Milan confirms itself as the most expensive city in Italy also in 2026. This was stated by Codacons, which like every year publishes the survey on the retail price lists in force in the main Italian cities. The association’s analysis, carried out on the basis of data from the Mimit Price Observatory updated to June, examines a basket made up of 33 items, of which 20 food products and 13 services (bars, hairdressers, pizzerias, vets, dentists, cinemas, etc.). The picture that emerges is that of an Italy split in two, with the cities of the South much more convenient than those of the North.
Spending on the basket examined by Codacons costs almost 693 euros in Milan, 652 euros in Bolzano, and just over 640 euros in Aosta and Bologna. Naples is the cheapest city: spending on the same goods and services stands at around 402 euros, 42% less than in Milan. This is followed by 464 euros in Palermo and 474 euros in Catanzaro. To purchase fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, and other foodstuffs included in the basket, the cost is just over 200 euros in 6 cities (Milan, Bolzano, Trieste, Bologna, Genoa and Florence), drops to around 170 euros in Bari and Palermo, and drops to 154 euros in Pescara, 149 euros in Catanzaro, 140 euros in Naples. For services, however, the differences become clearer: approximately 491 euros are needed in Milan and 452 euros in Aosta and Bolzano, compared to 292 euros in Palermo and 262 euros in Naples.
In the price journey carried out by Codacons, it is then discovered that the most expensive fresh bread among the monitored cities is sold in Bolzano and costs on average 7.16 euros per kilo, while the most “salty” raw ham is in Florence: on average 41.2 euros per kilo. The most expensive courgettes are in Trieste (2.98 euros per kilo), which also ranks first in the ranking for the cost of women’s haircuts (over 33 euros). To wash the car the expense varies from a minimum of 8.50 euros in Ancona to a maximum of 21 euros in Bolzano, while if you need a dentist for a filling it is better to live in Palermo, where 71 euros are enough compared to 176 euros in Aosta.
For a pizza it is better to sit at the tables in Catanzaro, the average cost of a meal in a pizzeria is 10.35 euros compared to almost 15 euros in Bolzano, but if you want to go to the cinema the advice is to move to Bari, where the average cost of the ticket is 7.3 euros, avoiding Bologna (11.5 euros). The Codacons analysis also examines the expenses for pets, another item that affects the budgets of millions of families: for the vaccination service at a veterinarian, the average cost varies from a minimum of 29.5 euros in Naples to a maximum of 63 euros in Milan, while for dog grooming around 24 euros are spent in Bari and Catanzaro, almost 50 euros in Aosta.