Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Thessaloniki

For one person, living is cheaper in Thessaloniki: $1,642 a month against $1,771 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Athens outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
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Thessaloniki Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Thessaloniki

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Athens and in Thessaloniki actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Athens versus $1,642 in Thessaloniki.

Athens $1,771
Thessaloniki $1,642

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Athens versus $2,537 in Thessaloniki.

Athens $2,736
Thessaloniki $2,537

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,701 in Athens versus $3,431 in Thessaloniki.

Athens $3,701
Thessaloniki $3,431

Living in Athens is roughly 8% more expensive than in Thessaloniki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Thessaloniki 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$16.79 €14.94

0.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$67.8 €60.3

0.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.17

$11.04 €9.82

3.53%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$4.24 €3.77

-4.25%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 €2.44

$2.93 €2.61

-6.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$0.76 €0.68

-30.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$5.52 €4.91

3.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.06

$6.77 €6.02

-16.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.78 €1.58

3.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.76 €1.57

-18.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$3.66 €3.26

-22.95%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.32

$5.47 €4.86

-11.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

$13.97 €12.42

9.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.21

$11.15 €9.91

-7.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

$18.27 €16.25

4.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.54 €2.26

-12.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.17 €1.93

-11.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$2.06 €1.84

-31.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.79 €2.48

-26.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.25 €1.11

-16.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.24 €1.10

-5.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.54 €1.37

-29.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.89 €0.79

-5.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$5.55 €4.94

-1.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.05

$9.95 €8.85

2.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.03 €1.81

4.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$3.28 €2.92

-30.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.65 €0.58

110.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.43

$18.24 €16.22

62.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.90

$4.28 €3.81

2.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$1.15 €1.02

-13.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 €14.79

$16.70 €14.85

-0.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.11

$2.34 €2.08

1.71%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.4K €25.3K

$28.0K €24.9K

1.30%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.2K €24.2K

$28.3K €25.2K

-3.77%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$203 €181

$216 €192

-5.71%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$26.79 €23.83

$22.97 €20.43

16.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.82

$30.23 €26.89

-0.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.74

$52.7 €46.84

1.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

$16.67 €14.83

58.37%

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.42

$10.86 €9.66

-2.49%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$566 €504

$476 €423

18.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.4K

$8,901 €7,917

44.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$95.9 €85.3

-7.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 €36.01

$45.38 €40.36

-10.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.3

$125 €111

-17.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$129 €115

-3.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €648

$635 €565

14.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$484 €430

33.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,181

$1,091 €971

21.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$846 €753

38.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,579

$3,746 €3,332

7.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,098

$2,829 €2,516

23.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

$1,146 €1,020

8.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.34

-16.10%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Last update for Thessaloniki: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$647 36.5%

Thessaloniki

$484 29.5% 25.2% $163

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.6%

Thessaloniki

$332 20.2% 6.3% $20

Eating Out

Athens

$271 15.3%

Thessaloniki

$274 16.7% 1.3% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.7%

Thessaloniki

$269 16.4% 3.3% $8.6

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.1%

Thessaloniki

$178 10.8% 10.6% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Thessaloniki

$74 4.5% 0.7% $0.5

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Thessaloniki

$31 1.9% 30.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Athens and $635 in Thessaloniki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 8% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $68.0 in Thessaloniki for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $332 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🕒 Local time

15:32 3:32 PM

Same time as Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

790,824

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Athens vs Thessaloniki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thessaloniki wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Thessaloniki the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 8% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Athens versus $635 in Thessaloniki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Thessaloniki – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Athens versus $1,642 in Thessaloniki – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,642 in Thessaloniki versus $1,771 in Athens, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Thessaloniki but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Thessaloniki the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Thessaloniki delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,642 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Thessaloniki hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Thessaloniki are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Thessaloniki gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.