Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thessaloniki and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $1,670 in Thessaloniki, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,670

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thessaloniki and in Istanbul

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

A single person spends $1,670 per month in Thessaloniki vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Thessaloniki $1,670
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $2,550 per month in Thessaloniki vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Thessaloniki $2,550
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Thessaloniki vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Thessaloniki $3,429
Istanbul $3,212

Thessaloniki costs about 10% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Thessaloniki and Istanbul sit above the global median – Thessaloniki by 24%, Istanbul by 12%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.56 €14.75

$11.81 ₺591

40.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.9 €60.4

$54.9 ₺2,748

23.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.04

$9.26 ₺463

21.71%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$4.30 ₺215

-3.72%

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

$2.96 €2.63

$1.77 ₺88.8

67.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.56 ₺28.26

35.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 €4.93

$4.69 ₺234

18.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.66 €5.04

$7.12 ₺356

-20.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.25 ₺62.6

40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 €1.57

$0.88 ₺44.07

101.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.61 €3.22

$2.20 ₺110

64.09%

Eggs

$5.76 €5.13

$2.43 ₺122

137.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.23 €12.67

$10.48 ₺524

35.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.26 €10.03

$5.31 ₺266

112.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.72 €16.68

$21.10 ₺1,056

-11.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.86 ₺92.9

32.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.30 ₺115

-3.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.22 ₺60.8

70.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.76 €2.46

$1.80 ₺90.0

53.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 €1.13

$0.69 ₺34.75

84.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.64 ₺32.09

82.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.36 ₺67.8

11.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.58 ₺28.88

44.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 €5.11

$2.34 ₺117

145.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 €8.87

$13.03 ₺652

-23.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.79

$2.36 ₺118

-14.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 €2.90

$3.32 ₺166

-1.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 €0.61

$0.88 ₺43.97

-22.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.74 €15.81

$66.1 ₺3,309

-73.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 €3.95

$1.28 ₺64.3

246.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.85 ₺42.70

35.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.48 €14.68

$11.09 ₺555

48.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.48 ₺73.9

53.38%

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

$28.5K €25.4K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-41.49%

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

$28.1K €25.0K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-33.03%

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

$220 €196

$92.7 ₺4,639

137.15%

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

$23.51 €20.94

$11.20 ₺560

109.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.52 €27.19

$15.89 ₺795

92.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.6 €47.70

$74.7 ₺3,737

-28.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.16 €14.39

$22.95 ₺1,149

-29.59%

Cinema Ticket

$10.45 €9.31

$8.05 ₺403

29.81%

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

$480 €428

$948 ₺47.5K

-49.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K €10.6K

$36.9K ₺1.8M

-67.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.9 €85.4

$53.9 ₺2,696

77.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.13 €41.09

$41.49 ₺2,076

11.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 €112

$101 ₺5,049

24.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €118

$91.3 ₺4,570

45.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 €552

$1,014 ₺50.7K

-38.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$507 €451

$625 ₺31.3K

-18.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 €984

$2,005 ₺100.4K

-44.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 €745

$1,126 ₺56.3K

-25.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,647 €3,248

$2,988 ₺149.5K

22.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,797 €2,492

$1,730 ₺86.6K

61.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,162 €1,035

$1,136 ₺56.9K

2.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.34

40.42

-86.79%

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

Last update for Thessaloniki: November 2, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thessaloniki

$507 30.3%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 23.2% $118

Groceries & Markets

Thessaloniki

$334 20%

Istanbul

$258 17% 22.7% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thessaloniki

$274 16.4%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 56.3% $154

Eating Out

Thessaloniki

$270 16.2%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 18.1% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Thessaloniki

$180 10.8%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 28.2% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Thessaloniki

$74 4.5%

Istanbul

$91 6% 21.9% $16

Getting Around

Thessaloniki

$31 1.8%

Istanbul

$75 5% 145% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $619 in Thessaloniki versus $1,014 in Istanbul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Thessaloniki versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $334 vs $258 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

01:53 1:53 AM

02:53 2:53 AM

1 h ahead of Thessaloniki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

790,824

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Thessaloniki Istanbul 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Thessaloniki
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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 Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Thessaloniki is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,505 per month in Thessaloniki and $2,278 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Thessaloniki, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $619 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $480 per month in Thessaloniki and $948 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Thessaloniki, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,670 in Thessaloniki and $1,519 in Istanbul. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,519 versus $1,670 in Thessaloniki. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.