Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santorini and Thessaloniki

For one person, living is cheaper in Thessaloniki: $1,649 a month against $2,113 in Santorini, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Santorini
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Santorini Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
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Thessaloniki Living Index

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Santorini

🇬🇷 Greece

$2,113

/mo nomad

Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,649

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,113 in Santorini versus $1,649 in Thessaloniki.

Santorini $2,113
Thessaloniki $1,649

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,080 in Santorini versus $2,537 in Thessaloniki.

Santorini $3,080
Thessaloniki $2,537

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,046 in Santorini versus $3,425 in Thessaloniki.

Santorini $4,046
Thessaloniki $3,425

Living in Santorini is roughly 28% more expensive than in Thessaloniki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santorini 57% above, Thessaloniki 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.66 €23.72

$17.01 €15.13

56.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.6 €77.9

$67.2 €59.8

30.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.56 €13.84

$11.20 €9.96

38.93%

Cappuccino

$4.64 €4.13

$4.29 €3.82

8.16%

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

$3.71 €3.30

$2.90 €2.58

27.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.18

$0.76 €0.67

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 €5.01

$5.45 €4.85

3.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 €6.41

$6.53 €5.81

10.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.70 €1.51

17.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.78 €1.58

-20.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.38 €3.00

$3.71 €3.30

-8.89%

Eggs

$6.54 €5.82

$5.50 €4.89

18.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.26 €12.68

$14.29 €12.71

-0.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.71 €6.86

$11.48 €10.21

-32.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.06 €16.07

$18.35 €16.32

-1.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.46

$2.51 €2.23

9.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$2.25 €2.00

-1.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.12 €1.89

-23.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 €3.01

$2.79 €2.48

21.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$1.30 €1.15

96.15%

Onion (1kg)

$3.40 €3.02

$1.22 €1.09

178.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.60 €1.42

-36.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 €0.53

$0.94 €0.84

-36.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.53 €5.81

$5.74 €5.11

13.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.68 €5.05

$9.93 €8.83

-42.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.73

$2.06 €1.83

-5.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 €2.42

$3.14 €2.79

-13.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.72 €2.42

$0.65 €0.57

318.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €26.03

$18.07 €16.07

61.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.20 €1.95

$4.07 €3.62

-45.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.13 €1.01

83.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.23 €12.66

$16.79 €14.93

-15.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.25 €2.00

0.89%

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

$44.6K €39.7K

$28.0K €24.9K

59.59%

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

$45.7K €40.6K

$31.0K €27.6K

47.22%

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

$305 €271

$215 €191

42.05%

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

$43.85 €39.00

$23.24 €20.67

88.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.93 €30.18

$30.60 €27.22

10.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.9 €70.2

$52.1 €46.32

51.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.20 €22.41

$16.27 €14.47

54.89%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 €5.86

$10.36 €9.22

-36.39%

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

$601 €535

$469 €417

28.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,075 €8,073

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 €59.9

$94.7 €84.2

-28.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 €44.54

$44.40 €39.50

12.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.1 €66.8

$125 €111

-39.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €100

$129 €115

-12.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 €1,411

$622 €554

154.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$758 €674

$489 €435

55.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,299 €1,155

$1,081 €962

20.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,034 €920

$838 €745

23.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,070 €4,510

$3,679 €3,273

37.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,313 €2,947

$2,799 €2,490

18.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,181 €1,050

$1,177 €1,047

0.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.15

5.34

-22.28%

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

Last update for Santorini: October 12, 2026

Last update for Thessaloniki: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santorini

$758 35.9%

Thessaloniki

$489 29.6% 35.5% $269

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santorini

$383 18.1%

Thessaloniki

$268 16.3% 29.8% $114

Eating Out

Santorini

$378 17.9%

Thessaloniki

$276 16.7% 27% $102

Groceries & Markets

Santorini

$312 14.8%

Thessaloniki

$336 20.4% 7.6% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Santorini

$137 6.5%

Thessaloniki

$177 10.7% 28.9% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Santorini

$92 4.4%

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4% 20.9% $19

Getting Around

Santorini

$53 2.5%

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8% 42.3% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,587 in Santorini and $622 in Thessaloniki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santorini pays 0% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $88.0 in Santorini vs $67.0 in Thessaloniki. Groceries flip the comparison at $312 vs $336, with Santorini cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Santorini

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🕒 Local time

16:44 4:44 PM

Same time as Santorini

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,233

790,824

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Santorini Thessaloniki 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Santorini
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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

Santorini vs Thessaloniki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santorini and Thessaloniki differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($2,113 vs $1,649 including rent). Thessaloniki is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 0% higher in Santorini, 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: $1,587 in Santorini versus $622 in Thessaloniki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Thessaloniki runs roughly 62% less than in Santorini. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $601 in Santorini versus $469 in Thessaloniki. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,649 in Thessaloniki versus $2,113 in Santorini, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Thessaloniki but tight or insufficient in Santorini. The gap between the two cities makes Thessaloniki 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, Santorini 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.

Expats usually find Thessaloniki gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Santorini. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.