Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palermo and Thessaloniki

For one person, living is cheaper in Palermo: $1,566 a month against $1,649 in Thessaloniki, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Thessaloniki despite lower rent and utilities.

76

Cost of Living Index in Palermo
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Palermo Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
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Thessaloniki Living Index

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Palermo

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,566

/mo nomad

Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,649

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,566 per month in Palermo vs $1,649 in Thessaloniki, rent included.

Palermo $1,566
Thessaloniki $1,649

A couple spends around $2,314 per month in Palermo vs $2,537 in Thessaloniki, rent included.

Palermo $2,314
Thessaloniki $2,537

A family of three spends $3,061 per month in Palermo vs $3,425 in Thessaloniki, rent included.

Palermo $3,061
Thessaloniki $3,425

Palermo is about 5% cheaper than Thessaloniki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Palermo and Thessaloniki sit above the global median – Palermo by 16%, Thessaloniki by 22%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.02 €13.36

$17.01 €15.13

-11.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 €49.51

$67.2 €59.8

-17.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 €10.01

$11.20 €9.96

0.45%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.81

$4.29 €3.82

-52.45%

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

$2.36 €2.10

$2.90 €2.58

-18.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$0.76 €0.67

67.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$5.45 €4.85

5.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 €3.58

$6.53 €5.81

-38.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.70 €1.51

-25.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.78 €1.58

-0.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$3.71 €3.30

-26.15%

Eggs

$2.99 €2.66

$5.50 €4.89

-45.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.93 €13.28

$14.29 €12.71

4.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.99 €10.67

$11.48 €10.21

4.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 €15.18

$18.35 €16.32

-6.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.51 €2.23

15.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.25 €2.00

-6.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.60

$2.12 €1.89

38.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 €2.72

$2.79 €2.48

9.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.30 €1.15

31.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.22 €1.09

22.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.60 €1.42

11.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 €0.35

$0.94 €0.84

-57.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.86 €6.10

$5.74 €5.11

19.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.30 €6.50

$9.93 €8.83

-26.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.06 €1.83

5.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 €2.67

$3.14 €2.79

-4.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 €1.41

$0.65 €0.57

143.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.13 €32.14

$18.07 €16.07

99.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 €2.92

$4.07 €3.62

-19.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.13 €1.01

0.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.46 €34.21

$16.79 €14.93

129.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.25 €2.00

-8.00%

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

$36.0K €32.0K

$28.0K €24.9K

28.77%

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

$35.1K €31.2K

$31.0K €27.6K

13.07%

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

$228 €203

$215 €191

6.11%

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

$9.87 €8.78

$23.24 €20.67

-57.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.63 €23.68

$30.60 €27.22

-12.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.70 €41.54

$52.1 €46.32

-10.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.87 €28.35

$16.27 €14.47

95.88%

Cinema Ticket

$8.81 €7.84

$10.36 €9.22

-14.96%

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

$439 €391

$469 €417

-6.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,629 €5,007

$9,075 €8,073

-37.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.7 €63.8

$94.7 €84.2

-24.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.89 €27.47

$44.40 €39.50

-30.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 €77.2

$125 €111

-30.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$129 €115

-3.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 €650

$622 €554

17.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 €445

$489 €435

2.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,091 €971

$1,081 €962

0.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$730 €649

$838 €745

-12.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,641 €2,349

$3,679 €3,273

-28.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,263 €1,124

$2,799 €2,490

-54.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,635 €1,455

$1,177 €1,047

38.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

5.34

-36.52%

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

Last update for Palermo: 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

Palermo

$500 31.9%

Thessaloniki

$489 29.6% 2.3% $12

Groceries & Markets

Palermo

$315 20.1%

Thessaloniki

$336 20.4% 6.7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palermo

$264 16.9%

Thessaloniki

$268 16.3% 1.6% $4.2

Eating Out

Palermo

$230 14.7%

Thessaloniki

$276 16.7% 20.3% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Palermo

$142 9%

Thessaloniki

$177 10.7% 25% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Palermo

$64 4.1%

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4% 13.2% $8.5

Getting Around

Palermo

$51 3.3%

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8% 40.9% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $731 in Palermo versus $622 in Thessaloniki. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 39% higher in Palermo, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Palermo versus $67.0 in Thessaloniki. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $315 vs $336 – making Palermo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Palermo

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🕒 Local time

06:31 6:31 AM

07:31 7:31 AM

1 h ahead of Palermo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

628,165

790,824

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Palermo Thessaloniki 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Palermo
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

Palermo vs Thessaloniki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Thessaloniki is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,349 per month in Palermo and $2,474 in Thessaloniki. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Palermo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 100% less in Palermo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $439 per month in Palermo and $469 in Thessaloniki. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Palermo, where all-in costs run around $1,566, than in Thessaloniki at $1,649. In Palermo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Thessaloniki it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Palermo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Palermo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Thessaloniki makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.