Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Thessaloniki

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $1,670 in Thessaloniki, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
Learn more

Thessaloniki Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,670

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,670 in Thessaloniki, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Thessaloniki $1,670

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,550 in Thessaloniki, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Thessaloniki $2,550

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $3,429 in Thessaloniki, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Thessaloniki $3,429

Istanbul is about 9% cheaper than Thessaloniki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Thessaloniki sit above the global median – Istanbul by 12%, Thessaloniki by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$16.56 €14.74

-28.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$67.9 €60.4

-19.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$11.27 €10.03

-17.83%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$4.14 €3.69

3.86%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.96 €2.63

-40.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.76 €0.68

-26.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$5.54 €4.93

-15.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$5.66 €5.04

25.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.75 €1.56

-28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.77 €1.57

-50.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$3.61 €3.22

-39.06%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$5.76 €5.13

-57.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$14.23 €12.67

-26.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$11.26 €10.02

-52.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$18.72 €16.67

12.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$2.47 €2.20

-24.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.22 €1.98

3.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.08 €1.85

-41.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.76 €2.46

-34.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.27 €1.13

-45.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.17 €1.04

-45.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.51 €1.34

-9.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.84 €0.75

-30.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.74 €5.11

-59.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$9.96 €8.87

30.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$2.01 €1.79

17.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$3.26 €2.90

1.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.68 €0.61

29.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$17.74 €15.80

272.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$4.44 €3.95

-71.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.15 €1.02

-26.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$16.48 €14.67

-32.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$2.27 €2.02

-34.80%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.5K €25.3K

70.90%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$28.1K €25.0K

49.32%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$220 €196

-57.83%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$23.51 €20.93

-52.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$30.52 €27.18

-47.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$53.6 €47.68

39.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$16.16 €14.39

42.02%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$10.45 €9.31

-22.97%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$480 €428

97.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$11.9K €10.6K

210.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$95.9 €85.4

-43.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$46.13 €41.08

-10.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$126 €112

-19.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$133 €118

-31.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$619 €551

63.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$507 €451

23.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$1,105 €984

81.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$836 €745

34.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$3,647 €3,247

-18.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$2,797 €2,491

-38.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,162 €1,034

-2.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

5.34

656.93%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Thessaloniki: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Thessaloniki

$507 30.3% 18.8% $118

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Thessaloniki

$334 20% 29.4% $76

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Thessaloniki

$270 16.2% 22.1% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Thessaloniki

$180 10.8% 39.4% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Thessaloniki

$274 16.4% 129% $154

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Thessaloniki

$74 4.5% 18% $16

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Thessaloniki

$31 1.8% 59.2% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $619 in Thessaloniki. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $68 in Thessaloniki. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $334 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

11:29 11:29 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

790,824

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Thessaloniki 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
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

Istanbul vs Thessaloniki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Thessaloniki is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $2,505 in Thessaloniki. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Thessaloniki, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $619 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $480 in Thessaloniki. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Thessaloniki, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,670 in Thessaloniki. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,519 versus $1,670 in Thessaloniki. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.