Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budva and Thessaloniki

For one person, living costs are similar in Budva and in Thessaloniki: $1,611 and $1,649 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Budva
Learn more

Budva Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
Learn more

Thessaloniki Living Index

Jump to prices

Budva

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,611

/mo nomad

Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,649

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budva 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 Budva and in Thessaloniki actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,611 per month in Budva vs $1,649 in Thessaloniki, rent included.

Budva $1,611
Thessaloniki $1,649

A couple spends around $2,529 per month in Budva vs $2,537 in Thessaloniki, rent included.

Budva $2,529
Thessaloniki $2,537

A family of three spends $3,447 per month in Budva vs $3,425 in Thessaloniki, rent included.

Budva $3,447
Thessaloniki $3,425

Budva is about 2% cheaper than Thessaloniki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budva and Thessaloniki sit above the global median – Budva by 19%, Thessaloniki by 22%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.76 €13.13

$17.01 €15.13

-13.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 €59.1

$67.2 €59.8

-1.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.27 €11.80

$11.20 €9.96

18.48%

Cappuccino

$3.39 €3.02

$4.29 €3.82

-20.98%

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

$2.21 €1.96

$2.90 €2.58

-23.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.35

$0.76 €0.67

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 €4.17

$5.45 €4.85

-13.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$6.53 €5.81

-34.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.70 €1.51

-26.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.78 €1.58

-40.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$3.71 €3.30

-40.43%

Eggs

$3.07 €2.73

$5.50 €4.89

-44.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.50 €7.56

$14.29 €12.71

-40.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 €8.08

$11.48 €10.21

-20.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.17 €10.83

$18.35 €16.32

-33.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.51 €2.23

-49.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.25 €2.00

-22.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$2.12 €1.89

-28.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.78 €2.47

$2.79 €2.48

-0.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 €0.76

$1.30 €1.15

-34.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.22 €1.09

-12.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.67 €1.48

$1.60 €1.42

4.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 €3.93

$5.74 €5.11

-23.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 €6.82

$9.93 €8.83

-22.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.94

$2.06 €1.83

-48.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$3.14 €2.79

-44.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 €2.53

$0.65 €0.57

336.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.74 €35.34

$18.07 €16.07

119.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 €0.98

$4.07 €3.62

-72.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.13 €1.01

-3.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.85 €14.99

$16.79 €14.93

0.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.25 €2.00

-24.44%

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

$28.5K €25.4K

$28.0K €24.9K

1.94%

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

$25.8K €22.9K

$31.0K €27.6K

-16.88%

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

$158 €140

$215 €191

-26.52%

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

$14.92 €13.27

$23.24 €20.67

-35.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.61 €29.90

$30.60 €27.22

9.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 €50.8

$52.1 €46.32

9.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.24 €18.89

$16.27 €14.47

30.55%

Cinema Ticket

$6.19 €5.50

$10.36 €9.22

-40.25%

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

$407 €362

$469 €417

-13.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,855 €8,766

$9,075 €8,073

8.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.3

$94.7 €84.2

10.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.04 €39.17

$44.40 €39.50

-0.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.8 €86.1

$125 €111

-22.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$178 €159

$129 €115

38.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$846 €752

$622 €554

35.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$606 €539

$489 €435

24.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,499 €1,333

$1,081 €962

38.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 €1,022

$838 €745

37.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,046 €3,599

$3,679 €3,273

9.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,920 €2,597

$2,799 €2,490

4.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,028 €915

$1,177 €1,047

-12.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

5.34

11.42%

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

Last update for Budva: October 12, 2026

Last update for Thessaloniki: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budva

$606 37.6%

Thessaloniki

$489 29.6% 19.4% $117

Eating Out

Budva

$246 15.2%

Thessaloniki

$276 16.7% 12.5% $31

Groceries & Markets

Budva

$235 14.6%

Thessaloniki

$336 20.4% 42.7% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budva

$206 12.8%

Thessaloniki

$268 16.3% 30.2% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Budva

$191 11.9%

Thessaloniki

$177 10.7% 7.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Budva

$69 4.3%

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4% 4.8% $3.3

Getting Around

Budva

$58 3.6%

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8% 47.3% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $846 in Budva versus $622 in Thessaloniki. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 14% higher in Thessaloniki, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Budva versus $67.0 in Thessaloniki. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $336 – making Budva the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Budva

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

19:40 7:40 PM

1 h ahead of Budva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,338

790,824

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budva Thessaloniki 390 km

From you

Budva
Thessaloniki

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budva vs Thessaloniki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,611 in Budva, $1,649 in Thessaloniki – roughly 2% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,417 per month in Budva and $2,474 in Thessaloniki. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Budva, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,611 in Budva and $1,649 in Thessaloniki. That's a gap of about 2%.

Public transport costs about 120% less in Budva. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Budva, where all-in costs run around $1,611, than in Thessaloniki at $1,649. In Budva it covers expenses comfortably, while in Thessaloniki it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Thessaloniki has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,611 in Budva to $1,649 in Thessaloniki. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Budva. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Thessaloniki makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.