Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thessaloniki and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Thessaloniki: $1,649 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Athens outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
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Thessaloniki Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,649

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thessaloniki and in Athens

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 Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,649 in Thessaloniki versus $1,775 in Athens.

Thessaloniki $1,649
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,537 in Thessaloniki versus $2,721 in Athens.

Thessaloniki $2,537
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,425 in Thessaloniki versus $3,666 in Athens.

Thessaloniki $3,425
Athens $3,666

Living in Thessaloniki costs roughly 7% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thessaloniki 22% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.01 €15.13

$16.69 €14.84

1.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 €59.8

$67.8 €60.3

-0.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.20 €9.96

$11.14 €9.91

0.54%

Cappuccino

$4.29 €3.82

$4.03 €3.58

6.45%

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

$2.90 €2.58

$2.77 €2.46

4.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.67

$0.55 €0.49

38.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 €4.85

$5.74 €5.10

-5.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 €5.81

$5.45 €4.85

19.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.82 €1.62

-6.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.38 €1.23

28.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.71 €3.30

$2.80 €2.49

32.50%

Eggs

$5.50 €4.89

$4.83 €4.30

13.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.29 €12.71

$15.05 €13.39

-5.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 €10.21

$10.63 €9.45

8.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.35 €16.32

$18.43 €16.39

-0.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.20 €1.96

14.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.90 €1.69

18.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.37 €1.22

54.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.79 €2.48

$2.10 €1.87

32.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.15

$1.08 €0.96

20.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.12 €1.00

8.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 €1.42

$1.12 €1.00

42.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.88 €0.79

6.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 €5.11

$5.48 €4.88

4.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.93 €8.83

$10.13 €9.01

-1.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.13 €1.89

-3.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 €2.79

$2.25 €2.00

39.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 €0.57

$1.36 €1.21

-52.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.07 €16.07

$29.89 €26.59

-39.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.07 €3.62

$4.45 €3.96

-8.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.02 €0.90

10.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.79 €14.93

$16.92 €15.05

-0.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

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

$28.0K €24.9K

-0.20%

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

$31.0K €27.6K

$28.2K €25.1K

9.87%

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

$215 €191

$205 €182

4.91%

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

$23.24 €20.67

$26.65 €23.71

-12.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.60 €27.22

$30.38 €27.02

0.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 €46.32

$54.5 €48.47

-4.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.27 €14.47

$25.88 €23.02

-37.13%

Cinema Ticket

$10.36 €9.22

$10.42 €9.27

-0.58%

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

$469 €417

$569 €506

-17.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,075 €8,073

$12.6K €11.2K

-27.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.7 €84.2

$88.7 €78.9

6.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.40 €39.50

$40.46 €35.99

9.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 €111

$105 €93.3

19.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$121 €108

6.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 €554

$741 €659

-15.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$489 €435

$655 €582

-25.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 €962

$1,300 €1,156

-16.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$838 €745

$1,148 €1,021

-27.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,679 €3,273

$4,014 €3,570

-8.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,799 €2,490

$3,460 €3,078

-19.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,177 €1,047

$1,242 €1,105

-5.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.34

4.48

19.20%

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

Last update for Thessaloniki: October 13, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thessaloniki

$489 29.6%

Athens

$655 36.9% 33.9% $166

Groceries & Markets

Thessaloniki

$336 20.4%

Athens

$310 17.5% 7.6% $25

Eating Out

Thessaloniki

$276 16.7%

Athens

$268 15.1% 2.9% $8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thessaloniki

$268 16.3%

Athens

$262 14.7% 2.6% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Thessaloniki

$177 10.7%

Athens

$160 9% 9.6% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4%

Athens

$75 4.2% 3.5% $2.5

Getting Around

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8%

Athens

$45 2.5% 47.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $622 in Thessaloniki and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 6% 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: $67.0 in Thessaloniki vs $68.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $336 vs $310, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

12:31 12:31 PM

Same time as Thessaloniki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

790,824

3,090,508 Capital

💱 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)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Thessaloniki vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thessaloniki wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Thessaloniki the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Athens. 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: $622 in Thessaloniki versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Thessaloniki – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,649 per month in Thessaloniki versus $1,775 in Athens – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,649 in Thessaloniki versus $1,775 in Athens, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Thessaloniki but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Thessaloniki the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Thessaloniki delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,649 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Thessaloniki hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Thessaloniki and Athens 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 8% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.