Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thessaloniki and Alcala de Henares

For one person, living is cheaper in Thessaloniki: $1,660 a month against $1,909 in Alcala de Henares, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Alcala de Henares outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
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Thessaloniki Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Alcala de Henares
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Alcala de Henares Living Index

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Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,660

/mo nomad

Alcala de Henares

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,909

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thessaloniki and in Alcala de Henares

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,660 in Thessaloniki versus $1,909 in Alcala de Henares.

Thessaloniki $1,660
Alcala de Henares $1,909

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,529 in Thessaloniki versus $2,723 in Alcala de Henares.

Thessaloniki $2,529
Alcala de Henares $2,723

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,398 in Thessaloniki versus $3,537 in Alcala de Henares.

Thessaloniki $3,398
Alcala de Henares $3,537

Living in Thessaloniki costs roughly 13% less than in Alcala de Henares, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thessaloniki 22% above, Alcala de Henares 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.12

$16.95 €15.23

-0.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €60.1

$65.8 €59.2

1.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.04 €9.92

$11.11 €9.99

-0.63%

Cappuccino

$4.29 €3.85

$2.66 €2.39

61.28%

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

$2.85 €2.56

$3.22 €2.89

-11.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.68

$1.95 €1.75

-61.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.49 €4.93

$3.86 €3.46

42.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 €5.87

$4.88 €4.39

33.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.21 €1.09

42.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 €1.54

$1.56 €1.40

9.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.32

$1.71 €1.54

115.79%

Eggs

$5.52 €4.96

$2.88 €2.58

91.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.99 €12.57

$22.52 €20.23

-37.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.20 €10.07

$9.16 €8.23

22.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.82 €16.91

$17.66 €15.86

6.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.24

$2.79 €2.51

-10.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.93

$2.38 €2.13

-10.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.94

$2.19 €1.97

-1.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 €2.47

$2.60 €2.34

5.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 €1.15

$2.14 €1.92

-40.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 €1.11

$2.16 €1.94

-43.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.51 €1.36

1.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.80

$0.75 €0.67

18.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.93

$6.06 €5.44

-9.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.00 €8.99

$7.80 €7.01

28.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.87

$1.18 €1.06

76.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.92

$2.14 €1.92

51.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 €0.59

$1.47 €1.32

-55.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.02 €16.19

$45.73 €41.09

-60.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.14 €3.72

$3.70 €3.33

11.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.93 €1.74

-43.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.48 €14.81

$22.94 €20.61

-28.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.13

$1.72 €1.55

38.37%

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

$27.9K €25.0K

$32.8K €29.5K

-15.06%

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

$27.4K €24.7K

$30.6K €27.5K

-10.35%

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

$210 €189

$188 €169

11.51%

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

$23.21 €20.86

$19.42 €17.45

19.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.46 €27.37

$30.79 €27.67

-1.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 €46.83

$41.53 €37.31

25.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.26 €14.61

$8.27 €7.43

96.61%

Cinema Ticket

$10.45 €9.39

$9.49 €8.53

10.12%

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

$481 €432

$182 €164

163.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,979 €8,067

$5,892 €5,294

52.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.4 €87.5

$73.7 €66.2

32.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.50 €40.88

$35.88 €32.24

26.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 €111

$77.1 €69.3

60.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €117

$95.7 €86.0

35.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 €560

$983 €884

-36.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$507 €455

$854 €767

-40.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 €985

$1,791 €1,609

-38.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$823 €739

$1,156 €1,038

-28.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,708 €3,331

$4,266 €3,833

-13.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,866 €2,575

$3,423 €3,076

-16.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,176 €1,056

$1,741 €1,564

-32.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.34

3.14

70.06%

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

Last update for Thessaloniki: October 27, 2026

Last update for Alcala de Henares: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thessaloniki

$507 30.5%

Alcala de Henares

$854 44.7% 68.4% $347

Groceries & Markets

Thessaloniki

$333 20.1%

Alcala de Henares

$314 16.4% 5.8% $19

Eating Out

Thessaloniki

$274 16.5%

Alcala de Henares

$251 13.1% 8.6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thessaloniki

$264 15.9%

Alcala de Henares

$239 12.5% 9.5% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Thessaloniki

$178 10.8%

Alcala de Henares

$127 6.7% 28.8% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4%

Alcala de Henares

$61 3.2% 17.1% $13

Getting Around

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8%

Alcala de Henares

$65 3.4% 115% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $623 in Thessaloniki and $983 in Alcala de Henares. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alcala de Henares pays 48% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Thessaloniki vs $66 in Alcala de Henares for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $333 vs $314 per month, with Alcala de Henares cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🇪🇸 Alcala de Henares

🕒 Local time

13:08 1:08 PM

12:08 12:08 PM

1 h behind Thessaloniki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

790,824

199,184

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Thessaloniki Alcala de Henares 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Thessaloniki
Alcala de Henares

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

Thessaloniki vs Alcala de Henares: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thessaloniki and Alcala de Henares differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,660 vs $1,909 including rent). Thessaloniki is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Thessaloniki. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $623 in Thessaloniki versus $983 in Alcala de Henares. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $481 in Thessaloniki versus $182 in Alcala de Henares. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Thessaloniki runs roughly 61% less than in Alcala de Henares. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

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, Thessaloniki and Alcala de Henares 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, Alcala de Henares on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.