How Much Does It Cost to Stay in Bologna for a Month?
The budget for a month in Bologna depends on the level of luxury required. We believe traveling full-time requires a moderate level of comfort. Most people (us included) could not stay in a hostel month after month and continue to travel indefinitely. With that in mind, two people can stay a month in Bologna comfortably for less than $2,900. On the other hand, if you require 4-star accommodations and white tablecloth meals, it will cost significantly more.
Where did this number come from? Well, we spent a month in Bologna, and I kept a detailed spreadsheet with all our daily expenses. I used this spreadsheet to put together three budgets (low, mid, and high) depending on various requirements. The budgets include a breakdown that will allow you to put together your own estimate based on your needs.
Of course, these budgets assume you live like us and stay in one place for the entire month. If you move around during the month, your budget will go up for the increase in transportation and lodging (shorter stays cost more per day).
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Monthly Budget for Two People in Bologna
There are substantial savings when traveling as a couple or with a friend compared to traveling alone. For example, there are savings on the grocery bill. It’s more than it would be for a single person, but it’s not twice as much money. On the other hand, some costs are twice as much. There are rarely discounts on museum tickets or other entertainment.
If you want to estimate how much it would cost to travel alone, you can make some deductions for Groceries and Dining, Entertainment, Transportation, and International Health Insurance. However, the Lodging and Miscellaneous costs will be about the same for one person as for two.
Lodging
Bologna has a very large Old Town with many beautiful buildings and porticos. Because the Old Town is large, the desirable area to live in is also large. The inventory for short-term apartments is big, so you can get a nice apartment in a beautiful, pedestrian-friendly area for much less than other Italian towns like Milan and Rome.
| Low Monthly Budget | Mid Monthly Budget | High Monthly Budget | |
| Short-term stay apartment in Old Town – Entire Home | $1,300 | $2,000 | $2,500 |
Groceries and Dining
The small “express” grocery stores in the central historical area of Bologna are small and more expensive than the surrounding areas. If you want to keep your grocery budget down and you don’t want to walk or take public transportation outside the city center, I recommend shopping at the Pam on Via Guglielmo Marconi 28.
| Low Monthly Budget | Mid Monthly Budget | High Monthly Budget | |
| $750 | $1,450 | $2,150 | |
| Groceries | Y – $25 per day | Y – $25 per day | Y – $25 per day |
| Wine | N | less than $15 per bottle wine | $15 to $20 per bottle wine |
| Street Food | N | Y | Y |
| Sit Down Restaurants | N | one $100 dinner | four $100 dinners |
Entertainment
Bologna has several great museums to enjoy during your stay. Luckily, these can all be seen with the Bologna Welcome card for €25. In addition to exploring the museums, a popular form of entertainment in Bologna is walking around the Old Town porticos. This is an endless activity that is free.
| Low Monthly Budget | Mid Monthly Budget | High Monthly Budget | |
| $100 | $200 | $300 | |
| Weekly Budget for Tickets and Experiences | $25 | $50 | $75 |
Transportation
The transportation budget assumes you are coming from Trieste Airport. The cheapest way between Trieste Airport and Central Trieste is by train, and many trains stop there for $5 per person each way.
If the train station is too far from your accommodation or walking with your luggage is not your thing, a taxi is about $75 each way. To book a taxi or private transfer in advance, we recommend GetTransfer.
| Low Monthly Budget | Mid Monthly Budget | High Monthly Budget | |
| $20 | $150 | $250 | |
| To and from airport via train | Y, $20 | N | N |
| To and from airport via taxi | N | Y, $50 | Y, $50 |
| One Day Trip via train | N | Y | Y |
| Two Day Trips via train | N | N | Y |
International Health Insurance
This fixed cost does not vary from month to month or location to location.
| Low Monthly Budget | Mid Monthly Budget | High Monthly Budget | |
| $300 | $350 | $400 | |
| Worldwide Coverage (except the USA) | Y | Y | Y |
| Inpatient Coverage | Y – $10,000 deductible | Y – $10,000 deductible | Y – $10,000 deductible |
| Outpatient Coverage | Y – $1,500 deductible | Y – $1,500 deductible | Y – $1,500 deductible |
| Wellbeing Coverage | N | Y | Y |
| Vision & Dental Coverage | N | Y | Y |
| International Evacuation | N | N | Y |
Miscellaneous
The miscellaneous expense budget is a catch-all for everything else. This includes toiletries, clothing, and technology costs. We only need one VPN subscription, one eSIM plan, one Netflix subscription, and one Traveling Mailbox.
| Low Monthly Budget | Mid Monthly Budget | High Monthly Budget | |
| $400 | $500 | $600 | |
| VPN | $5 | $5 | $5 |
| eSIM | $7 for 3GB | $10.50 for 5GB | $16 for 10GB |
| Streaming Subscriptions | $15 budget | $30 budget | $50 budget |
| Traveling Mailbox | $21 | $21 | $21 |
Total
The monthly travel budget varies significantly based on the level of accommodation required, how often you eat at restaurants and the quantity and quality of wine you drink.
| Low Monthly Budget | Mid Monthly Budget | High Monthly Budget | |
| $2,870 | $4,650 | $6,200 |
In addition to the factors discussed above, the budget for a month in Bologna will also fluctuate based on the season. The summer months are always more expensive than the winter months. However, Bologna is not among the most popular tourist destinations, so the summer prices are not inflated significantly.
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