Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Heraklion and Thessaloniki

For one person, living costs are similar in Heraklion and in Thessaloniki: $1,594 and $1,649 a month, rent and utilities included.

77

Cost of Living Index in Heraklion
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Heraklion Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
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Thessaloniki Living Index

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Heraklion

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,594

/mo nomad

Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,649

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Heraklion versus $1,649 in Thessaloniki.

Heraklion $1,594
Thessaloniki $1,649

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,499 in Heraklion versus $2,537 in Thessaloniki.

Heraklion $2,499
Thessaloniki $2,537

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,403 in Heraklion versus $3,425 in Thessaloniki.

Heraklion $3,403
Thessaloniki $3,425

Living in Heraklion costs roughly 3% less than in Thessaloniki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Heraklion 18% above, Thessaloniki 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.89 €11.47

$17.01 €15.13

-24.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 €49.86

$67.2 €59.8

-16.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.92 €8.82

$11.20 €9.96

-11.43%

Cappuccino

$3.83 €3.41

$4.29 €3.82

-10.72%

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

$2.44 €2.17

$2.90 €2.58

-15.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.70

$0.76 €0.67

3.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.42 €4.82

$5.45 €4.85

-0.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 €4.69

$6.53 €5.81

-19.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.70 €1.51

-0.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.78 €1.58

-20.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.58 €2.29

$3.71 €3.30

-30.46%

Eggs

$4.46 €3.97

$5.50 €4.89

-18.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.91 €14.15

$14.29 €12.71

11.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.54 €9.38

$11.48 €10.21

-8.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.14 €13.46

$18.35 €16.32

-17.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.51 €2.23

-13.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.25 €2.00

-4.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.12 €1.89

-35.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.79 €2.48

-39.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.30 €1.15

-5.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.22 €1.09

0.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 €0.83

$1.60 €1.42

-41.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.64

$0.94 €0.84

-23.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 €4.39

$5.74 €5.11

-13.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.60 €6.76

$9.93 €8.83

-23.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 €2.08

$2.06 €1.83

13.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 €2.54

$3.14 €2.79

-8.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.65 €0.57

124.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.6 €60.1

$18.07 €16.07

274.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.89

$4.07 €3.62

7.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 €1.01

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.14 €9.91

$16.79 €14.93

-33.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.25 €2.00

-4.00%

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

$27.3K €24.3K

$28.0K €24.9K

-2.31%

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

$24.0K €21.3K

$31.0K €27.6K

-22.67%

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

$194 €173

$215 €191

-9.47%

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

$30.65 €27.26

$23.24 €20.67

31.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.76 €34.48

$30.60 €27.22

26.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.10 €43.68

$52.1 €46.32

-5.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.52 €35.15

$16.27 €14.47

142.90%

Cinema Ticket

$8.74 €7.77

$10.36 €9.22

-15.64%

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

$409 €364

$469 €417

-12.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,997 €3,555

$9,075 €8,073

-55.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.1 €80.1

$94.7 €84.2

-4.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.03 €37.39

$44.40 €39.50

-5.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.2 €75.8

$125 €111

-31.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €121

$129 €115

5.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 €569

$622 €554

2.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$498 €443

$489 €435

1.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,089 €969

$1,081 €962

0.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$987 €878

$838 €745

17.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,043 €3,597

$3,679 €3,273

9.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,746 €2,442

$2,799 €2,490

-1.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,128 €1,004

$1,177 €1,047

-4.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

5.34

-16.85%

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

Last update for Heraklion: 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

Heraklion

$498 31.2%

Thessaloniki

$489 29.6% 1.9% $9.4

Groceries & Markets

Heraklion

$294 18.4%

Thessaloniki

$336 20.4% 14.2% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Heraklion

$264 16.5%

Thessaloniki

$268 16.3% 1.8% $4.8

Eating Out

Heraklion

$229 14.4%

Thessaloniki

$276 16.7% 20.4% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Heraklion

$159 10%

Thessaloniki

$177 10.7% 11.3% $18

Getting Around

Heraklion

$83 5.2%

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8% 63.6% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Heraklion

$67 4.2%

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4% 9.3% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $640 in Heraklion 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: $56.0 in Heraklion vs $67.0 in Thessaloniki for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $294 vs $336 per month, with Heraklion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Heraklion

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🕒 Local time

16:22 4:22 PM

Same time as Heraklion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,730

790,824

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Heraklion Thessaloniki 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Heraklion
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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

Heraklion vs Thessaloniki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Heraklion is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 3% 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: $640 in Heraklion versus $622 in Thessaloniki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $409 in Heraklion versus $469 in Thessaloniki. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Thessaloniki. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,594 in Heraklion versus $1,649 in Thessaloniki, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Heraklion but tight or insufficient in Thessaloniki. The gap between the two cities makes Heraklion the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Heraklion 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, Heraklion 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 Heraklion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Thessaloniki. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.