Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Thessaloniki

For one person, living is cheaper in Thessaloniki: $1,660 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
Learn more

Thessaloniki Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,660

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,660 in Thessaloniki.

Lisbon $2,210
Thessaloniki $1,660

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,529 in Thessaloniki.

Lisbon $3,275
Thessaloniki $2,529

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,398 in Thessaloniki.

Lisbon $4,341
Thessaloniki $3,398

Living in Lisbon is roughly 33% more expensive than in Thessaloniki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Thessaloniki 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$16.83 €15.12

-1.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$66.9 €60.1

-7.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$11.04 €9.92

2.90%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$4.29 €3.85

-30.77%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.85 €2.56

-19.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.75 €0.68

132.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$5.49 €4.93

-38.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.53 €5.87

-49.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.72 €1.54

-32.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.71 €1.54

11.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$3.69 €3.32

-59.08%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$5.52 €4.96

-27.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$13.99 €12.57

-7.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$11.20 €10.06

-30.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$18.82 €16.90

-5.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.49 €2.24

-7.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.14 €1.93

-19.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.16 €1.94

-13.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.75 €2.47

-5.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.28 €1.15

42.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.23 €1.11

60.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.53 €1.37

-3.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.89 €0.80

-19.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$5.48 €4.93

20.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$10.00 €8.99

-43.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.08 €1.87

-34.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$3.25 €2.92

-34.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.66 €0.59

253.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$18.02 €16.19

147.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$4.14 €3.72

-7.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.10 €0.99

-2.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$16.48 €14.80

-0.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.38 €2.13

-7.56%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$27.9K €25.0K

22.72%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$27.4K €24.6K

41.14%

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

$161 €145

$210 €189

-23.22%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$23.21 €20.85

-20.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$30.46 €27.37

7.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$52.1 €46.82

-14.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$16.26 €14.61

17.47%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$10.45 €9.38

-8.13%

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

$668 €600

$481 €432

38.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$8,979 €8,066

96.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$97.4 €87.5

4.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$45.50 €40.87

-2.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$124 €111

-20.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$130 €117

-4.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$623 €560

158.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$507 €455

134.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,096 €985

156.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$823 €739

144.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$3,708 €3,331

111.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$2,866 €2,575

59.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$1,176 €1,056

33.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.34

-27.90%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Thessaloniki: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Thessaloniki

$507 30.5% 57.4% $683

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Thessaloniki

$333 20.1% 22.4% $61

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Thessaloniki

$274 16.5% 13% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Thessaloniki

$264 15.9% 24.1% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Thessaloniki

$178 10.8% 7.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4% 14.5% $9.3

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8% 52.1% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $623 in Thessaloniki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 34% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $67 in Thessaloniki for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $333 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🕒 Local time

18:45 6:45 PM

20:45 8:45 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

790,824

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Thessaloniki 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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

Lisbon vs Thessaloniki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Thessaloniki differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $1,660 including rent). Thessaloniki is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $623 in Thessaloniki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $481 in Thessaloniki. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 18% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Thessaloniki gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Lisbon 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.

It comes down to priorities – Thessaloniki wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.