Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Drama and Thessaloniki

For one person, living is cheaper in Drama: $1,192 a month against $1,649 in Thessaloniki, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Drama
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Drama Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
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Thessaloniki Living Index

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Drama

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,192

/mo nomad

Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,649

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,192 in Drama versus $1,649 in Thessaloniki.

Drama $1,192
Thessaloniki $1,649

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,756 in Drama versus $2,537 in Thessaloniki.

Drama $1,756
Thessaloniki $2,537

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,321 in Drama versus $3,425 in Thessaloniki.

Drama $2,321
Thessaloniki $3,425

Living in Drama costs roughly 28% less than in Thessaloniki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Drama is 12% below, Thessaloniki is 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.56 €12.95

$17.01 €15.13

-14.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.27 €38.49

$67.2 €59.8

-35.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.92 €8.82

$11.20 €9.96

-11.43%

Cappuccino

$2.67 €2.38

$4.29 €3.82

-37.76%

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

$2.82 €2.50

$2.90 €2.58

-2.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.76 €0.67

-6.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 €3.03

$5.45 €4.85

-37.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 €3.91

$6.53 €5.81

-32.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.31

$1.70 €1.51

-12.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.78 €1.58

-10.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$3.71 €3.30

-70.35%

Eggs

$5.41 €4.81

$5.50 €4.89

-1.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.43 €10.16

$14.29 €12.71

-20.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 €8.26

$11.48 €10.21

-19.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.01 €12.46

$18.35 €16.32

-23.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$2.51 €2.23

-43.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 €1.25

$2.25 €2.00

-37.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 €0.99

$2.12 €1.89

-47.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.79 €2.48

-21.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 €0.86

$1.30 €1.15

-26.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.22 €1.09

0.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.60 €1.42

-5.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.62

$0.94 €0.84

-25.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.88 €4.34

$5.74 €5.11

-14.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.15 €4.58

$9.93 €8.83

-48.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$2.06 €1.83

-52.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 €1.71

$3.14 €2.79

-38.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 €0.57

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.07 €16.07

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.30 €3.82

$4.07 €3.62

5.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.13 €1.01

-2.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.71 €14.86

$16.79 €14.93

-0.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.96

$2.25 €2.00

-1.78%

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

$27.7K €24.6K

$28.0K €24.9K

-0.98%

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

$31.5K €28.0K

$31.0K €27.6K

1.43%

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

$190 €169

$215 €191

-11.30%

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

$22.62 €20.12

$23.24 €20.67

-2.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.30 €26.95

$30.60 €27.22

-0.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.14 €40.15

$52.1 €46.32

-13.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.27 €14.47

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 €6.77

$10.36 €9.22

-26.45%

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

$481 €428

$469 €417

2.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,165 €8,152

$9,075 €8,073

0.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.7 €86.1

$94.7 €84.2

2.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.05 €19.61

$44.40 €39.50

-50.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.2 €55.3

$125 €111

-50.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.7 €59.4

$129 €115

-48.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$305 €271

$622 €554

-50.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$300 €266

$489 €435

-38.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$498 €443

$1,081 €962

-53.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$412 €366

$838 €745

-50.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,482 €1,318

$3,679 €3,273

-59.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,288 €2,925

$2,799 €2,490

17.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,133 €1,008

$1,177 €1,047

-3.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.4

5.34

-17.60%

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

Last update for Drama: October 11, 2026

Last update for Thessaloniki: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Drama

$300 25.1%

Thessaloniki

$489 29.6% 63.1% $189

Groceries & Markets

Drama

$249 20.9%

Thessaloniki

$336 20.4% 34.7% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Drama

$243 20.4%

Thessaloniki

$268 16.3% 10.4% $25

Eating Out

Drama

$218 18.3%

Thessaloniki

$276 16.7% 26.5% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Drama

$111 9.4%

Thessaloniki

$177 10.7% 58.7% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Drama

$60 5.1%

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4% 20.6% $12

Getting Around

Drama

$9.8 * 0.8%

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8% 210% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $305 in Drama and $622 in Thessaloniki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thessaloniki pays 4% 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: $43.00 in Drama vs $67.0 in Thessaloniki for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $336 per month, with Drama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Drama

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🕒 Local time

07:50 7:50 AM

Same time as Drama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,501

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)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Drama vs Thessaloniki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Drama is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 38% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Thessaloniki. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $305 in Drama versus $622 in Thessaloniki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $481 in Drama versus $469 in Thessaloniki. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Drama – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $67.0 in Thessaloniki. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,192 in Drama versus $1,649 in Thessaloniki, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Drama but tight or insufficient in Thessaloniki. The gap between the two cities makes Drama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Drama is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Thessaloniki, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Drama 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 Drama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Thessaloniki. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.