Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thessaloniki and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $1,643 in Thessaloniki, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,643

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thessaloniki and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,643 in Thessaloniki versus $1,190 in Phuket.

Thessaloniki $1,643
Phuket $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,545 in Thessaloniki versus $2,006 in Phuket.

Thessaloniki $2,545
Phuket $2,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,446 in Thessaloniki versus $2,822 in Phuket.

Thessaloniki $3,446
Phuket $2,822

Living in Thessaloniki is roughly 38% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Thessaloniki is 23% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.85 €15.03

$4.35 ฿146

287.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 €59.3

$32.45 ฿1,087

104.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 €9.82

$8.42 ฿282

30.64%

Cappuccino

$4.30 €3.83

$2.81 ฿94.0

53.02%

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

$3.01 €2.68

$0.87 ฿29.29

245.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$0.46 ฿15.39

63.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 €5.14

$2.59 ฿86.6

122.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 €6.12

$3.64 ฿122

88.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.71 ฿57.2

2.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.45 ฿48.42

17.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.55 €3.17

$1.56 ฿52.3

127.56%

Eggs

$5.46 €4.87

$2.10 ฿70.3

160.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.95 €12.45

$19.53 ฿654

-28.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.13 €9.93

$3.40 ฿114

227.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.27 €16.30

$11.14 ฿373

64.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$2.83 ฿94.8

-12.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.62 ฿54.3

37.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.22 ฿74.5

-4.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.81 €2.51

$2.15 ฿71.9

30.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.49 ฿49.95

-12.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.33 ฿44.40

-6.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.07 ฿35.72

42.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.81

$0.51 ฿17.01

78.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.64 €5.03

$4.38 ฿147

28.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.00 €8.93

$18.77 ฿629

-46.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.86

$1.74 ฿58.3

19.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 €2.87

$2.78 ฿92.9

15.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 €0.58

$2.17 ฿72.6

-70.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.84 €15.92

$22.28 ฿746

-19.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.29 €3.83

$3.02 ฿101

42.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.06 ฿35.43

3.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.55 €14.77

$3.71 ฿124

346.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.43 ฿47.88

62.94%

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

$27.8K €24.8K

$26.3K ฿882.1K

5.68%

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

$30.6K €27.3K

$26.2K ฿877.3K

16.95%

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

$217 €193

$96.7 ฿3,236

124.27%

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

$23.23 €20.73

$11.41 ฿382

103.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.69 €27.39

$17.11 ฿573

79.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 €46.13

$52.8 ฿1,768

-2.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.72 €14.92

$11.07 ฿371

51.04%

Cinema Ticket

$10.50 €9.37

$7.65 ฿256

37.25%

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

$468 €418

$555 ฿18.6K

-15.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,132 €8,149

$11.3K ฿377.7K

-19.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.4 €86.0

$63.4 ฿2,123

51.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.70 €39.89

$28.61 ฿958

56.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €110

$96.7 ฿3,238

27.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

$88.6 ฿2,967

50.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$627 €560

$735 ฿24.6K

-14.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$487 €434

$458 ฿15.3K

6.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 €990

$2,102 ฿70.4K

-47.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$850 €758

$1,187 ฿39.7K

-28.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,774 €3,368

$3,493 ฿116.9K

8.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,867 €2,558

$2,491 ฿83.4K

15.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,166 €1,041

$501 ฿16.8K

132.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.34

5.57

-4.13%

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

Last update for Thessaloniki: October 5, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thessaloniki

$487 29.5%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 5.9% $29

Groceries & Markets

Thessaloniki

$331 20.1%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 19.1% $63

Eating Out

Thessaloniki

$277 16.8%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 56.9% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thessaloniki

$271 16.4%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 53.8% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Thessaloniki

$179 10.9%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 30.3% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 6.3% $4.6

Getting Around

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 29.7% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $627 in Thessaloniki and $735 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thessaloniki pays 133% 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: $66.0 in Thessaloniki vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $331 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:33 9:33 AM

13:33 1:33 PM

4 h ahead of Thessaloniki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

790,824

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 38% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 133% 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: $627 in Thessaloniki versus $735 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $468 in Thessaloniki versus $555 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Thessaloniki. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,190 in Phuket versus $1,643 in Thessaloniki, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Thessaloniki. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Thessaloniki, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Thessaloniki and Phuket 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Thessaloniki. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.