Summer 2026 comes with a higher bill than expected. Above all, the conflict in Iran is pushing prices up, causing the prices of energy raw materials to soar and quickly spreading to the entire consumption chain. The result is inflation that accelerated sharply in April, rising to 2.7% on an annual basis from 1.7% in March, with energy goods reversing course from negative changes to double-digit growth. This is not an isolated increase, but the signal of a pressure that affects almost all spending items of Italian families, from energy to transport, from food to holidays, as indicated by Istat data and analyzes by Facile.it and Consumerismo No Profit.
The increases affect practically every aspect of daily life: electricity bills have increased, petrol and diesel have recorded significant increases, accommodation costs more, flights have been reduced and tickets remain high, ferries have raised their fares. But it doesn’t end there: summer camps, restaurants, water parks, the shopping cart and even pets also weigh on the family budget. Those who leave spend more, those who stay in the city don’t save
Energy and transport: the items that weigh the most in the basket
The consolidated ISTAT data for the month of April tell precisely where the inflationary flare-up is concentrated. The spending division that recorded the most marked acceleration was that of housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, which went from a negative variation to an increase of over five percentage points in just one month. Immediately afterwards, transport recorded a significant increase on an annual basis, driven by fuels: diesel for transport saw growth exceeding 27%, petrol returned to positive territory after months of declines. Unprocessed food products are also accelerating, with fruit, vegetables and fish rising more than other sectors.
The shopping cart grows by 2.3% on an annual basis, a figure that appears modest but is part of a much heavier long-term trajectory: compared to ten years ago, bread and pasta have increased in price by up to 70-90%, milk and eggs by up to 80%, extra virgin olive oil has exceeded 130%. What monthly inflation does not tell us is the erosion accumulated over time: a basket of products that in 2016 cost around eleven euros today easily exceeds twenty.
Core inflation, which excludes the most volatile components such as energy and fresh food, slows down slightly, confirming that the new inflationary impulse comes from outside, from energy, not from overheating internal demand. It is an important distinction: it means that families suffer increases on items that are difficult to compress, those that cannot easily be postponed or replaced. The region that recorded the highest percentage increase this year is Calabria (+5.2%), followed by Sicily and Veneto.
Fuel, bills and mortgages: the practical costs of summer
The estimates from Facile.it and Consumerismo No Profit translate the Istat numbers into concrete impacts on the portfolio. For those who travel by car, the increase in fuel prices is immediate and difficult to ignore: petrol has grown by 13% compared to a year ago, diesel by 26%, with direct repercussions on the costs of each journey. For a round trip from Milan to Bari, the estimated cost for a petrol car exceeds 220 euros, around 26 euros more than last year; for a diesel the difference is even more marked, with around 40 additional euros. At an aggregate level, considering the summer months, Italians could spend 2.3 billion euros more than in 2025 on fuel alone.
Electricity bills are also affected by tensions on raw materials. Fixed price tariffs have grown by 4% compared to last year and in summer consumption tends to rise especially for the use of air conditioning. Motorway tolls increased on average by 1.5%, with higher peaks on some specific sections.
To make the picture worse there are also variable rate mortgages. For an average mortgage of 126,000 euros, the installment has already increased by around 11 euros between March and June and projections indicate a further increase by the end of the year, with an installment that could approach 630 euros compared to 578 euros in January.
Holidays, flights and ferries: the price of leaving
The conflict in Iran has also reshuffled the cards in the travel sector. Aviation fuel has increased dramatically compared to the first few months of the year, leading to cancellations of thousands of flights globally and a significant reduction in available seats. Airlines cannot immediately pass on all additional costs to tickets already sold, but the contraction of supply keeps fares at high levels during peak periods. To spend a week’s holiday in Italy, in the first week of August, two people have to pay an average of 1,050 euros for a round trip and seven nights’ accommodation, according to a survey by AltroConsumo.
Accommodation facilities, already expensive in previous years, have further raised prices. Hotels, farmhouses and holiday homes record average price increases of between 5% and 10% compared to levels prior to the international tensions, with higher peaks in seaside resorts and in the most popular villages during the high season. For an average family, a week in a B&B or holiday home can cost between 800 and 1,800 euros, while a higher category structure easily exceeds 2,000-2,500 euros.
Despite everything, not everyone gives up. Those who have decided to leave also do so by resorting to credit: in the first five months of 2026, holiday financing reached around 170 million euros, with an average amount requested of around 5,400 euros. The average age of those asking for a holiday loan is 39, but one in four applications comes from someone under 35. The updated data tells us that 17% of families will give up holidays altogether.
Those who stay in the city don’t save: summer camps, restaurants and free time
Staying at home is not a shortcut to saving money. For families with children, the closure of schools translates into additional costs for summer camps, which in 2026 remain prohibitive for many: full-time private ones cost on average 190 euros per week in the North, with costs that can exceed 700 euros per month for each child. Even public centers, which amount to around 100 euros per week, represent a significant item for family budgets.
Going out at night hasn’t gotten any cheaper. A dinner in a pizzeria for four people easily exceeds 60 euros, while a dinner in a restaurant can reach between 120 and 200 euros. Cinema, concerts, water parks and sporting activities are also recording increases: recreational and cultural services have grown by over 3% on an annual basis according to Istat, but compared to five years ago the increases are in the order of 15-30%.
The overall result is a summer season that affects all families across the board, regardless of where they spend their holidays. Facile.it and Consumerismo estimate that a family with one or two children can sustain between 1,500 and 3,000 euros in extra costs in the period between June and September, even without taking any trips into account. A figure that is added to ordinary monthly expenses and which, added to the structural increases of recent years, silently redesigns the consumption habits of Italians.
