Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melissia and Thessaloniki

For one person, living is cheaper in Melissia: $1,449 a month against $1,660 in Thessaloniki, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Melissia
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Melissia Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
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Thessaloniki Living Index

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Melissia

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,449

/mo nomad

Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,660

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,449 in Melissia versus $1,660 in Thessaloniki.

Melissia $1,449
Thessaloniki $1,660

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Melissia versus $2,529 in Thessaloniki.

Melissia $2,216
Thessaloniki $2,529

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,983 in Melissia versus $3,398 in Thessaloniki.

Melissia $2,983
Thessaloniki $3,398

Living in Melissia costs roughly 13% less than in Thessaloniki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melissia 6% above, Thessaloniki 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.12 €9.96

$16.83 €15.08

-33.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.8 €51.8

$66.9 €59.9

-13.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.82 €7.90

$11.04 €9.89

-20.11%

Cappuccino

$4.19 €3.75

$4.29 €3.84

-2.33%

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

$2.34 €2.09

$2.85 €2.56

-17.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 €0.53

$0.75 €0.67

-21.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 €3.97

$5.49 €4.92

-19.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 €4.38

$6.53 €5.85

-25.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.72 €1.54

5.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.71 €1.53

-15.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.39

$3.69 €3.31

-27.64%

Eggs

$5.27 €4.72

$5.52 €4.94

-4.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 €10.82

$13.99 €12.53

-13.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.06 €9.01

$11.20 €10.03

-10.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.36 €17.34

$18.82 €16.85

2.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.99

$2.49 €2.23

-10.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.70

$2.14 €1.92

-11.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 €1.21

$2.16 €1.93

-37.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.75 €2.46

-22.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.28 €1.14

-9.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.23 €1.11

-11.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 €0.80

$1.53 €1.37

-41.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.89 €0.80

30.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.64 €5.06

$5.48 €4.91

2.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.93 €8.89

$10.00 €8.96

-0.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.08 €1.86

-0.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 €2.14

$3.25 €2.91

-26.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.23

$0.66 €0.59

107.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.8 €49.09

$18.02 €16.14

204.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 €3.99

$4.14 €3.71

7.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.10 €0.99

-5.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.50 €14.78

$16.48 €14.76

0.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.38 €2.13

-7.14%

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

$27.6K €24.7K

$27.9K €25.0K

-1.09%

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

$24.4K €21.8K

$27.4K €24.6K

-11.16%

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

$199 €178

$210 €188

-5.10%

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

$25.51 €22.85

$23.21 €20.79

9.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.69 €25.69

$30.46 €27.28

-5.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 €47.49

$52.1 €46.68

1.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.20 €19.88

$16.26 €14.56

36.53%

Cinema Ticket

$9.56 €8.56

$10.45 €9.36

-8.52%

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

$466 €417

$481 €431

-3.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,741 €4,246

$8,979 €8,041

-47.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.4 €80.9

$97.4 €87.2

-7.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.22 €35.13

$45.50 €40.75

-13.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.1

$124 €111

-18.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$130 €116

-4.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$461 €413

$623 €558

-26.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$379 €339

$507 €454

-25.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$730 €654

$1,096 €982

-33.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 €552

$823 €737

-25.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,471 €2,213

$3,708 €3,321

-33.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,934 €1,733

$2,866 €2,567

-32.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,368 €1,225

$1,176 €1,053

16.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.34

-16.10%

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

Last update for Melissia: October 26, 2026

Last update for Thessaloniki: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melissia

$379 26.1%

Thessaloniki

$507 30.5% 33.8% $128

Groceries & Markets

Melissia

$306 21.1%

Thessaloniki

$333 20.1% 9% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melissia

$253 17.5%

Thessaloniki

$264 15.9% 4% $10

Eating Out

Melissia

$209 14.5%

Thessaloniki

$274 16.5% 30.9% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Melissia

$160 11%

Thessaloniki

$178 10.8% 11.8% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Melissia

$72 5%

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4% 1.2% $0.9

Getting Around

Melissia

$70 4.8%

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8% 56.7% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $461 in Melissia and $623 in Thessaloniki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melissia pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $58 in Melissia vs $67 in Thessaloniki for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $306 vs $333 per month, with Melissia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Melissia

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🕒 Local time

01:42 1:42 AM

Same time as Melissia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,588

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

Melissia vs Thessaloniki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melissia wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Thessaloniki. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Melissia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Melissia, 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: $461 in Melissia versus $623 in Thessaloniki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,449 per month in Melissia versus $1,660 in Thessaloniki – Melissia is about 13% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Thessaloniki runs roughly 67% less than in Melissia. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Melissia is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Melissia and Thessaloniki are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.