Moving out of town to save on rent? A choice that in Cagliari is actually much less cost-effective than you might think. This is revealed by data from a national CNA analysis, relaunched by CNA Sardinia, which shows that three-quarters of the rent savings are wasted on fuel, maintenance, and daily travel. This highlights a now structural phenomenon: mobility as a new fixed cost for families, workers, and businesses.

THE PARADOX – The mechanism is simple: more and more families are leaving urban centers in search of more affordable rents, but the economic advantage is diminishing with each passing kilometer. Someone who saves €300 a month on housing can find themselves spending over €2,000 more a year on commuting to work. A sort of round-trip transaction that especially penalizes those with no alternative to private transportation.

The phenomenon affects Italian regions with varying degrees of intensity. In the large metropolitan areas of Central and Northern Italy, such as Milan and Rome, moving to the urban belt still offers a significant economic advantage, albeit lower than expected: in Milan, the theoretical savings of approximately €5,400 per year are reduced to just over €3,000 net once the more than €2,300 in additional mobility costs are deducted; in Rome, the benefit drops from almost €4,800 to approximately €2,600.

IN CAGLIARI – In the Sardinian capital, the picture is more stark: according to CNA data, 75% of the savings achieved by choosing a cheaper home outside Cagliari are absorbed by fuel and daily travel costs, a percentage identical to that recorded in Ancona and higher than that of Perugia (74%), Naples (69%), and Bari (68%). The Cagliari data, however, remains less critical than in cities in Southern Italy, where the phenomenon is more pronounced: in Pescara, the absorbed share rises to 79%, in Lecce to 83%, in Salerno to 85%, up to 87% in Catanzaro, and 89% in Potenza, where the economic benefit of relocating amounts to just a few hundred euros per year.

ARTISANS' WARNING – While commutes are a major issue for commuters, for artisans, mobility is part of the job itself. Electricians, plumbers, and system installers spend their days traveling between construction sites, clients, and technical interventions. And the cost is steep. According to CNA estimates, a window and door installer travels an average of 20,000 kilometers a year, incurring mobility costs exceeding €4,500 per vehicle; for an electrician, who travels daily across the country, the annual cost rises to approximately €5,600, while for plumbers and maintenance technicians, who travel an average of 30,000 kilometers a year, the bill reaches €6,700. The most expensive situation concerns system installers, who, between inspections, construction sites, and technical assistance, can travel more than 35,000 kilometers annually, with mobility costs approaching €8,000 per vehicle. And for Sardinian artisan businesses these costs are added to an already known condition: insularity which structurally makes fuel more expensive and penalises those who work by constantly moving between often distant centres, in an area with low urban density and with a local public transport offer which is still insufficient for connections between the hinterland municipalities and the larger urban centres.

"HIDDEN TAX" – "The Cagliari data confirms a trend we've been observing for some time," comments Francesco Porcu, secretary of CNA Sardegna. "Those who move away from the capital to find more affordable rent end up paying almost entirely for that savings in their daily commute. It's a true hidden tax on mobility."

For President Luigi Tomasi, the problem directly affects the island's productive fabric: "For our artisan businesses, mobility isn't an additional cost; it's part of the job itself. We need serious investments in local public transportation and housing policies that take this new fixed cost into account, otherwise we risk entire families and businesses being squeezed between high rents in urban centers and high mobility costs outside the city."

THE REQUESTS – In light of these data, CNA Sardinia calls for action on two fronts. At the national level: coordination between housing and mobility policies, incentives for public transportation in areas with low demand, and attention to professional categories who travel for work. At the regional level: strengthening connections between Cagliari and its hinterland, mobility support measures for artisans and small businesses, and assessing the housing impact in urban planning for the metropolitan area.

(Unioneonline/vl)

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