Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thessaloniki and Ilion

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilion: $1,564 a month against $1,660 in Thessaloniki, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
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Thessaloniki Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Ilion
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Ilion Living Index

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Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,660

/mo nomad

Ilion

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,564

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thessaloniki and in Ilion

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,660 in Thessaloniki versus $1,564 in Ilion.

Thessaloniki $1,660
Ilion $1,564

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,529 in Thessaloniki versus $2,458 in Ilion.

Thessaloniki $2,529
Ilion $2,458

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,398 in Thessaloniki versus $3,351 in Ilion.

Thessaloniki $3,398
Ilion $3,351

Living in Thessaloniki is roughly 6% more expensive than in Ilion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thessaloniki 22% above, Ilion 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.12

$13.18 €11.85

27.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €60.1

$59.3 €53.2

12.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.04 €9.92

$8.96 €8.05

23.21%

Cappuccino

$4.29 €3.85

$4.17 €3.75

2.88%

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

$2.85 €2.56

$2.42 €2.17

17.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.68

$0.57 €0.51

31.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.49 €4.93

$5.69 €5.11

-3.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 €5.87

$5.45 €4.89

19.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.60 €1.44

7.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 €1.54

$1.41 €1.27

21.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.32

$2.57 €2.31

43.58%

Eggs

$5.52 €4.96

$5.14 €4.62

7.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.99 €12.57

$12.17 €10.93

14.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.20 €10.07

$10.38 €9.32

7.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.82 €16.91

$18.74 €16.84

0.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.24

$2.21 €1.99

12.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.93

$2.00 €1.80

7.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.94

$1.37 €1.23

57.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 €2.47

$2.15 €1.93

27.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 €1.15

$1.10 €0.99

16.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 €1.11

$1.11 €1.00

10.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.90 €0.81

70.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.80

$1.14 €1.03

-21.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.93

$5.46 €4.90

0.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.00 €8.99

$7.87 €7.07

27.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.87

$1.73 €1.55

20.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.92

$3.21 €2.88

1.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 €0.59

$1.35 €1.21

-51.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.02 €16.19

$49.57 €44.54

-63.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.14 €3.72

$4.34 €3.90

-4.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.99 €0.89

11.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.48 €14.81

$16.56 €14.88

-0.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.13

$2.26 €2.03

5.31%

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

$27.9K €25.0K

$27.4K €24.6K

1.76%

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

$27.4K €24.7K

$24.4K €21.9K

12.34%

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

$210 €189

$199 €179

5.63%

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

$23.21 €20.86

$25.82 €23.20

-10.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.46 €27.37

$27.73 €24.91

9.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 €46.83

$50.4 €45.30

3.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.26 €14.61

$25.60 €23.00

-36.48%

Cinema Ticket

$10.45 €9.39

$9.75 €8.76

7.18%

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

$481 €432

$475 €427

1.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,979 €8,067

$4,757 €4,274

88.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.4 €87.5

$83.6 €75.1

16.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.50 €40.88

$38.56 €34.65

18.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 €111

$103 €92.2

20.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €117

$107 €96.4

21.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 €560

$591 €531

5.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$507 €455

$496 €445

2.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 €985

$1,190 €1,070

-7.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$823 €739

$976 €877

-15.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,708 €3,331

$3,693 €3,318

0.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,866 €2,575

$2,904 €2,609

-1.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,176 €1,056

$1,278 €1,148

-8.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.34

4.4

21.36%

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

Last update for Thessaloniki: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ilion: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thessaloniki

$507 30.5%

Ilion

$496 31.7% 2.2% $11

Groceries & Markets

Thessaloniki

$333 20.1%

Ilion

$299 19.1% 10.4% $35

Eating Out

Thessaloniki

$274 16.5%

Ilion

$234 15% 14.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thessaloniki

$264 15.9%

Ilion

$252 16.1% 4.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Thessaloniki

$178 10.8%

Ilion

$149 9.6% 16.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4%

Ilion

$70 4.5% 4.3% $3.1

Getting Around

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8%

Ilion

$64 4.1% 112% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $623 in Thessaloniki and $591 in Ilion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilion pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Thessaloniki vs $59 in Ilion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $333 vs $299 per month, with Ilion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Ilion

🕒 Local time

10:32 10:32 AM

Same time as Thessaloniki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

790,824

84,793

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 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 Ilion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thessaloniki and Ilion differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,660 vs $1,564 including rent). Ilion is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 8% 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 $591 in Ilion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $481 in Thessaloniki versus $475 in Ilion. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Thessaloniki. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Ilion 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 Ilion are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.