Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thessaloniki and Heraklion

For one person, living costs are similar in Thessaloniki and in Heraklion: $1,649 and $1,594 a month, rent and utilities included.

80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
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Thessaloniki Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Heraklion
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Heraklion Living Index

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Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,649

/mo nomad

Heraklion

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thessaloniki and in Heraklion

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,649 in Thessaloniki versus $1,594 in Heraklion.

Thessaloniki $1,649
Heraklion $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,537 in Thessaloniki versus $2,499 in Heraklion.

Thessaloniki $2,537
Heraklion $2,499

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,425 in Thessaloniki versus $3,403 in Heraklion.

Thessaloniki $3,425
Heraklion $3,403

Living in Thessaloniki is roughly 3% more expensive than in Heraklion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thessaloniki 22% above, Heraklion 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.01 €15.13

$12.89 €11.47

31.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 €59.8

$56.1 €49.86

19.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.20 €9.96

$9.92 €8.82

12.90%

Cappuccino

$4.29 €3.82

$3.83 €3.41

12.01%

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

$2.90 €2.58

$2.44 €2.17

18.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.67

$0.79 €0.70

-3.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 €4.85

$5.42 €4.82

0.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 €5.81

$5.27 €4.69

23.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.69 €1.51

0.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.42 €1.27

25.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.71 €3.30

$2.58 €2.29

43.80%

Eggs

$5.50 €4.89

$4.46 €3.97

23.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.29 €12.71

$15.91 €14.15

-10.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 €10.21

$10.54 €9.38

8.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.35 €16.32

$15.14 €13.46

21.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.17 €1.93

15.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.14 €1.91

5.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.37 €1.22

54.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.79 €2.48

$1.68 €1.50

66.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.15

$1.23 €1.09

5.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.23 €1.09

-0.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 €1.42

$0.93 €0.83

72.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.72 €0.64

30.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 €5.11

$4.94 €4.39

16.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.93 €8.83

$7.60 €6.76

30.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.34 €2.08

-11.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 €2.79

$2.86 €2.54

9.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 €0.57

$1.46 €1.30

-55.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.07 €16.07

$67.6 €60.1

-73.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.07 €3.62

$4.37 €3.89

-6.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 €1.01

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.79 €14.93

$11.14 €9.91

50.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.16 €1.92

4.17%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$27.3K €24.3K

2.37%

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

$31.0K €27.6K

$24.0K €21.3K

29.31%

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

$215 €191

$194 €173

10.46%

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

$23.24 €20.67

$30.65 €27.26

-24.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.60 €27.22

$38.76 €34.48

-21.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 €46.32

$49.10 €43.68

6.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.27 €14.47

$39.52 €35.15

-58.83%

Cinema Ticket

$10.36 €9.22

$8.74 €7.77

18.54%

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

$469 €417

$409 €364

14.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,075 €8,073

$3,997 €3,555

127.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.7 €84.2

$90.1 €80.1

5.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.40 €39.50

$42.03 €37.39

5.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 €111

$85.2 €75.8

46.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$136 €121

-4.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 €554

$640 €569

-2.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$489 €435

$498 €443

-1.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 €962

$1,089 €969

-0.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$838 €745

$987 €878

-15.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,679 €3,273

$4,043 €3,597

-9.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,799 €2,490

$2,746 €2,442

1.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,177 €1,047

$1,128 €1,004

4.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.34

4.44

20.27%

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

Last update for Thessaloniki: October 13, 2026

Last update for Heraklion: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thessaloniki

$489 29.6%

Heraklion

$498 31.2% 1.9% $9.4

Groceries & Markets

Thessaloniki

$336 20.4%

Heraklion

$294 18.4% 12.5% $42

Eating Out

Thessaloniki

$276 16.7%

Heraklion

$229 14.4% 16.9% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thessaloniki

$268 16.3%

Heraklion

$264 16.5% 1.8% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Thessaloniki

$177 10.7%

Heraklion

$159 10% 10.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4%

Heraklion

$67 4.2% 8.5% $6.2

Getting Around

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8%

Heraklion

$83 5.2% 175% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $622 in Thessaloniki and $640 in Heraklion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thessaloniki pays 4% 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 $56.0 in Heraklion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $336 vs $294 per month, with Heraklion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Heraklion

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

Same time as Thessaloniki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

790,824

140,730

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Thessaloniki Heraklion 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Thessaloniki
Heraklion

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 Heraklion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Heraklion is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 4% 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: $622 in Thessaloniki versus $640 in Heraklion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $469 in Thessaloniki versus $409 in Heraklion. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Thessaloniki. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,594 in Heraklion versus $1,649 in Thessaloniki, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Heraklion but tight or insufficient in Thessaloniki. The gap between the two cities makes Heraklion the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Heraklion 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 Heraklion 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 Heraklion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Thessaloniki. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.