Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thessaloniki and Santorini

For one person, living is cheaper in Thessaloniki: $1,660 a month against $2,142 in Santorini, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Santorini
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Santorini Living Index

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Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,660

/mo nomad

Santorini

🇬🇷 Greece

$2,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thessaloniki and in Santorini

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,660 in Thessaloniki versus $2,142 in Santorini.

Thessaloniki $1,660
Santorini $2,142

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,529 in Thessaloniki versus $3,097 in Santorini.

Thessaloniki $2,529
Santorini $3,097

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,398 in Thessaloniki versus $4,053 in Santorini.

Thessaloniki $3,398
Santorini $4,053

Living in Thessaloniki costs roughly 23% less than in Santorini, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thessaloniki 22% above, Santorini 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €15.08

$27.03 €24.22

-37.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €59.9

$85.8 €76.8

-21.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.04 €9.89

$15.43 €13.82

-28.45%

Cappuccino

$4.29 €3.84

$4.56 €4.09

-5.92%

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

$2.85 €2.56

$3.82 €3.43

-25.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$1.33 €1.19

-43.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.49 €4.92

$5.47 €4.90

0.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 €5.85

$7.17 €6.42

-8.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.95 €1.75

-11.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.42 €1.27

20.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.31

$3.25 €2.91

13.54%

Eggs

$5.52 €4.94

$6.60 €5.92

-16.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.99 €12.54

$14.33 €12.84

-2.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.20 €10.04

$7.57 €6.79

47.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.82 €16.86

$18.63 €16.70

1.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.23

$2.74 €2.45

-9.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.30 €2.06

-6.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.94

$1.70 €1.52

27.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 €2.46

$3.42 €3.07

-19.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.56 €2.30

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 €1.11

$3.34 €2.99

-63.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.99 €0.88

54.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.80

$0.63 €0.57

41.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.91

$6.73 €6.03

-18.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.00 €8.96

$5.48 €4.91

82.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.87

$2.04 €1.82

1.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.91

$2.87 €2.57

13.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 €0.59

$2.71 €2.43

-75.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.02 €16.15

$29.29 €26.25

-38.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.14 €3.71

$2.21 €1.98

87.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.99

$2.07 €1.85

-46.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.48 €14.77

$14.76 €13.23

11.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.13

$2.14 €1.92

11.21%

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

$27.9K €25.0K

$45.2K €40.5K

-38.40%

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

$27.4K €24.6K

$45.4K €40.7K

-39.61%

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

$210 €188

$313 €281

-32.97%

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

$23.21 €20.80

$44.08 €39.50

-47.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.46 €27.30

$33.19 €29.74

-8.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 €46.71

$78.2 €70.1

-33.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.26 €14.57

$25.59 €22.93

-36.46%

Cinema Ticket

$10.45 €9.36

$6.75 €6.05

54.81%

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

$481 €431

$592 €531

-18.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,979 €8,046

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.4 €87.3

$67.1 €60.1

45.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.50 €40.77

$49.35 €44.23

-7.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 €111

$77.5 €69.4

59.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$110 €98.3

18.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 €559

$1,633 €1,463

-61.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$507 €454

$777 €697

-34.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 €982

$1,304 €1,169

-15.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$823 €737

$1,034 €927

-20.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,708 €3,323

$5,057 €4,532

-26.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,866 €2,568

$3,341 €2,994

-14.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,176 €1,054

$1,212 €1,086

-3.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.34

4.15

28.67%

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

Last update for Thessaloniki: October 27, 2026

Last update for Santorini: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thessaloniki

$507 30.5%

Santorini

$777 36.3% 53.4% $270

Groceries & Markets

Thessaloniki

$333 20.1%

Santorini

$314 14.7% 5.8% $19

Eating Out

Thessaloniki

$274 16.5%

Santorini

$380 17.7% 38.4% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thessaloniki

$264 15.9%

Santorini

$391 18.2% 48.1% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Thessaloniki

$178 10.8%

Santorini

$137 6.4% 23.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4%

Santorini

$92 4.3% 25.6% $19

Getting Around

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8%

Santorini

$53 2.5% 73.9% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $623 in Thessaloniki and $1,633 in Santorini. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santorini pays 3% 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: $67 in Thessaloniki vs $86 in Santorini. Groceries flip the comparison at $333 vs $314, with Santorini cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Santorini

🕒 Local time

04:18 4:18 AM

Same time as Thessaloniki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

790,824

1,233

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Thessaloniki Santorini 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Santorini: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,660 in Thessaloniki and $2,142 in Santorini, so Thessaloniki is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 3% 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 $1,633 in Santorini. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Thessaloniki runs roughly 38% less than in Santorini. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $481 in Thessaloniki versus $592 in Santorini. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Thessaloniki gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

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