Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zakynthos and Thessaloniki

For one person, living costs are similar in Zakynthos and in Thessaloniki: $1,686 and $1,649 a month, rent and utilities included.

82

Cost of Living Index in Zakynthos
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Zakynthos Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
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Thessaloniki Living Index

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Zakynthos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,686

/mo nomad

Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,649

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zakynthos 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 Zakynthos and in Thessaloniki actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,686 per month in Zakynthos vs $1,649 in Thessaloniki, rent included.

Zakynthos $1,686
Thessaloniki $1,649

A couple spends around $2,543 per month in Zakynthos vs $2,537 in Thessaloniki, rent included.

Zakynthos $2,543
Thessaloniki $2,537

A family of three spends $3,400 per month in Zakynthos vs $3,425 in Thessaloniki, rent included.

Zakynthos $3,400
Thessaloniki $3,425

Zakynthos costs about 2% more than Thessaloniki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Zakynthos and Thessaloniki sit above the global median – Zakynthos by 25%, Thessaloniki by 22%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.04 €24.94

$17.01 €15.13

64.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.4 €50.1

$67.2 €59.8

-16.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 €9.83

$11.20 €9.96

-1.34%

Cappuccino

$4.78 €4.25

$4.29 €3.82

11.42%

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

$5.61 €4.99

$2.90 €2.58

93.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 €0.55

$0.76 €0.67

-18.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 €4.38

$5.45 €4.85

-9.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.75 €6.00

$6.53 €5.81

3.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.70 €1.51

34.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.78 €1.58

7.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$3.71 €3.30

-31.00%

Eggs

$4.72 €4.19

$5.50 €4.89

-14.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.78 €13.15

$14.29 €12.71

3.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.79 €13.15

$11.48 €10.21

28.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.29 €10.93

$18.35 €16.32

-33.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 €3.15

$2.51 €2.23

41.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.25 €2.00

-7.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.12 €1.89

-35.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 €1.69

$2.79 €2.48

-31.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.30 €1.15

-10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.22 €1.09

-4.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.60 €1.42

-30.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.75

$0.94 €0.84

108.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.23 €4.65

$5.74 €5.11

-8.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.11 €6.32

$9.93 €8.83

-28.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.56

$2.06 €1.83

-14.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 €2.32

$3.14 €2.79

-16.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 €1.78

$0.65 €0.57

207.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.72 €39.78

$18.07 €16.07

147.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.27 €3.80

$4.07 €3.62

4.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.13 €1.01

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.48 €15.55

$16.79 €14.93

4.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.25 €2.00

-13.33%

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

$23.9K €21.2K

$28.0K €24.9K

-14.67%

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

$21.8K €19.4K

$31.0K €27.6K

-29.78%

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

$201 €179

$215 €191

-6.19%

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

$42.62 €37.91

$23.24 €20.67

83.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.11 €26.79

$30.60 €27.22

-1.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 €44.53

$52.1 €46.32

-3.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.47 €23.55

$16.27 €14.47

62.69%

Cinema Ticket

$9.50 €8.45

$10.36 €9.22

-8.30%

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

$428 €380

$469 €417

-8.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,273 €7,359

$9,075 €8,073

-8.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.3 €79.4

$94.7 €84.2

-5.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.12 €34.80

$44.40 €39.50

-11.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €109

$125 €111

-1.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 €122

$129 €115

6.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$384 €341

$622 €554

-38.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 €351

$489 €435

-19.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$781 €695

$1,081 €962

-27.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 €500

$838 €745

-32.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,621 €2,331

$3,679 €3,273

-28.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,228 €1,982

$2,799 €2,490

-20.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,311 €1,166

$1,177 €1,047

11.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

5.34

-16.48%

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

Last update for Zakynthos: October 10, 2026

Last update for Thessaloniki: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zakynthos

$394 23.4%

Thessaloniki

$489 29.6% 23.9% $94

Eating Out

Zakynthos

$378 22.4%

Thessaloniki

$276 16.7% 26.9% $102

Groceries & Markets

Zakynthos

$334 19.8%

Thessaloniki

$336 20.4% 0.7% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zakynthos

$274 16.3%

Thessaloniki

$268 16.3% 2% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Zakynthos

$175 10.4%

Thessaloniki

$177 10.7% 1.2% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Zakynthos

$69 4.1%

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4% 5.4% $3.7

Getting Around

Zakynthos

$63 3.7%

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8% 51.5% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $384 in Zakynthos 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 11% higher in Zakynthos, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Zakynthos versus $67.0 in Thessaloniki. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $334 vs $336 – making Zakynthos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Zakynthos

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

Same time as Zakynthos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,015

790,824

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Zakynthos Thessaloniki 370 km

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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

Zakynthos vs Thessaloniki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,686 in Zakynthos, $1,649 in Thessaloniki – roughly 2% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,530 per month in Zakynthos 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 Thessaloniki, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 147% less in Thessaloniki. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $428 per month in Zakynthos and $469 in Thessaloniki. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Thessaloniki, where all-in costs run around $1,649, than in Zakynthos at $1,686. In Thessaloniki it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zakynthos 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 $1,649 in Thessaloniki to $1,686 in Zakynthos. 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 Thessaloniki. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Zakynthos makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.