Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thessaloniki and Piraeus

For one person, living is cheaper in Piraeus: $1,492 a month against $1,660 in Thessaloniki, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
Learn more

Thessaloniki Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Piraeus
Learn more

Piraeus Living Index

Jump to prices

Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,660

/mo nomad

Piraeus

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,492

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thessaloniki and in Piraeus

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,660 in Thessaloniki versus $1,492 in Piraeus.

Thessaloniki $1,660
Piraeus $1,492

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,529 in Thessaloniki versus $2,319 in Piraeus.

Thessaloniki $2,529
Piraeus $2,319

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,398 in Thessaloniki versus $3,145 in Piraeus.

Thessaloniki $3,398
Piraeus $3,145

Living in Thessaloniki is roughly 11% more expensive than in Piraeus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thessaloniki 22% above, Piraeus 10% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.12

$16.60 €14.91

1.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €60.1

$55.5 €49.86

20.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.04 €9.92

$10.24 €9.20

7.81%

Cappuccino

$4.29 €3.85

$3.70 €3.33

15.95%

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

$2.85 €2.56

$1.41 €1.27

102.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.68

$0.54 €0.48

38.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.49 €4.93

$5.67 €5.09

-3.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 €5.87

$5.68 €5.10

14.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.87 €1.68

-8.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 €1.54

$1.09 €0.98

56.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.32

$2.62 €2.36

40.84%

Eggs

$5.52 €4.96

$3.77 €3.39

46.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.99 €12.57

$13.62 €12.23

2.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.20 €10.06

$9.74 €8.75

14.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.82 €16.90

$13.30 €11.95

41.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.24

$2.27 €2.04

9.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.93

$2.21 €1.98

-3.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.94

$1.19 €1.06

81.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 €2.47

$1.81 €1.63

51.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 €1.15

$1.15 €1.03

11.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 €1.11

$0.93 €0.83

32.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.93 €0.84

64.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.80

$0.99 €0.89

-10.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.93

$5.17 €4.64

6.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.00 €8.99

$9.04 €8.12

10.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.87

$2.00 €1.79

4.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.92

$4.07 €3.66

-20.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 €0.59

$1.31 €1.17

-49.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.02 €16.19

$34.13 €30.66

-47.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.14 €3.72

$4.44 €3.99

-6.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.99

$2.30 €2.06

-52.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.48 €14.80

$27.45 €24.65

-39.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.13

$2.03 €1.83

17.24%

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

$27.9K €25.0K

$30.4K €27.3K

-8.24%

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

$27.4K €24.6K

$25.4K €22.8K

8.15%

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

$210 €189

$207 €186

1.37%

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

$23.21 €20.85

$23.53 €21.14

-1.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.46 €27.37

$31.60 €28.39

-3.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 €46.82

$46.83 €42.07

11.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.26 €14.61

$39.04 €35.07

-58.35%

Cinema Ticket

$10.45 €9.38

$10.00 €8.98

4.50%

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

$481 €432

$394 €354

21.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,979 €8,066

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.4 €87.5

$74.8 €67.2

30.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.50 €40.87

$38.53 €34.61

18.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 €111

$125 €112

-1.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €117

$115 €103

12.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 €560

$549 €493

13.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$507 €455

$413 €371

22.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 €985

$1,033 €928

6.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$823 €739

$774 €695

6.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,708 €3,331

$3,326 €2,988

11.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,866 €2,575

$2,638 €2,370

8.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,176 €1,056

$1,054 €946

11.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.34

4.83

10.56%

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

Last update for Thessaloniki: October 27, 2026

Last update for Piraeus: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thessaloniki

$507 30.5%

Piraeus

$413 27.7% 18.5% $94

Groceries & Markets

Thessaloniki

$333 20.1%

Piraeus

$280 18.8% 16% $53

Eating Out

Thessaloniki

$274 16.5%

Piraeus

$255 17.1% 6.8% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thessaloniki

$264 15.9%

Piraeus

$262 17.6% 0.5% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Thessaloniki

$178 10.8%

Piraeus

$159 10.7% 10.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4%

Piraeus

$67 4.5% 8.5% $6.2

Getting Around

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8%

Piraeus

$55 3.7% 82.5% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $623 in Thessaloniki and $549 in Piraeus. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thessaloniki pays 12% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Thessaloniki vs $56 in Piraeus for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $333 vs $280 per month, with Piraeus cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Piraeus

🕒 Local time

15:19 3:19 PM

Same time as Thessaloniki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

790,824

163,688

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Thessaloniki Piraeus 310 km

From you

Thessaloniki
Piraeus

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 Piraeus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Piraeus is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 12% 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 $549 in Piraeus. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Piraeus – a meal for two runs $56 versus $67 in Thessaloniki. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,660 per month in Thessaloniki versus $1,492 in Piraeus – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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.

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