Bologna vs Reggio Emilia
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 66. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Food capital and university town under porticoes
Full Bologna profile →Plan a trip to Bologna →Birthplace of the Italian flag, with a Calatrava station on the fast line
Full Reggio Emilia profile →Plan a trip to Reggio Emilia →Where they differ
- Getting there & around. Bologna leads on getting there & around, 44 to 39, against Reggio Emilia. Non-stop airport destinations: 98 vs 98.
Where they are close. Within five points on cost of living, air quality, internet, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Bologna if you want
- no clear edge over Reggio Emilia in the data
Pick Reggio Emilia if you want
- to spend about $178 less a month
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Bologna | Reggio Emilia |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 30 | 34 ✓ |
| Safety | 81 | 81 |
| Healthcare | 88 | 88 |
| Internet | 70 | 72 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 81 | 81 |
| Getting there & around | 44 ✓ | 39 |
| Climate | 42 | 42 |
| Air quality | 79 ✓ | 76 |
| Quality of life | 81 | 81 |
Cost
| Metric | Bologna | Reggio Emilia |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $2,478 | $2,300 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Bologna | Reggio Emilia |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.57 | 0.57 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 73.6 | 73.6 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 82 | 82 |
| Life expectancy | 82.9 yrs | 82.9 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Bologna | Reggio Emilia |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 39.9 Mbps | 43.3 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 15.2 Mbps ✓ | 14.6 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Bologna | Reggio Emilia |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Digital nomad and remote worker visa | Digital nomad and remote worker visa |
| Minimum income for the visa | $2,385/mo | $2,385/mo |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Entry, EU passport | unlimited | unlimited |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Bologna | Reggio Emilia |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 98 | 98 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 5 ✓ | 4 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Bologna | Reggio Emilia |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 5 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 14.3 µg/m³ ✓ | 15.6 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Bologna or Reggio Emilia?
- Reggio Emilia is cheaper: about $2,300 per month versus $2,478 for one person.
- Is Bologna or Reggio Emilia safer?
- Bologna and Reggio Emilia score the same on safety (81), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Bologna or Reggio Emilia?
- Reggio Emilia: a measured median of 43.3 Mbps versus 39.9 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.