Bologna, September 5, 2026 – When the public nursery is not available, choosing a private facility can result in a significant expense for many parents, forced to bear fees that heavily impact the family budget. And in Bologna, the cost burden is particularly significant: according to data from the national observatory Federconsumatori, in fact, the city ranks at the top of the list for costs among the cities analyzed, even surpassing Milan and Turin. Although bonuses or incentives can help reduce the bill.
The numbers from the Federconsumatori observatory: under the Two Towers the average is 1,150 euros per month
The data – reported on the pages of Sole 24 Ore – highlights how, for children up to one year old, the monthly fee for a private nursery reaches an average of 1,150 euros, compared to 660 euros for the average of the main cities examined. After twelve months, the rates slightly decrease but remain significant, standing at 1,138 euros per month compared to an average of 645 euros. The number of available places in private facilities, according to the report, is 1,158 units.
Consulting the observatory’s calculations, it also emerges that Palermo is instead the cheapest city among those considered, with an average of 350 euros both for children under and over one year old: this means about one third less compared to the rates in the city of Bologna, which remains at the top of the ranking in both cases examined.
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The picture regarding public nurseries
The picture however changes significantly if the costs of public nurseries are considered instead, with fees under the Two Towers deflating considerably, for a total number of places equal to 3,048 units. In this case, Bologna no longer remains at the top of the ranking, but shows significantly lower numbers even compared to the other cities analyzed, taking as reference an Isee of 10,000 euros: in this case, the average monthly fee under the Two Towers stops at 60 euros (compared to 107.86 euros for the average of the cities considered) while it rises to 194 euros for the other bracket analyzed of 20,000 euros.
The babysitter option
But it doesn’t end here because the analysis, in its entirety, also takes into account the option of turning to a babysitter to find a solution capable of balancing private life and work. As reported, the average rate for Bologna is 9.80 euros per hour, slightly higher than the national average of 9.45, but lower than that of other cities such as Milan or Florence (respectively 10.50 and 9.90 euros/hour).
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