Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulsan and Thessaloniki

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulsan: $1,339 a month against $1,649 in Thessaloniki, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ulsan
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Ulsan Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
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Thessaloniki Living Index

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Ulsan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,339

/mo nomad

Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,649

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ulsan and in Thessaloniki

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ulsan and in Thessaloniki actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,339 per month in Ulsan vs $1,649 in Thessaloniki, rent included.

Ulsan $1,339
Thessaloniki $1,649

A couple spends around $2,185 per month in Ulsan vs $2,537 in Thessaloniki, rent included.

Ulsan $2,185
Thessaloniki $2,537

A family of three spends $3,030 per month in Ulsan vs $3,425 in Thessaloniki, rent included.

Ulsan $3,030
Thessaloniki $3,425

Ulsan is about 19% cheaper than Thessaloniki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ulsan sits 1% below the global median, while Thessaloniki is 22% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.62 ₩10.1K

$17.01 €15.13

-55.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.63 ₩59.3K

$67.2 €59.8

-33.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.93 ₩7,882

$11.20 €9.96

-47.05%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₩4,410

$4.29 €3.82

-22.61%

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

$0.88 ₩1,175

$2.90 €2.58

-69.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₩619

$0.76 €0.67

-38.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 ₩4,006

$5.45 €4.85

-44.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 ₩5,826

$6.53 €5.81

-32.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₩3,139

$1.70 €1.51

38.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,315

$1.78 €1.58

82.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 ₩4,207

$3.71 €3.30

-14.82%

Eggs

$2.73 ₩3,634

$5.50 €4.89

-50.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.88 ₩14.5K

$14.29 €12.71

-23.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 ₩14.1K

$11.48 €10.21

-7.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.54 ₩32.6K

$18.35 €16.32

33.73%

Apples (1kg)

$11.39 ₩15.1K

$2.51 €2.23

353.78%

Banana (1kg)

$3.74 ₩4,975

$2.25 €2.00

66.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.09 ₩10.8K

$2.12 €1.89

281.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.05 ₩8,048

$2.79 €2.48

116.85%

Potato (1kg)

$6.01 ₩7,992

$1.30 €1.15

362.31%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 ₩4,328

$1.22 €1.09

167.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 ₩3,844

$1.60 €1.42

80.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₩1,707

$0.94 €0.84

36.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 ₩4,154

$5.74 €5.11

-45.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.52 ₩24.6K

$9.93 €8.83

86.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 ₩3,264

$2.06 €1.83

18.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 ₩4,577

$3.14 €2.79

9.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,511

$0.65 €0.57

75.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.07 €16.07

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 ₩3,849

$4.07 €3.62

-28.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₩1,040

$1.13 €1.01

-30.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.96 ₩22.6K

$16.79 €14.93

1.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₩1,899

$2.25 €2.00

-36.44%

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

$30.0K ₩39.9M

$28.0K €24.9K

7.29%

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

$34.1K ₩45.4M

$31.0K €27.6K

10.05%

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

$197 ₩261.8K

$215 €191

-8.27%

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

$37.06 ₩49.3K

$23.24 €20.67

59.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.21 ₩36.2K

$30.60 €27.22

-11.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 ₩80.3K

$52.1 €46.32

16.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.27 €14.47

Cinema Ticket

$10.30 ₩13.7K

$10.36 €9.22

-0.58%

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

$263 ₩349.3K

$469 €417

-43.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K ₩29.3M

$9,075 €8,073

142.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₩68.5K

$94.7 €84.2

-45.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.56 ₩60.6K

$44.40 €39.50

2.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.0 ₩81.2K

$125 €111

-51.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 ₩99.7K

$129 €115

-41.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$373 ₩495.3K

$622 €554

-40.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 ₩324.7K

$489 €435

-50.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 ₩1.0M

$1,081 €962

-29.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 ₩861.8K

$838 €745

-22.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,483 ₩6.0M

$3,679 €3,273

21.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,479 ₩3.3M

$2,799 €2,490

-11.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,331 ₩3.1M

$1,177 €1,047

98.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

5.34

-20.97%

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

Last update for Ulsan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Thessaloniki: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ulsan

$489 36.5%

Thessaloniki

$336 20.4% 31.3% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulsan

$261 19.5%

Thessaloniki

$268 16.3% 2.8% $7.3

Accommodation & Living

Ulsan

$244 18.2%

Thessaloniki

$489 29.6% 100% $245

Eating Out

Ulsan

$148 11%

Thessaloniki

$276 16.7% 86.8% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Ulsan

$105 7.8%

Thessaloniki

$177 10.7% 68.6% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Ulsan

$81 6.1%

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4% 10.2% $8.2

Getting Around

Ulsan

$11 * 0.9%

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8% 168% $19

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $373 in Ulsan versus $622 in Thessaloniki. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 98% higher in Ulsan, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Ulsan versus $67.0 in Thessaloniki. Groceries tell a different story – $489 in Ulsan vs $336 in Thessaloniki – so Thessaloniki wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Ulsan

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🕒 Local time

04:24 4:24 AM

22:24 10:24 PM

6 h behind Ulsan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,129,827

790,824

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ulsan Thessaloniki 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ulsan
Thessaloniki

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

Ulsan vs Thessaloniki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,339 in Ulsan, $1,649 in Thessaloniki – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,009 per month in Ulsan and $2,474 in Thessaloniki. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ulsan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,339 in Ulsan and $1,649 in Thessaloniki. That's a gap of about 23%.

Kindergarten costs $263 per month in Ulsan and $469 in Thessaloniki. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ulsan, where all-in costs run around $1,339, than in Thessaloniki at $1,649. In Ulsan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Thessaloniki it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Thessaloniki has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,339 in Ulsan to $1,649 in Thessaloniki. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ulsan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Thessaloniki makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.