Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ioannina and Thessaloniki

For one person, living is cheaper in Ioannina: $1,392 a month against $1,642 in Thessaloniki, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Ioannina
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Ioannina Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
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Thessaloniki Living Index

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Ioannina

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,392

/mo nomad

Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,392 in Ioannina versus $1,642 in Thessaloniki.

Ioannina $1,392
Thessaloniki $1,642

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,118 in Ioannina versus $2,537 in Thessaloniki.

Ioannina $2,118
Thessaloniki $2,537

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,843 in Ioannina versus $3,431 in Thessaloniki.

Ioannina $2,843
Thessaloniki $3,431

Living in Ioannina costs roughly 15% less than in Thessaloniki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ioannina 3% above, Thessaloniki 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.89 €15.02

$16.79 €14.94

0.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.46 €29.76

$67.8 €60.3

-50.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €9.99

$11.04 €9.82

1.81%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.58

$4.24 €3.77

-5.19%

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

$2.93 €2.61

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 €0.51

$0.76 €0.68

-23.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.40 €3.92

$5.52 €4.91

-20.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.86

$6.77 €6.02

-19.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.78 €1.58

-5.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.76 €1.57

-38.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.71 €3.30

$3.66 €3.26

1.37%

Eggs

$3.47 €3.09

$5.47 €4.86

-36.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 €9.62

$13.97 €12.42

-22.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.39 €8.35

$11.15 €9.91

-15.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.28 €10.92

$18.27 €16.25

-32.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 €2.11

$2.54 €2.26

-6.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.17 €1.93

-4.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 €1.09

$2.06 €1.84

-40.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.79 €2.48

-5.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.25 €1.11

-9.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.24 €1.10

-13.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 €0.87

$1.54 €1.37

-36.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.78

$0.89 €0.79

-1.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.76 €5.12

$5.55 €4.94

3.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.90 €6.14

$9.95 €8.85

-30.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.03 €1.81

-5.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 €2.81

$3.28 €2.92

-3.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.65 €0.58

101.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.52 €37.82

$18.24 €16.22

133.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.10 €3.65

$4.28 €3.81

-4.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 €1.02

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.69 €5.95

$16.70 €14.85

-59.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.34 €2.08

-8.12%

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

$27.9K €24.8K

$28.0K €24.9K

-0.36%

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

$25.8K €22.9K

$28.3K €25.2K

-8.90%

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

$217 €193

$216 €192

0.76%

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

$23.26 €20.69

$22.97 €20.43

1.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.19 €25.97

$30.23 €26.89

-3.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.26 €39.37

$52.7 €46.84

-15.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.07 €40.09

$16.67 €14.83

170.37%

Cinema Ticket

$8.87 €7.89

$10.86 €9.66

-18.32%

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

$337 €300

$476 €423

-29.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,065 €8,064

$8,901 €7,917

1.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.7 €59.3

$95.9 €85.3

-30.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.43 €41.30

$45.38 €40.36

2.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.2 €66.9

$125 €111

-39.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €120

$129 €115

4.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 €405

$635 €565

-28.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 €292

$484 €430

-32.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 €622

$1,091 €971

-35.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$623 €554

$846 €753

-26.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,017 €2,684

$3,746 €3,332

-19.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,470 €2,197

$2,829 €2,516

-12.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,083 €963

$1,146 €1,020

-5.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.73

5.34

-11.42%

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

Last update for Ioannina: October 18, 2026

Last update for Thessaloniki: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ioannina

$328 23.6%

Thessaloniki

$484 29.5% 47.5% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ioannina

$270 19.4%

Thessaloniki

$269 16.4% 0.3% $0.9

Groceries & Markets

Ioannina

$265 19%

Thessaloniki

$332 20.2% 25.3% $67

Eating Out

Ioannina

$264 19%

Thessaloniki

$274 16.7% 3.9% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Ioannina

$145 10.4%

Thessaloniki

$178 10.8% 22.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Ioannina

$62 4.5%

Thessaloniki

$74 4.5% 20% $12

Getting Around

Ioannina

$58 4.1%

Thessaloniki

$31 1.9% 46.4% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $455 in Ioannina and $635 in Thessaloniki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thessaloniki pays 6% 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: $33.00 in Ioannina vs $68.0 in Thessaloniki for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $265 vs $332 per month, with Ioannina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Ioannina

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🕒 Local time

14:40 2:40 PM

Same time as Ioannina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,061

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

Ioannina vs Thessaloniki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ioannina and Thessaloniki differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,392 vs $1,642 including rent). Ioannina is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 6% 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: $455 in Ioannina versus $635 in Thessaloniki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $337 in Ioannina versus $476 in Thessaloniki. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Thessaloniki. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,392 in Ioannina versus $1,642 in Thessaloniki, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ioannina but tight or insufficient in Thessaloniki. The gap between the two cities makes Ioannina 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, Ioannina 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 Ioannina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Thessaloniki. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.