Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thessaloniki and Melissia

For one person, living is cheaper in Melissia: $1,449 a month against $1,660 in Thessaloniki, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
70

Cost of Living Index in Melissia
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Melissia Living Index

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Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,660

/mo nomad

Melissia

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,449

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thessaloniki and in Melissia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,660 in Thessaloniki versus $1,449 in Melissia.

Thessaloniki $1,660
Melissia $1,449

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,529 in Thessaloniki versus $2,216 in Melissia.

Thessaloniki $2,529
Melissia $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,398 in Thessaloniki versus $2,983 in Melissia.

Thessaloniki $3,398
Melissia $2,983

Living in Thessaloniki is roughly 15% more expensive than in Melissia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thessaloniki 22% above, Melissia 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.08

$11.12 €9.96

51.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €59.9

$57.8 €51.8

15.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.04 €9.89

$8.82 €7.90

25.17%

Cappuccino

$4.29 €3.84

$4.19 €3.75

2.39%

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

$2.85 €2.56

$2.34 €2.09

21.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$0.59 €0.53

27.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.49 €4.92

$4.43 €3.97

23.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 €5.85

$4.89 €4.38

33.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.81 €1.62

-4.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.45 €1.30

17.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.31

$2.67 €2.39

38.20%

Eggs

$5.52 €4.94

$5.27 €4.72

4.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.99 €12.53

$12.08 €10.82

15.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.20 €10.03

$10.06 €9.01

11.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.82 €16.85

$19.36 €17.34

-2.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.23

$2.22 €1.99

12.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.90 €1.70

12.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.93

$1.35 €1.21

60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 €2.46

$2.13 €1.91

29.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.16 €1.04

10.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 €1.11

$1.09 €0.98

12.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.90 €0.80

70.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.80

$1.16 €1.04

-23.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.91

$5.64 €5.06

-2.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.00 €8.96

$9.93 €8.89

0.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.86

$2.07 €1.86

0.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.91

$2.39 €2.14

35.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 €0.59

$1.37 €1.23

-51.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.02 €16.14

$54.8 €49.09

-67.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.14 €3.71

$4.46 €3.99

-7.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.04 €0.93

5.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.48 €14.76

$16.50 €14.78

-0.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.13

$2.21 €1.98

7.69%

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

$27.9K €25.0K

$27.6K €24.7K

1.10%

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

$27.4K €24.6K

$24.4K €21.8K

12.56%

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

$210 €188

$199 €178

5.37%

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

$23.21 €20.79

$25.51 €22.85

-9.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.46 €27.28

$28.69 €25.69

6.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 €46.68

$53.0 €47.49

-1.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.26 €14.56

$22.20 €19.88

-26.76%

Cinema Ticket

$10.45 €9.36

$9.56 €8.56

9.31%

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

$481 €431

$466 €417

3.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,979 €8,041

$4,741 €4,246

89.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.4 €87.2

$90.4 €80.9

7.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.50 €40.75

$39.22 €35.13

16.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 €111

$101 €90.1

22.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$124 €111

4.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 €558

$461 €413

35.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$507 €454

$379 €339

33.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 €982

$730 €654

50.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$823 €737

$617 €552

33.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,708 €3,321

$2,471 €2,213

50.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,866 €2,567

$1,934 €1,733

48.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,176 €1,053

$1,368 €1,225

-14.04%

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 Melissia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thessaloniki

$507 30.5%

Melissia

$379 26.1% 25.3% $128

Groceries & Markets

Thessaloniki

$333 20.1%

Melissia

$306 21.1% 8.3% $28

Eating Out

Thessaloniki

$274 16.5%

Melissia

$209 14.5% 23.6% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thessaloniki

$264 15.9%

Melissia

$253 17.5% 3.9% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Thessaloniki

$178 10.8%

Melissia

$160 11% 10.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4%

Melissia

$72 5% 1.2% $0.9

Getting Around

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8%

Melissia

$70 4.8% 131% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $623 in Thessaloniki and $461 in Melissia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melissia pays 16% 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 $58 in Melissia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $333 vs $306 per month, with Melissia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Melissia

🕒 Local time

02:40 2:40 AM

Same time as Thessaloniki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

790,824

15,588

💱 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 Melissia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melissia wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Thessaloniki. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Melissia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 14% 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 $461 in Melissia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,660 per month in Thessaloniki versus $1,449 in Melissia – Melissia is about 13% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Thessaloniki runs roughly 67% less than in Melissia. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Melissia 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 Melissia are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.