Living in Thessaloníki, Greece
Thessaloníki is a mid-sized coastal city in Central Macedonia, Greece (250,000 to 1 million people in the city proper). It has a mild climate, averaging 17°C over the year with about 466 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,857 a month to live centrally, and Greece sits in our high tax tier. For citizens from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, long-term residency in Greece is comparatively open, with a self-funded route from about $4,073 a month in income.
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- Est. cost
- €2,857
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- High
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 17°C
- 466 mm rain a year
- Size
- Mid-sized
- 250,000 to 1 million people
- Safety
- 60/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~60 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Comparatively open
- outside free-movement blocs
What stands out about Thessaloníki
- On or near the sea
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in Greece runs at about 60 Mbps, faster than 15% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Climate
Thessaloníki averages 17°C across the year with about 466 mm of rain, which makes it mild and dry. It is warmer than 36% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Taxes
Greece sits in our high tax tier: high personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at low to medium will not see Thessaloníki in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Healthcare
Greece scores 60 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 27% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in Greece.
Residency and visas
Comparatively open, for people from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland. Greece offers well-established passive-income (Financially Independent Person/retirement) and investor (Golden Visa) routes plus a digital-nomad visa, with EU Blue Card for skilled workers; figures converted at 1 EUR = 1.1637 USD (2026-06-02).
Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights here.
The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Greece:
- Income: about $4,073 a month (Greece Financially Independent Person (FIP) visa, EUR 3,500/mo single applicant (Law 5038/2023, Ministerial Decision 225679/2024); as of June 2026)
- Investment: about $291k (Greece Golden Visa lowest tier, EUR 250,000 one-time (commercial-to-residential conversion or listed-building restoration, nationwide, Law 5100/2024); as of June 2026)
For short visits, 93 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 105 need a visa in advance.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Language and culture
Main languages: Greek. English proficiency: some. Social openness scores 65 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €2,857 a month to live centrally in Thessaloníki, 5% above the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 38% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Safety and stability
Greece scores 60 out of 100 on safety, safer than 50% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 7.4 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in Greece. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Questions couples ask about Thessaloníki
Is Thessaloníki a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. It is weaker on healthcare and internet speed. Expect a mild, dry climate (17°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Thessaloníki and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Thessaloníki?
We estimate about €2,857 a month for a couple living centrally, 5% above the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Thessaloníki?
Greece is in our high tax tier (high personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make low or medium tax a must-have will not see Thessaloníki in their results.
Can foreigners live in Greece long term?
Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights. Our assessment for everyone else: comparatively open. Greece offers well-established passive-income (Financially Independent Person/retirement) and investor (Golden Visa) routes plus a digital-nomad visa, with EU Blue Card for skilled workers; figures converted at 1 EUR = 1.1637 USD (2026-06-02). The cheapest self-funded routes we track: income, about $4,073 a month (as of 2026-06); investment, about $291k (as of 2026-06).
What is the weather like in Thessaloníki?
Thessaloníki averages 17°C across the year with about 466 mm of rain, which makes it mild and dry. It is warmer than 36% of the cities we track.
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