Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thessaloniki and Ioannina

For one person, living is cheaper in Ioannina: $1,378 a month against $1,649 in Thessaloniki, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Ioannina
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Ioannina Living Index

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Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,649

/mo nomad

Ioannina

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,378

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thessaloniki and in Ioannina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,649 in Thessaloniki versus $1,378 in Ioannina.

Thessaloniki $1,649
Ioannina $1,378

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,537 in Thessaloniki versus $2,102 in Ioannina.

Thessaloniki $2,537
Ioannina $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,425 in Thessaloniki versus $2,827 in Ioannina.

Thessaloniki $3,425
Ioannina $2,827

Living in Thessaloniki is roughly 20% more expensive than in Ioannina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thessaloniki 22% above, Ioannina 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.01 €15.13

$16.71 €14.87

1.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 €59.8

$33.81 €30.07

98.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.20 €9.96

$11.10 €9.87

0.90%

Cappuccino

$4.29 €3.82

$4.06 €3.61

5.67%

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

$2.90 €2.58

$2.87 €2.55

1.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.67

$0.58 €0.52

31.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 €4.85

$4.50 €4.01

21.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 €5.81

$5.65 €5.03

15.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.68 €1.49

1.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.13 €1.01

57.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.71 €3.30

$3.70 €3.30

0.27%

Eggs

$5.50 €4.89

$3.56 €3.17

54.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.29 €12.71

$10.92 €9.72

30.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 €10.21

$9.02 €8.02

27.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.35 €16.32

$12.08 €10.75

51.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.49 €2.21

0.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.98 €1.76

13.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.20 €1.07

76.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.79 €2.48

$2.63 €2.34

6.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.15

$1.16 €1.04

12.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.02 €0.91

19.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 €1.42

$1.01 €0.90

58.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.85 €0.75

10.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 €5.11

$5.42 €4.82

5.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.93 €8.83

$6.49 €5.78

53.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.00 €1.78

3.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 €2.79

$3.28 €2.92

-4.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 €0.57

$1.31 €1.16

-50.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.07 €16.07

$41.58 €36.98

-56.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.07 €3.62

$4.27 €3.80

-4.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 €1.01

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.79 €14.93

$6.86 €6.10

144.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.05 €1.83

9.76%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$27.9K €24.8K

0.40%

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

$31.0K €27.6K

$24.8K €22.1K

24.91%

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

$215 €191

$213 €190

0.69%

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

$23.24 €20.67

$22.85 €20.32

1.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.60 €27.22

$28.89 €25.70

5.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 €46.32

$45.24 €40.24

15.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.27 €14.47

$44.82 €39.87

-63.70%

Cinema Ticket

$10.36 €9.22

$8.76 €7.79

18.26%

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

$469 €417

$339 €302

38.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,075 €8,073

$8,804 €7,831

3.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.7 €84.2

$67.3 €59.8

40.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.40 €39.50

$46.06 €40.97

-3.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 €111

$76.2 €67.8

63.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$133 €119

-3.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 €554

$457 €406

36.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$489 €435

$322 €287

51.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 €962

$699 €622

54.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$838 €745

$617 €549

35.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,679 €3,273

$2,927 €2,604

25.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,799 €2,490

$2,433 €2,165

15.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,177 €1,047

$1,056 €939

11.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.34

4.73

12.90%

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

Last update for Thessaloniki: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ioannina: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thessaloniki

$489 29.6%

Ioannina

$322 23.4% 34% $166

Groceries & Markets

Thessaloniki

$336 20.4%

Ioannina

$263 19.1% 21.8% $73

Eating Out

Thessaloniki

$276 16.7%

Ioannina

$263 19.1% 4.6% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thessaloniki

$268 16.3%

Ioannina

$265 19.2% 1.3% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Thessaloniki

$177 10.7%

Ioannina

$145 10.6% 17.8% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4%

Ioannina

$63 4.6% 13.8% $10

Getting Around

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8%

Ioannina

$57 4.1% 86.7% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $622 in Thessaloniki and $457 in Ioannina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thessaloniki pays 12% 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 $34.00 in Ioannina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $336 vs $263 per month, with Ioannina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Ioannina

🕒 Local time

12:03 12:03 PM

Same time as Thessaloniki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

790,824

89,061

💱 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 Ioannina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thessaloniki and Ioannina differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($1,649 vs $1,378 including rent). Ioannina is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 12% 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 $457 in Ioannina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $469 in Thessaloniki versus $339 in Ioannina. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Thessaloniki. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,378 in Ioannina versus $1,649 in Thessaloniki, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ioannina but tight or insufficient in Thessaloniki. The gap between the two cities makes Ioannina the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Ioannina 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 Ioannina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Thessaloniki. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.