Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thessaloniki and Berlin

For one person, living is cheaper in Thessaloniki: $1,643 a month against $2,545 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
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Thessaloniki Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index

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Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,643

/mo nomad

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,545

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thessaloniki and in Berlin

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

A single person spends $1,643 per month in Thessaloniki vs $2,545 in Berlin, rent included.

Thessaloniki $1,643
Berlin $2,545

A couple spends around $2,545 per month in Thessaloniki vs $3,901 in Berlin, rent included.

Thessaloniki $2,545
Berlin $3,901

A family of three spends $3,446 per month in Thessaloniki vs $5,257 in Berlin, rent included.

Thessaloniki $3,446
Berlin $5,257

Thessaloniki is about 35% cheaper than Berlin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Thessaloniki and Berlin sit above the global median – Thessaloniki by 23%, Berlin by 90%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.85 €15.02

$16.81 €14.99

0.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 €59.3

$79.6 €71.0

-16.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 €9.81

$13.38 €11.93

-17.79%

Cappuccino

$4.30 €3.83

$4.27 €3.81

0.70%

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

$3.01 €2.68

$3.40 €3.03

-11.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$3.12 €2.78

-75.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 €5.14

$5.48 €4.88

5.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 €6.12

$4.56 €4.06

50.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.27 €1.13

38.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.45 €2.18

-30.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.55 €3.17

$3.30 €2.94

7.58%

Eggs

$5.46 €4.87

$4.45 €3.97

22.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.95 €12.44

$17.10 €15.25

-18.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.13 €9.92

$12.19 €10.87

-8.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.27 €16.29

$18.30 €16.32

-0.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$3.58 €3.19

-30.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.98 €1.76

12.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.27 €2.91

-35.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$3.81 €3.40

-26.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.15

$2.13 €1.90

-38.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 €1.11

$2.21 €1.97

-43.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.49 €1.33

2.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.81

$1.01 €0.90

-9.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.64 €5.03

$10.49 €9.36

-46.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.00 €8.92

$6.76 €6.03

47.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.86

$1.34 €1.20

55.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 €2.87

$2.10 €1.87

53.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 €0.58

$4.37 €3.90

-85.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.84 €15.91

$71.0 €63.3

-74.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.29 €3.83

$5.29 €4.72

-18.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.98

$3.05 €2.72

-63.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.55 €14.76

$36.30 €32.36

-54.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 €2.08

$2.28 €2.03

2.19%

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

$27.8K €24.8K

$33.2K €29.6K

-16.23%

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

$30.6K €27.3K

$39.1K €34.8K

-21.53%

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

$217 €193

$379 €338

-42.85%

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

$23.23 €20.71

$19.31 €17.22

20.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.69 €27.37

$48.41 €43.17

-36.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 €46.09

$40.31 €35.94

28.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.72 €14.91

$35.51 €31.66

-52.91%

Cinema Ticket

$10.50 €9.36

$15.53 €13.85

-32.39%

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

$468 €418

$144 €128

225.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,132 €8,142

$15.8K €14.0K

-42.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.4 €85.9

$94.6 €84.4

1.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.70 €39.86

$46.33 €41.31

-3.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €110

$103 €92.1

19.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

$141 €126

-5.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$627 €559

$1,488 €1,327

-57.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$487 €434

$1,098 €979

-55.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 €989

$2,665 €2,376

-58.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$850 €757

$2,080 €1,855

-59.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,774 €3,365

$8,578 €7,648

-56.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,867 €2,556

$5,438 €4,849

-47.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,166 €1,040

$3,487 €3,109

-66.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.34

3.8

40.53%

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

Last update for Thessaloniki: October 5, 2026

Last update for Berlin: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thessaloniki

$487 29.5%

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3% 126% $611

Groceries & Markets

Thessaloniki

$331 20.1%

Berlin

$351 13.8% 5.8% $19

Eating Out

Thessaloniki

$277 16.8%

Berlin

$289 11.4% 4.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thessaloniki

$271 16.4%

Berlin

$447 17.6% 65.1% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Thessaloniki

$179 10.9%

Berlin

$174 6.8% 3% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4%

Berlin

$71 2.8% 1.8% $1.3

Getting Around

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8%

Berlin

$109 4.3% 260% $79

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $627 in Thessaloniki versus $1,488 in Berlin. 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 199% higher in Berlin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Thessaloniki versus $80.0 in Berlin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $331 vs $351 – making Thessaloniki the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🇩🇪 Berlin

🕒 Local time

13:21 1:21 PM

12:21 12:21 PM

1 h behind Thessaloniki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

790,824

3,769,962 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Thessaloniki Berlin 1,500 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Thessaloniki
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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 Berlin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,465 per month in Thessaloniki and $3,818 in Berlin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,643 in Thessaloniki and $2,545 in Berlin. That's a gap of about 55%.

Public transport costs about 298% less in Thessaloniki. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Thessaloniki, where all-in costs run around $1,643, than in Berlin at $2,545. In Thessaloniki it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Thessaloniki – 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 Thessaloniki. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Berlin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.