Bologna vs Bucine: Which City Wins for Expats in 2026?

Bologna is the rare Italian city where a single adult can live on a budget tier of $1,327/mo and still eat well, with an inexpensive restaurant meal at $17 and a cost of living index of just 64/100 against NYC. The rent figures are frankly bizarre, with a city center 1-bedroom at $342/mo undercutting the $850/mo outside the center, so check listings before you assume anything. Add an 80/100 expat score, a digital nomad score of 82/100, and a safety index of 85/100, and you have one of Italy's smartest bases for remote workers and retirees on a fixed income. The air quality index of 65 is the tradeoff, and English proficiency is mostly limited to tourist areas, so learn some Italian.

Bucine is a small Tuscan town of 10 thousand where rents of $845/mo for a one-bedroom city center apartment sit awkwardly against a local net salary of $1,391/mo, so remote workers and retirees on outside income get far more out of it than locals do. The retiree score of 76/100 and safety index of 73/100 make it a sensible base, and Florence airport is just 6 km away, though the digital nomad score of 58/100 and limited English proficiency mean you should arrive with Italian and a remote job already lined up. At $247/mo for utilities and $31/mo for internet, daily costs stay manageable, but the $2,895/mo income floor for the Italy Elective Residence Visa is steep for a town this size.