City comparison
Thessaloniki vs Split: which is better to live in?
Quick verdict
Thessaloniki is the cheaper of the two — our estimate for a single person is about €300 a month less than Split, mostly because of rent. They’re in different countries, so visa routes, taxes and healthcare differ too — see below.
Choose Thessaloniki for
- Affordability
- Public transport
- Lower living costs
Choose Split for
- Beach life
- English-friendliness
- Nature & green space
- Sunny, warm climate
Thessaloniki vs Split at a glance
| Thessaloniki | Split | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Greece | Croatia |
| Single budget / month | €1,650 | €1,950 |
| Couple budget / month | €2,600 | €3,000 |
| 1-bed rent, center | €600 | €900 |
| Winter highs (Dec–Feb) | 12°C / 53°F | 11°C / 52°F |
| Summer highs (Jun–Aug) | 32°C / 89°F | 30°C / 86°F |
| Sunshine (hours/yr) | 2,338 | 2,699 |
| City size | Large city | Mid-size city |
| Coastal | Yes | Yes |
| Direct flights to the US | No | Yes |
| Affordability | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Sunny, warm climate | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| English-friendliness | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Safety | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Walkability | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Public transport | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Nature & green space | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Beach life | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Mountains nearby | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Culture | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Nightlife | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Family life | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Remote-work scene | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Expat community | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Flights home | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Calm, slower pace | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
Cost of living: Thessaloniki or Split?
By our estimates, a comfortable mid-range life costs about €1,650 a month for one person in Thessaloniki and €1,950 in Split, rent included. For a couple it’s €2,600 vs €3,000, and for a family of four €3,600 vs €4,200.
Rent drives most of the gap: a one-bedroom in the center runs about €600 in Thessaloniki against €900 in Split, while a monthly transit pass costs €20 vs €35. Want to plug in your own lifestyle? Use the cost of living calculator.
Climate and weather
Winters average highs of about 12°C (53°F) in Thessaloniki and 11°C (52°F) in Split. In summer it’s roughly 32°C vs 30°C. Thessaloniki gets about 2,338 hours of sunshine a year and Split about 2,699.
2,338 hours of sunshine a year · 450 mm of rain a year · Source: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki station 1991-2020 normals for temperature and rain; sunshine hours from Thessaloniki Airport 1991-2020 normals (Info Climat), via Wikipedia's Thessaloniki climate tables.
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11°C / 51°F | 3°C / 38°F |
| Feb | 12°C / 54°F | 4°C / 40°F |
| Mar | 16°C / 60°F | 7°C / 44°F |
| Apr | 20°C / 67°F | 10°C / 50°F |
| May | 25°C / 77°F | 15°C / 59°F |
| Jun | 30°C / 86°F | 19°C / 67°F |
| Jul | 32°C / 90°F | 22°C / 71°F |
| Aug | 32°C / 90°F | 22°C / 71°F |
| Sep | 28°C / 82°F | 18°C / 64°F |
| Oct | 22°C / 72°F | 13°C / 56°F |
| Nov | 17°C / 62°F | 9°C / 48°F |
| Dec | 12°C / 53°F | 5°C / 41°F |
2,699 hours of sunshine a year · 801 mm of rain a year · Source: Split-Marjan 1991-2020 normals (Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service/NOAA NCEI), as shown on Wikipedia's Split page.
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11°C / 51°F | 6°C / 43°F |
| Feb | 12°C / 53°F | 6°C / 43°F |
| Mar | 15°C / 58°F | 9°C / 47°F |
| Apr | 18°C / 65°F | 12°C / 53°F |
| May | 23°C / 74°F | 16°C / 61°F |
| Jun | 28°C / 83°F | 20°C / 68°F |
| Jul | 31°C / 88°F | 23°C / 73°F |
| Aug | 31°C / 88°F | 23°C / 73°F |
| Sep | 25°C / 78°F | 18°C / 65°F |
| Oct | 21°C / 69°F | 15°C / 58°F |
| Nov | 16°C / 60°F | 11°C / 51°F |
| Dec | 12°C / 53°F | 7°C / 45°F |
Daily life
Thessaloniki is a large city on the coast; Split is a mid-size city on the coast. Thessaloniki is a student-heavy, food-obsessed second city with a waterfront, lower rents than Athens and fewer foreigners, which makes it feel more Greek. A single person can live well on about €1,650 a month in our estimate. Flights to North America go through Athens or another hub. Split is a walkable Dalmatian city with a Roman palace at its center, beaches inside the city and mountains behind it. It is the nomad favorite on Croatia's coast: about €1,950 a month for a single person in our estimate, and English works nearly everywhere. Summer crowds and housing seasonality are the trade-offs.
Living in Thessaloniki: the upsides and downsides
- Lowest budget in this batch for a single person (about €1,650 a month, our estimate)
- A big university population keeps cafes, music and nightlife busy year-round
- Walkable center and seafront promenade
- Downside: No direct flights to the US or Canada found
- Downside: Colder winters than Athens: January highs near 10.6 degrees C and lows about 3.4
Living in Split: the upsides and downsides
- City beach at Bacvice and the Marjan forest park within walking distance
- Croatia ranks 2nd in EF's English index, and you can feel it in daily life
- Island ferries from the port, with the mountains above the city
- Downside: Summer rents and crowds: cruise ships and short-term lets squeeze housing
- Downside: Cooler, wetter winter than Cyprus or Malta
Visas and residency
Thessaloniki is in Greece and Split is in Croatia. The main routes for each:
- Greece Digital Nomad Visa and Residence Permit — Digital nomad visa, open, €3,500/mo income
- Greece Financially Independent Person Visa — Passive income visa, open, €2,000/mo income
- Greece Golden Visa (Residence by Investment) — Golden visa, open, €400,000 investment
- Croatia Digital Nomad Temporary Stay — Digital nomad visa, open, €3,623/mo income
Read the full guides: living in Thessaloniki and living in Split.
Related comparisons
Costs are our estimates for a comfortable mid-range lifestyle; scores are editorial, relative to the 40 cities we cover. Methodology.