Rents in the centre are three times higher than in the suburbs

The cost of living increasingly influences the choice of place to live. The clear difference between the expenses incurred by those who live in the city and those who, instead, have chosen the suburbs is well represented by the gap in rents: in large cities, the average rent for a two-room apartment in central areas is three times higher than in suburban areas. This is stated by Scenari Immobiliari's data updated to May 2025 on housing rents in the 14 metropolitan cities. In Rome the average rent in the centre is around 2,270 euro a month for 60 square metres, while in the suburbs the rent drops to 850 euro a month (in practice in the centre it is 2.7 times higher). In Turin, the gap rises: 1,350 euro in the centre, 480 in the suburbs (2.81 times). And the gap widens in the South, where the hinterland of the metropolitan areas suffers most, partly because of infrastructural deficiencies: in Naples, the average rent for a two-room apartment in the city centre is €1,600 a month, while it drops to €550 outside the city centre (2.91 times); in Catania, the ratio is between €700 and €250 a month (2.8 times). The gap between centre and periphery in rents embodies yet another imbalance in metropolitan cities. The gap threatens urban centres that are trying to remain attractive, but risk emptying out at weekends or being transformed by hit-and-run tourism. In large cities, short-term rental has changed the DNA of leasing: the yields offered by the 'Airbnb model' in the most prestigious and well-connected areas by public transport almost always beat those of traditional renting (the classic 4+4). Thus short-term rental becomes more attractive to landlords and the lack of supply for longer contracts drives up rents. "In the past, rents were more correlated to people's incomes and rents rose where the wealthiest people lived," says Mario Breglia of Scenari Immobiliari, "whereas today, tourism, short leases and a shortage of supply have driven up the cost of housing in central areas. This year Milan has become the fourth richest destination in Europe for tourists. And only the well-connected suburbs have caught up with the trend: short lets now also affect many areas in the hinterland. Outside the city, the housing imbalance is accentuated: "Rents," adds Breglia, "have also risen in the suburbs, but less and more slowly. In the centre of Milan we have reached as much as 5,000 euro a month in the super top areas, while in the suburbs perhaps we have gone from 1,000 to 1,300 euro a month, with smaller increases". The rest depends on services: in Bologna, Veneto or Turin the hinterland is better served, in Rome and Naples living 'out of town' is more difficult. "Here the suburbs have problems of accessibility and safety," concludes the president of Scenari Immobiliari.The demand for rent, accomplice to the rise in the cost of living, is shifting towards more affordable solutions. The rental market is driven by 35.3% of those who move for work and study reasons (out of the total number of those who looked for a house with Tecnocasa group agencies in 2024) and the presence of connections is the main element influencing the choice of place to live. "In large cities," explains Fabiana Megliola of Tecnocasa's research office, "the increase in rents and prices is leading to a shift towards more accessible neighbourhoods, usually those adjacent and in semi-central areas or with similar characteristics in terms of services offered. This is why housing costs are now also rising in the suburbs.