Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thessaloniki and Kos

For one person, living is cheaper in Kos: $1,506 a month against $1,660 in Thessaloniki, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
Learn more

Thessaloniki Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Kos
Learn more

Kos Living Index

Jump to prices

Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,660

/mo nomad

Kos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thessaloniki and in Kos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,660 in Thessaloniki versus $1,506 in Kos.

Thessaloniki $1,660
Kos $1,506

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,529 in Thessaloniki versus $2,265 in Kos.

Thessaloniki $2,529
Kos $2,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,398 in Thessaloniki versus $3,024 in Kos.

Thessaloniki $3,398
Kos $3,024

Living in Thessaloniki is roughly 10% more expensive than in Kos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thessaloniki 22% above, Kos 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.12

$13.93 €12.51

20.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €60.1

$66.4 €59.7

0.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.04 €9.92

$11.25 €10.10

-1.87%

Cappuccino

$4.29 €3.85

$4.01 €3.61

6.98%

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

$2.85 €2.56

$3.09 €2.77

-7.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.68

$1.11 €0.99

-32.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.49 €4.93

$4.34 €3.90

26.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 €5.87

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.42 €2.17

-28.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 €1.54

$1.62 €1.46

5.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.32

$2.61 €2.34

41.38%

Eggs

$5.52 €4.96

$4.61 €4.14

19.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.99 €12.57

$13.08 €11.75

6.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.20 €10.06

$10.17 €9.13

10.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.82 €16.90

$15.05 €13.52

25.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.24

$2.20 €1.97

13.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.93

$2.00 €1.80

7.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.94

$1.36 €1.22

58.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 €2.47

$2.04 €1.83

34.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 €1.15

$1.13 €1.01

13.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 €1.11

$1.14 €1.02

7.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.09 €0.98

40.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.80

$0.84 €0.76

5.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.93

$5.39 €4.84

1.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.00 €8.99

$6.76 €6.07

47.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.87

$2.01 €1.81

3.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.92

$2.56 €2.30

26.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 €0.59

$1.83 €1.64

-63.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.02 €16.19

$49.85 €44.78

-63.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.14 €3.72

$4.09 €3.67

1.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.13 €1.02

-2.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.48 €14.80

$16.47 €14.80

0.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.13

$2.09 €1.88

13.88%

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

$27.9K €25.0K

$28.0K €25.1K

-0.36%

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

$27.4K €24.6K

$25.1K €22.6K

9.26%

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

$210 €189

$201 €181

4.22%

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

$23.21 €20.85

$22.92 €20.59

1.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.46 €27.37

$34.73 €31.20

-12.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 €46.82

$50.6 €45.49

2.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.26 €14.61

$28.52 €25.62

-42.99%

Cinema Ticket

$10.45 €9.38

$8.80 €7.90

18.75%

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

$481 €432

$417 €375

15.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,979 €8,066

$9,025 €8,107

-0.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.4 €87.5

$89.0 €79.9

9.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.50 €40.87

$40.15 €36.07

13.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 €111

$92.5 €83.1

33.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €117

$123 €110

6.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 €560

$610 €548

2.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$507 €455

$420 €377

20.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 €985

$715 €642

53.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$823 €739

$587 €527

40.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,708 €3,331

$2,594 €2,330

42.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,866 €2,575

$2,012 €1,807

42.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,176 €1,056

$902 €810

30.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.34

4.48

19.20%

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

Last update for Thessaloniki: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kos: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thessaloniki

$507 30.5%

Kos

$420 27.9% 17.1% $87

Groceries & Markets

Thessaloniki

$333 20.1%

Kos

$292 19.4% 12.4% $41

Eating Out

Thessaloniki

$274 16.5%

Kos

$245 16.3% 10.7% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thessaloniki

$264 15.9%

Kos

$259 17.2% 1.7% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

Thessaloniki

$178 10.8%

Kos

$155 10.3% 13.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4%

Kos

$68 4.5% 6.5% $4.8

Getting Around

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8%

Kos

$67 4.4% 121% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $623 in Thessaloniki and $610 in Kos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thessaloniki pays 30% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Thessaloniki vs $66 in Kos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $333 vs $292 per month, with Kos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Kos

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

Same time as Thessaloniki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

790,824

30,947

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Thessaloniki Kos 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Thessaloniki
Kos

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 Kos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kos wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Thessaloniki. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 30% 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 $610 in Kos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $481 in Thessaloniki versus $417 in Kos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Thessaloniki runs roughly 64% less than in Kos. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Kos is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Kos are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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