Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thessaloniki and Samos

For one person, living is cheaper in Samos: $1,401 a month against $1,670 in Thessaloniki, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
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Thessaloniki Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Samos
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Samos Living Index

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Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,670

/mo nomad

Samos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,401

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thessaloniki and in Samos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,670 in Thessaloniki versus $1,401 in Samos.

Thessaloniki $1,670
Samos $1,401

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,550 in Thessaloniki versus $2,081 in Samos.

Thessaloniki $2,550
Samos $2,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Thessaloniki versus $2,760 in Samos.

Thessaloniki $3,429
Samos $2,760

Living in Thessaloniki is roughly 19% more expensive than in Samos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thessaloniki 24% above, Samos 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.56 €14.74

$11.29 €10.05

46.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.9 €60.4

$38.33 €34.13

77.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$6.78 €6.04

66.22%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$2.92 €2.60

41.78%

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

$2.96 €2.63

$2.34 €2.08

26.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.81 €0.72

-6.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 €4.93

$4.29 €3.82

29.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.66 €5.04

$6.47 €5.76

-12.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.60 €1.42

9.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.46 €1.30

21.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.61 €3.22

$2.55 €2.27

41.57%

Eggs

$5.76 €5.13

$4.59 €4.09

25.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.23 €12.67

$13.32 €11.86

6.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.26 €10.02

$10.26 €9.14

9.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.72 €16.67

$15.03 €13.39

24.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$2.13 €1.90

15.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.07 €1.85

7.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.35 €1.20

54.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.76 €2.46

$2.10 €1.87

31.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.18 €1.05

7.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.10 €0.98

6.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.10 €0.98

37.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.87 €0.78

-3.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 €5.11

$5.51 €4.90

4.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 €8.87

$7.17 €6.38

38.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.79

$2.05 €1.83

-1.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 €2.90

$2.64 €2.35

23.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 €0.61

$1.33 €1.19

-48.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.74 €15.80

$49.61 €44.17

-64.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 €3.95

$4.23 €3.77

4.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.14 €1.02

0.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.48 €14.67

$16.57 €14.75

-0.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.14 €1.90

6.07%

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

$28.5K €25.3K

$27.4K €24.4K

3.93%

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

$28.1K €25.0K

$25.1K €22.3K

12.11%

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

$220 €196

$199 €177

10.43%

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

$23.51 €20.93

$23.13 €20.60

1.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.52 €27.18

$30.38 €27.05

0.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.6 €47.68

$51.4 €45.78

4.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.16 €14.39

$25.31 €22.54

-36.15%

Cinema Ticket

$10.45 €9.31

$9.03 €8.04

15.73%

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

$480 €428

$403 €358

19.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K €10.6K

$9,025 €8,036

31.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.9 €85.4

$89.0 €79.3

7.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.13 €41.08

$39.53 €35.20

16.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 €112

$93.2 €83.0

34.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €118

$121 €108

9.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 €551

$490 €437

26.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$507 €451

$382 €340

32.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 €984

$726 €647

52.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 €745

$598 €532

39.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,647 €3,247

$2,436 €2,169

49.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,797 €2,491

$1,977 €1,760

41.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,162 €1,034

$1,011 €900

14.91%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Samos: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thessaloniki

$507 30.3%

Samos

$382 27.3% 24.5% $124

Groceries & Markets

Thessaloniki

$334 20%

Samos

$285 20.3% 14.7% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thessaloniki

$274 16.4%

Samos

$253 18% 7.8% $21

Eating Out

Thessaloniki

$270 16.2%

Samos

$193 13.8% 28.6% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Thessaloniki

$180 10.8%

Samos

$154 11% 14.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Thessaloniki

$74 4.5%

Samos

$69 5% 6.7% $5

Getting Around

Thessaloniki

$31 1.8%

Samos

$65 4.6% 112% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $619 in Thessaloniki and $490 in Samos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thessaloniki pays 15% 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: $68 in Thessaloniki vs $38 in Samos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $334 vs $285 per month, with Samos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Samos

🕒 Local time

17:22 5:22 PM

Same time as Thessaloniki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

790,824

33,814

💱 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 Samos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samos is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 15% 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: $619 in Thessaloniki versus $490 in Samos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Childcare runs $480 in Thessaloniki versus $403 in Samos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

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