Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thessaloniki and Drama

For one person, living is cheaper in Drama: $1,227 a month against $1,642 in Thessaloniki, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
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Thessaloniki Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Drama
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Drama Living Index

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Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,642

/mo nomad

Drama

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,227

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thessaloniki and in Drama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,642 in Thessaloniki versus $1,227 in Drama.

Thessaloniki $1,642
Drama $1,227

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,537 in Thessaloniki versus $1,836 in Drama.

Thessaloniki $2,537
Drama $1,836

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,431 in Thessaloniki versus $2,445 in Drama.

Thessaloniki $3,431
Drama $2,445

Living in Thessaloniki is roughly 34% more expensive than in Drama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Thessaloniki is 21% above, Drama is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.79 €14.94

$16.71 €14.87

0.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$45.58 €40.54

48.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.04 €9.82

$11.30 €10.05

-2.30%

Cappuccino

$4.24 €3.77

$2.57 €2.29

64.98%

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

$2.93 €2.61

$2.28 €2.02

28.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.55 €0.48

38.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.52 €4.91

$3.43 €3.05

60.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 €6.02

$4.47 €3.97

51.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.75 €1.56

1.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.77 €1.57

-0.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.66 €3.26

$1.10 €0.97

232.73%

Eggs

$5.47 €4.86

$5.42 €4.83

0.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.97 €12.42

$14.10 €12.54

-0.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.15 €9.91

$9.33 €8.30

19.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.27 €16.25

$14.46 €12.86

26.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.42 €1.27

78.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.41 €1.26

53.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.18 €1.05

74.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.79 €2.48

$2.14 €1.91

30.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 €1.11

$0.93 €0.82

34.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.18 €1.05

5.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.60 €1.43

-3.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.90 €0.80

-1.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.55 €4.94

$5.13 €4.56

8.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 €8.85

$5.77 €5.14

72.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.03 €0.91

97.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 €2.92

$1.92 €1.71

70.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 €0.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.24 €16.22

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 €3.81

$4.18 €3.72

2.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.09 €0.97

5.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.70 €14.85

$16.79 €14.93

-0.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.08

$2.18 €1.94

7.34%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$28.3K €25.2K

-0.84%

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

$28.3K €25.2K

$28.6K €25.4K

-1.11%

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

$216 €192

$185 €164

16.87%

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

$22.97 €20.43

$22.81 €20.29

0.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.23 €26.89

$30.94 €27.52

-2.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 €46.84

$43.73 €38.90

20.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.67 €14.83

Cinema Ticket

$10.86 €9.66

$9.22 €8.20

17.79%

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

$476 €423

$455 €405

4.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,901 €7,917

$9,083 €8,079

-2.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.9 €85.3

$95.8 €85.2

0.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.38 €40.36

$22.03 €19.60

105.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 €111

$60.6 €53.9

106.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$68.3 €60.8

89.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$635 €565

$358 €319

77.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$484 €430

$302 €269

60.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,091 €971

$607 €540

79.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$846 €753

$447 €398

89.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,746 €3,332

$1,537 €1,367

143.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,829 €2,516

$3,235 €2,878

-12.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 €1,020

$1,109 €987

3.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.34

4.27

25.06%

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

Last update for Thessaloniki: October 18, 2026

Last update for Drama: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thessaloniki

$484 29.5%

Drama

$302 24.6% 37.5% $182

Groceries & Markets

Thessaloniki

$332 20.2%

Drama

$267 21.8% 19.4% $65

Eating Out

Thessaloniki

$274 16.7%

Drama

$236 19.2% 14% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thessaloniki

$269 16.4%

Drama

$238 19.4% 11.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Thessaloniki

$178 10.8%

Drama

$111 9.1% 37.6% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Thessaloniki

$74 4.5%

Drama

$62 5.1% 16.4% $12

Getting Around

Thessaloniki

$31 1.9%

Drama

$9.6 * 0.8% 68.8% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $635 in Thessaloniki and $358 in Drama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thessaloniki pays 3% 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: $68.0 in Thessaloniki vs $46.00 in Drama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $267 per month, with Drama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Drama

🕒 Local time

17:24 5:24 PM

Same time as Thessaloniki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

790,824

42,501

💱 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)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Thessaloniki vs Drama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Drama is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 34% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 3% higher in Thessaloniki, 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: $635 in Thessaloniki versus $358 in Drama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Thessaloniki versus $455 in Drama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Drama – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $68.0 in Thessaloniki. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,227 in Drama versus $1,642 in Thessaloniki, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Drama but tight or insufficient in Thessaloniki. The gap between the two cities makes Drama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Drama is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Thessaloniki, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Thessaloniki and Drama 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 Drama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Thessaloniki. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.