Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Patras and Heraklion

For one person, living is cheaper in Patras: $1,375 a month against $1,594 in Heraklion, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Patras
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Patras Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Heraklion
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Heraklion Living Index

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Patras

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,375

/mo nomad

Heraklion

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Patras and in Heraklion

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Patras and in Heraklion actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,375 in Patras versus $1,594 in Heraklion.

Patras $1,375
Heraklion $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,132 in Patras versus $2,499 in Heraklion.

Patras $2,132
Heraklion $2,499

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,889 in Patras versus $3,403 in Heraklion.

Patras $2,889
Heraklion $3,403

Living in Patras costs roughly 14% less than in Heraklion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Patras 2% above, Heraklion 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.19 €9.96

$12.89 €11.47

-13.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 €51.2

$56.1 €49.86

2.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.18 €8.16

$9.92 €8.82

-7.46%

Cappuccino

$4.33 €3.85

$3.83 €3.41

13.05%

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

$2.42 €2.15

$2.44 €2.17

-0.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.79 €0.70

-18.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.50 €4.00

$5.42 €4.82

-16.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 €4.59

$5.27 €4.69

-2.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 €1.42

$1.69 €1.51

-5.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.42 €1.27

2.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$2.58 €2.29

-6.98%

Eggs

$5.00 €4.45

$4.46 €3.97

12.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.32 €10.07

$15.91 €14.15

-28.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.91 €8.82

$10.54 €9.38

-5.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.07 €12.52

$15.14 €13.46

-7.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.17 €1.93

4.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.14 €1.91

0.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 €1.49

$1.37 €1.22

22.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.68 €1.50

18.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.23 €1.09

-10.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.23 €1.09

4.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 €0.77

$0.93 €0.83

-6.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.72 €0.64

62.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.05 €4.49

$4.94 €4.39

2.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.78 €6.03

$7.60 €6.76

-10.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.34 €2.08

-26.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 €2.95

$2.86 €2.54

16.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.46 €1.30

-10.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 €54.5

$67.6 €60.1

-9.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 €3.90

$4.37 €3.89

0.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.13 €1.01

-1.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.71 €12.20

$11.14 €9.91

23.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.95

$2.16 €1.92

1.85%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$27.3K €24.3K

1.62%

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

$23.7K €21.1K

$24.0K €21.3K

-1.23%

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

$160 €143

$194 €173

-17.49%

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

$24.70 €21.97

$30.65 €27.26

-19.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.86 €24.78

$38.76 €34.48

-28.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.91 €34.61

$49.10 €43.68

-20.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.77 €20.25

$39.52 €35.15

-42.38%

Cinema Ticket

$9.18 €8.17

$8.74 €7.77

5.03%

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

$479 €426

$409 €364

17.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,608 €4,098

$3,997 €3,555

15.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.7 €61.1

$90.1 €80.1

-23.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.75 €30.91

$42.03 €37.39

-17.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 €67.1

$85.2 €75.8

-11.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €95.7

$136 €121

-20.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 €439

$640 €569

-22.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 €361

$498 €443

-18.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 €686

$1,089 €969

-29.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$701 €623

$987 €878

-28.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,034 €1,809

$4,043 €3,597

-49.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,758 €1,563

$2,746 €2,442

-35.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,144 €1,018

$1,128 €1,004

1.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.36

4.44

-1.80%

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

Last update for Patras: October 11, 2026

Last update for Heraklion: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Patras

$406 29.5%

Heraklion

$498 31.2% 22.8% $92

Groceries & Markets

Patras

$279 20.3%

Heraklion

$294 18.4% 5.3% $15

Eating Out

Patras

$214 15.6%

Heraklion

$229 14.4% 7.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Patras

$213 15.5%

Heraklion

$264 16.5% 23.9% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Patras

$129 9.4%

Heraklion

$159 10% 23.3% $30

Getting Around

Patras

$76 5.6%

Heraklion

$83 5.2% 9.2% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Patras

$57 4.2%

Heraklion

$67 4.2% 16.2% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Patras and $640 in Heraklion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Patras pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $58.0 in Patras vs $56.0 in Heraklion. Groceries flip the comparison at $279 vs $294, with Patras cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Patras

🇬🇷 Heraklion

🕒 Local time

17:47 5:47 PM

Same time as Patras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

300,000

140,730

💱 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

Patras vs Heraklion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Patras is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 16% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1% higher in Patras, 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: $494 in Patras versus $640 in Heraklion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $479 in Patras versus $409 in Heraklion. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Heraklion. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,375 in Patras versus $1,594 in Heraklion, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Patras but tight or insufficient in Heraklion. The gap between the two cities makes Patras 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, Patras and Heraklion 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 Patras gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Heraklion. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.