Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thessaloniki and Katerini

For one person, living is cheaper in Katerini: $1,301 a month against $1,660 in Thessaloniki, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Katerini
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Katerini Living Index

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Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,660

/mo nomad

Katerini

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,301

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thessaloniki and in Katerini

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,660 in Thessaloniki versus $1,301 in Katerini.

Thessaloniki $1,660
Katerini $1,301

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,529 in Thessaloniki versus $1,993 in Katerini.

Thessaloniki $2,529
Katerini $1,993

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,398 in Thessaloniki versus $2,684 in Katerini.

Thessaloniki $3,398
Katerini $2,684

Living in Thessaloniki is roughly 28% more expensive than in Katerini, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Thessaloniki is 22% above, Katerini is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.12

$15.03 €13.50

11.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €60.1

$55.7 €50.0

20.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.04 €9.92

$8.92 €8.02

23.77%

Cappuccino

$4.29 €3.85

$3.93 €3.53

9.16%

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

$2.85 €2.56

$1.85 €1.67

54.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.68

$0.77 €0.69

-2.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.49 €4.93

$4.00 €3.60

37.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 €5.87

$6.51 €5.85

0.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.36 €1.23

26.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 €1.54

$1.55 €1.39

10.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.32

$1.97 €1.77

87.31%

Eggs

$5.52 €4.96

$3.64 €3.27

51.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.99 €12.57

$10.94 €9.83

27.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.20 €10.06

$9.00 €8.09

24.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.82 €16.90

$14.17 €12.73

32.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.24

$1.82 €1.63

36.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.93

$1.83 €1.65

16.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.94

$1.35 €1.22

60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 €2.47

$1.79 €1.61

53.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 €1.15

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 €1.11

$1.22 €1.10

0.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.31 €1.17

16.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.80

$0.50 €0.45

78.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.93

$4.88 €4.39

12.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.00 €8.99

$7.27 €6.53

37.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.87

$1.14 €1.02

82.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.92

$1.52 €1.37

113.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 €0.59

$1.37 €1.23

-51.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.02 €16.19

$55.5 €49.89

-67.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.14 €3.72

$2.90 €2.60

42.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.99 €0.89

11.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.48 €14.80

$16.59 €14.90

-0.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.13

$2.06 €1.85

15.53%

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

$27.9K €25.0K

-0.08%

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

$27.4K €24.6K

$24.5K €22.0K

12.17%

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

$210 €189

$214 €192

-1.92%

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

$23.21 €20.85

$23.08 €20.74

0.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.46 €27.37

$30.91 €27.77

-1.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 €46.82

$42.61 €38.28

22.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.26 €14.61

$24.90 €22.37

-34.70%

Cinema Ticket

$10.45 €9.38

$8.99 €8.07

16.24%

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

$481 €432

$345 €310

39.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,979 €8,066

$4,386 €3,940

104.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.4 €87.5

$93.0 €83.5

4.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.50 €40.87

$42.03 €37.76

8.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 €111

$80.6 €72.4

53.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €117

$70.2 €63.0

85.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 €560

$334 €300

86.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$507 €455

$290 €261

74.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 €985

$562 €505

94.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$823 €739

$475 €427

73.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,708 €3,331

$1,588 €1,426

133.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,866 €2,575

$1,243 €1,116

130.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,176 €1,056

$1,124 €1,010

4.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.34

4.52

18.14%

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

Last update for Thessaloniki: October 27, 2026

Last update for Katerini: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thessaloniki

$507 30.5%

Katerini

$290 22.3% 42.7% $217

Groceries & Markets

Thessaloniki

$333 20.1%

Katerini

$247 19% 25.8% $86

Eating Out

Thessaloniki

$274 16.5%

Katerini

$238 18.3% 13.3% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thessaloniki

$264 15.9%

Katerini

$268 20.6% 1.7% $4.4

Clothing & Footwear

Thessaloniki

$178 10.8%

Katerini

$129 9.9% 27.9% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4%

Katerini

$61 4.7% 17% $12

Getting Around

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8%

Katerini

$69 5.3% 127% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $623 in Thessaloniki and $334 in Katerini. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thessaloniki pays 5% 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 in Thessaloniki vs $56 in Katerini for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $333 vs $247 per month, with Katerini cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Katerini

🕒 Local time

01:00 1:00 AM

Same time as Thessaloniki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

790,824

56,000

💱 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 Katerini: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,660 in Thessaloniki and $1,301 in Katerini, so Katerini is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 5% 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: $623 in Thessaloniki versus $334 in Katerini. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $481 in Thessaloniki versus $345 in Katerini. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% 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 Katerini 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 Katerini are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Katerini wins on affordability, Thessaloniki on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.