Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Heraklion and Patras

For one person, living is cheaper in Patras: $1,375 a month against $1,594 in Heraklion, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Heraklion
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Heraklion Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Patras
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Patras Living Index

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Heraklion

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,594

/mo nomad

Patras

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,375

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Heraklion and in Patras

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Heraklion versus $1,375 in Patras.

Heraklion $1,594
Patras $1,375

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,499 in Heraklion versus $2,132 in Patras.

Heraklion $2,499
Patras $2,132

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,403 in Heraklion versus $2,889 in Patras.

Heraklion $3,403
Patras $2,889

Living in Heraklion is roughly 16% more expensive than in Patras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Heraklion 18% above, Patras 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.89 €11.47

$11.19 €9.96

15.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 €49.86

$57.5 €51.2

-2.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.92 €8.82

$9.18 €8.16

8.06%

Cappuccino

$3.83 €3.41

$4.33 €3.85

-11.55%

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

$2.44 €2.17

$2.42 €2.15

0.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.70

$0.64 €0.57

23.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.42 €4.82

$4.50 €4.00

20.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 €4.69

$5.16 €4.59

2.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.60 €1.42

5.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.46 €1.30

-2.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.58 €2.29

$2.40 €2.13

7.50%

Eggs

$4.46 €3.97

$5.00 €4.45

-10.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.91 €14.15

$11.32 €10.07

40.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.54 €9.38

$9.91 €8.82

6.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.14 €13.46

$14.07 €12.52

7.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.26 €2.01

-3.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.16 €1.92

-0.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.68 €1.49

-18.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.99 €1.77

-15.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.10 €0.98

11.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.29 €1.15

-4.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.87 €0.77

6.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.64

$1.17 €1.04

-38.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 €4.39

$5.05 €4.49

-2.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.60 €6.76

$6.78 €6.03

12.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 €2.08

$1.72 €1.53

36.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 €2.54

$3.32 €2.95

-13.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.31 €1.16

11.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.6 €60.1

$61.3 €54.5

10.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.89

$4.38 €3.90

-0.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.11 €0.99

1.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.14 €9.91

$13.71 €12.20

-18.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.20 €1.95

-1.82%

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

$27.3K €24.3K

$27.8K €24.7K

-1.60%

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

$24.0K €21.3K

$23.7K €21.1K

1.24%

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

$194 €173

$160 €143

21.20%

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

$30.65 €27.26

$24.70 €21.97

24.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.76 €34.48

$27.86 €24.78

39.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.10 €43.68

$38.91 €34.61

26.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.52 €35.15

$22.77 €20.25

73.56%

Cinema Ticket

$8.74 €7.77

$9.18 €8.17

-4.79%

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

$409 €364

$479 €426

-14.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,997 €3,555

$4,608 €4,098

-13.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.1 €80.1

$68.7 €61.1

31.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.03 €37.39

$34.75 €30.91

20.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.2 €75.8

$75.5 €67.1

12.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €121

$108 €95.7

26.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 €569

$494 €439

29.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$498 €443

$406 €361

22.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,089 €969

$771 €686

41.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$987 €878

$701 €623

40.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,043 €3,597

$2,034 €1,809

98.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,746 €2,442

$1,758 €1,563

56.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,128 €1,004

$1,144 €1,018

-1.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

4.36

1.83%

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

Last update for Heraklion: October 11, 2026

Last update for Patras: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Heraklion

$498 31.2%

Patras

$406 29.5% 18.6% $92

Groceries & Markets

Heraklion

$294 18.4%

Patras

$279 20.3% 5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Heraklion

$264 16.5%

Patras

$213 15.5% 19.3% $51

Eating Out

Heraklion

$229 14.4%

Patras

$214 15.6% 6.7% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Heraklion

$159 10%

Patras

$129 9.4% 18.9% $30

Getting Around

Heraklion

$83 5.2%

Patras

$76 5.6% 8.4% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Heraklion

$67 4.2%

Patras

$57 4.2% 14% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $640 in Heraklion and $494 in Patras. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Patras pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $56.0 in Heraklion vs $58.0 in Patras. Groceries flip the comparison at $294 vs $279, with Patras cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Heraklion

🇬🇷 Patras

🕒 Local time

17:04 5:04 PM

Same time as Heraklion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,730

300,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Heraklion Patras 440 km

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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

Heraklion vs Patras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Patras is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 16% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 1% lower in Patras. 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: $640 in Heraklion versus $494 in Patras. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $409 in Heraklion versus $479 in Patras. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Heraklion. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,375 in Patras versus $1,594 in Heraklion, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Patras but tight or insufficient in Heraklion. The gap between the two cities makes Patras the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Heraklion and Patras 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 Patras gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Heraklion. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.