C to 25.6 °C (WMO normals, 1991–2020). The file has no highs for May to July and no rainfall for April to June, so we cannot count comfortable months, and the city has no complete normals.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [N1] Resident population on 1 January 2025, Bologna, Istat (Italian National Institute of Statistics), SDMX API. Checked 15 October 2026. Comune di Bologna: 390,151 residents on 1 January 2025 (definitive; the 2026 figure is a provisional estimate flagged 'e'); read on 15 October 2026.
- [M1] Resident foreigners on 1 January 2025, Bologna, Istat (Italian National Institute of Statistics), SDMX API. Checked 15 October 2026. Comune di Bologna: 58,806 residents with foreign citizenship on 1 January 2025, all ages and both sexes; counts every foreign citizen registered there, not only expats; read on 15 October 2026.
- [E1] Expats in Bologna, InterNations (private expat network). Checked 15 October 2026. InterNations community page: 9,179 members in Bologna; a private network, so a sign of an international community, not a headcount of residents.
- [Bologna C1] Climate normals 1991–2020, Bologna (WMO 16140), Aeronautica Militare (WMO Climate Normals 1991–2020 via NOAA NCEI). Checked 15 October 2026. Weather type only: mean temperatures 3.6 to 25.6 °C, a difference of 22.0 °C (four seasons) from the months the file has. The file lacks highs for May to July, so comfortable months are not counted.
- [Italy C1] Price level index (GDP), Italy, World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 68.96 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [S1] Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank, Institute for Economics and Peace. Checked 15 October 2026. Italy ranks 35th of 163 countries (score 1.712); read from the report PDF on 15 October 2026.
- [H1] UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization. Checked 15 October 2026. Italy: 82 out of 100 (2023), read from the WHO Global Health Observatory API on 15 October 2026.
- [Q1] Expat Insider 2026: Ease of Settling In, InterNations (Expat Insider survey, private). Checked 15 October 2026. Italy ranks 14th of 31 countries.
- [Q2] Expat Insider 2026: Quality of Life, InterNations (Expat Insider survey, private). Checked 15 October 2026. Italy ranks 18th of 31 countries (Quality of Life Index).
- [K1] Digital nomad / remote worker visa (New York consulate), Consulate General of Italy in New York (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Checked 15 October 2026. Undated page. A national visa for non-EU citizens who work remotely while living in Italy, for freelancers (digital nomads) and employees (remote workers); only for highly qualified people. Jurisdiction rules differ by consulate.
- [K2] Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Italy, International Telecommunication Union, via the World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2024: 31.78 per 100 people, read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [R1] Elective residency visa (Los Angeles consulate), Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Checked 15 October 2026. Undated page; the visa is for people who wish to reside permanently in Italy and can show high self-sustaining income and financial assets; no work allowed.
- [R2] Elective residency (New York consulate), Consulate General of Italy in New York (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Checked 15 October 2026. Undated page; income must not come from work, 'typically around €31,000 per person'; the visa does not allow any work.
- [R3] Permesso di soggiorno UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo, Polizia di Stato (Italian Ministry of the Interior). Checked 15 October 2026. Undated PDF; the EU long-term residence permit can be requested only by someone who has held a valid residence permit for at least five years; short-stay permits do not count.
- [F1] EF English Proficiency Index 2025: Italy, EF Education First (private test-taker index). Checked 15 October 2026. Score 513, global rank 59 of 123 countries and regions, down 15 points on the previous score; global average 488; the 2026 edition was not yet published on 15 October 2026.
- [K3] Digital nomad / remote worker visa (Los Angeles consulate), Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Checked 15 October 2026. Undated page, partly written in 2024. For US residents: income of at least three times the health-contribution exemption level from work done in Italy, a permit issued for one year and renewable at the Questura, no minimum age, no deposit or investment.
- [K4] Digital nomad / remote worker visa (Ottawa embassy), Embassy of Italy in Ottawa (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Checked 15 October 2026. Undated page. For the Ottawa consular area: income from the previous fiscal year in the country of residence above 24,780 euros; qualification and six months of experience; no minimum age, no deposit or investment.
- [K5] Digital nomad and remote worker national visa (Toronto consulate), Consulate General of Italy in Toronto (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Checked 15 October 2026. No clear date. For the Toronto consular area: same national visa, the page prints no euro income figure; no minimum age, no deposit or investment.
- [K6] Digital nomad / remote worker visa checklist (Sydney consulate), Consulate General of Italy in Sydney (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), PDF. Checked 15 October 2026. Undated checklist in the July 2026 upload folder. For New South Wales: income for the previous financial year of at least 8,500 euros x 3 (25,500 euros); no minimum age, no deposit or investment.
- [K7] Digital nomad / remote worker visa checklist (Melbourne consulate), Consulate General of Italy in Melbourne (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), PDF. Checked 15 October 2026. Undated checklist in the July 2026 upload folder. For Victoria and Tasmania: same figures as Sydney.
- [K8] Schengen visa checklist: digital nomads and remote workers (Adelaide consulate), Consulate General of Italy in Adelaide (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), PDF. Checked 15 October 2026. File name dated 14 August 2026. Prints 25,500 euros as three times the health-contribution exemption level.
- [K9] Digital nomad / remote worker visa checklist (Wellington embassy), Embassy of Italy in Wellington (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), PDF. Checked 15 October 2026. Undated checklist in the July 2026 upload folder. For New Zealand citizens or permanent residents: income for the previous financial year of at least 8,500 euros x 3 (25,500 euros); no minimum age, no deposit or investment.