by Guisela Chiarella
Families in this northeastern port city are feeling the pinch. According to a new analysis by Italy’s National Consumers Union, Trieste ranks seventh nationwide for the highest increases in average household spending in 2024.
Based on inflation data released earlier this year, the report estimates that the average family in Trieste spent €367 more this year compared to 2023 — a notable rise, despite what local officials describe as a “cool” inflation trend in recent months.
Other cities in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region also experienced price hikes, though to varying degrees. In Pordenone, families faced an average increase of €342, placing the city twelfth in the national ranking. Gorizia came in seventeenth, with an average added cost of €318 per household. Udine, by contrast, saw more modest increases, ranking fortieth with an average rise of €244.
Leading the list nationally is Bolzano, in South Tyrol, where families experienced an average annual cost increase of €492 — the highest in the country.
Despite these figures, official statistics offices in Trieste and Udine point to a stabilizing trend. In Trieste, consumer prices rose just 0.2% in December compared to November, following a slight decline the previous month. Year-on-year, prices were up 1.5%, though even that marks a slight drop from the prior monthly report.
In Udine, monthly inflation was also 0.2%, while annual inflation held at 1%, again reflecting a downward trend.
While the overall picture suggests inflation is slowing, the lingering effects of higher prices continue to weigh on household budgets — and residents are noticing.
“In the supermarket, at the gas station — everything just costs a little more than it used to,” said a Trieste local, summing up what many across the region are experiencing in their daily lives.
