Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thessaloniki and Bilbao

For one person, living is cheaper in Thessaloniki: $1,660 a month against $2,166 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bilbao outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
Learn more

Thessaloniki Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
Learn more

Bilbao Living Index

Jump to prices

Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,660

/mo nomad

Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,166

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thessaloniki and in Bilbao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,660 in Thessaloniki versus $2,166 in Bilbao.

Thessaloniki $1,660
Bilbao $2,166

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,529 in Thessaloniki versus $3,118 in Bilbao.

Thessaloniki $2,529
Bilbao $3,118

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,398 in Thessaloniki versus $4,069 in Bilbao.

Thessaloniki $3,398
Bilbao $4,069

Living in Thessaloniki costs roughly 23% less than in Bilbao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thessaloniki 22% above, Bilbao 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.08

$22.64 €20.27

-25.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €59.9

$73.0 €65.4

-8.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.04 €9.89

$12.47 €11.17

-11.47%

Cappuccino

$4.29 €3.84

$2.67 €2.39

60.67%

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

$2.85 €2.56

$3.12 €2.79

-8.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$1.91 €1.71

-60.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.49 €4.92

$3.30 €2.96

66.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 €5.85

$3.30 €2.96

97.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.31 €1.17

31.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.65 €1.48

3.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.31

$1.54 €1.38

139.61%

Eggs

$5.52 €4.94

$3.31 €2.97

66.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.99 €12.53

$15.55 €13.93

-10.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.20 €10.03

$7.97 €7.14

40.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.82 €16.85

$14.56 €13.04

29.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.23

$2.76 €2.47

-9.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.09 €1.87

2.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.93

$2.54 €2.28

-14.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 €2.46

$2.65 €2.38

3.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.64 €1.47

-21.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 €1.11

$2.43 €2.18

-49.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.28 €1.14

19.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.80

$0.93 €0.83

-4.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.91

$6.57 €5.89

-16.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.00 €8.96

$7.59 €6.80

31.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.86

$1.51 €1.35

37.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.91

$2.59 €2.32

25.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 €0.59

$1.95 €1.75

-66.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.02 €16.14

$50.7 €45.41

-64.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.14 €3.71

$5.37 €4.81

-22.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.03 €0.92

6.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.48 €14.76

$32.32 €28.94

-49.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.13

$1.83 €1.64

30.05%

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

$27.9K €25.0K

$33.3K €29.8K

-16.30%

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

$27.4K €24.6K

$32.3K €28.9K

-14.97%

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

$210 €188

$145 €130

44.91%

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

$23.21 €20.79

$19.91 €17.83

16.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.46 €27.28

$29.47 €26.40

3.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 €46.68

$50.8 €45.51

2.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.26 €14.56

$15.21 €13.62

6.90%

Cinema Ticket

$10.45 €9.36

$10.18 €9.11

2.65%

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

$481 €431

$534 €478

-9.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,979 €8,041

$11.7K €10.5K

-23.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.4 €87.2

$105 €93.7

-6.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.50 €40.75

$36.56 €32.74

24.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 €111

$76.0 €68.1

62.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$143 €128

-9.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 €558

$1,366 €1,224

-54.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$507 €454

$1,093 €979

-53.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 €982

$2,008 €1,798

-45.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$823 €737

$1,559 €1,397

-47.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,708 €3,321

$5,880 €5,266

-36.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,866 €2,567

$3,707 €3,320

-22.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,176 €1,053

$2,346 €2,101

-49.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.34

2.98

79.19%

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

Last update for Thessaloniki: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bilbao: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thessaloniki

$507 30.5%

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.4% 116% $586

Groceries & Markets

Thessaloniki

$333 20.1%

Bilbao

$283 13.1% 15.1% $50

Eating Out

Thessaloniki

$274 16.5%

Bilbao

$294 13.6% 7.2% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thessaloniki

$264 15.9%

Bilbao

$194 9% 26.3% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Thessaloniki

$178 10.8%

Bilbao

$162 7.5% 9.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4%

Bilbao

$71 3.3% 2.5% $1.8

Getting Around

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8%

Bilbao

$69 3.2% 128% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $623 in Thessaloniki and $1,366 in Bilbao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 100% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Thessaloniki vs $73 in Bilbao. Groceries flip the comparison at $333 vs $283, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🕒 Local time

00:16 12:16 AM

23:16 11:16 PM

1 h behind Thessaloniki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

790,824

346,096

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Thessaloniki Bilbao 2,150 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Thessaloniki
Bilbao

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 Bilbao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,660 in Thessaloniki and $2,166 in Bilbao, so Thessaloniki is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 50% 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 $1,366 in Bilbao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $481 in Thessaloniki versus $534 in Bilbao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bilbao pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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 Bilbao are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Thessaloniki wins on affordability, Bilbao on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.