We spent 2 weeks in Thessaloniki to research whether we could live there longer term, and the answer is….yes! Although, I have to say I still prefer Athens. We took day trips to Halkidiki and Mount Olympus. I would happily go back to Thessaloniki for a month*
This is probably true for any Greek city, but you see ruins just walking around. The new metro opened in November 2024, and while they were building it, they uncovered even more ruins, so now they’re exposed and preserved right in the stations. V cool. The city also has a rich Jewish history. It used to be home to one of the largest Sephardic Jewish communities in the world and was called the “Jerusalem of the Balkans,” until the Nazis deported almost the entire community in 1943.
If you’re thinking about staying in Thessaloniki for a few weeks or a month, as a digital nomad or just slow traveling, here is how to get around, where to stay, what it costs, where to work and where to eat.
Thessaloniki Costs at a glance
- Rent: our Airbnb was $1,500 a month. A regular one-bedroom rents for closer to €500.
- Coffee: about €2.70 to €3.20
- Coworking: day passes from about €19
- Getting around: very walkable, and €0.60 a ride on the bus or metro
- Day trips: Halkidiki beaches and Mount Olympus are both about an hour’s drive
Jump to a section
- Getting Around
- Where We Stayed and the Best Neighborhoods
- What It Costs to Live in Thessaloniki
- Working Remotely in Thessaloniki
- Best Cafés to Work From
- More Cafés and Brunch Spots
- Thessaloniki Sweets You Have to Try
- Where to Eat
- Rooftop Bars and Views
- Massage at Harara Hammam
- My Birthday Photoshoot in Thessaloniki
- Day Trips from Thessaloniki
- FAQs
- Final Thoughts
Getting Around
In the city, we walked everywhere. If you stay further out, public transport is cheap and easy. For day trips, we rented a car for three days.
- Metro and buses: the metro has one line through the center. One ticket works on both the metro and buses: €0.60 a ride, or €2.50 for a day ticket.
- From the airport: the X1 express bus runs to the city around the clock for €2
- Car rental: we rented from Hertz online for $70 a day
- We only drive automatic, which costs a lot more than manual in Greece. I walked to a few rental places in town hoping for a cheaper rate in person, but they only had manual cars
- Tip: if you need an automatic, book online and book early
Where We Stayed and the Best Neighborhoods
We stayed in an Airbnb in the Valaoritou neighborhood, between Ladadika and the city center, and I really liked our place. We were on the edge of all the action, but still close enough to walk to cafés and restaurants.
- Cost: $1,500 a month. That’s expensive for Thessaloniki. A year lease one-bedroom probably rents for closer to €500 a month.
- Being a tiny bit outside the center made it a bit cheaper
The one con: you can see the water, but there’s nowhere to swim in the city. The closest spot is The Hidden Beach in Angelochori, a little cove that’s popular at sunset. For the best beaches, we drove about an hour south to Halkidiki.
Other neighborhoods: we only stayed in Valaoritou, so I can’t vouch for these, but they’re the other areas people look at for a longer stay. Around Aristotelous Square and Tsimiski Street is the heart of the city and close to the coworking spaces. Ano Poli, the old town on the hill, is quieter with views, but expect steep walks. Kalamaria is a calmer residential area by the sea, south of the center.
What It Costs to Live in Thessaloniki
Here’s what we spent during our two weeks.
- Airbnb: $1,500 (monthly rate)
- Coffee: espresso or freddo espresso around €2.70, cappuccino or latte around €3.20
- Brunch: pancakes and waffles around €8 to €8.50
- Nice dinner: €99 for two at a Michelin recommended restaurant
- Gym: €10 for a day pass at Body Fit
- Massage: $35 for an hour at Harara Hammam
- Photoshoot: ~$90 through Airbnb
- Car rental: $70 a day for an automatic, so $210 for our 3 days
- Beach club: €25 to €30 for sunbeds in Halkidiki
Working Remotely in Thessaloniki
We were there in the summer, and we didn’t see many people working from cafés. Ypsilon was the big exception. It’s in my list of the best cafés to work from below, with ΥΔΡΟ, Noon and Philia.
Coworking: we didn’t use a coworking space. If you want a proper desk, ΥΔΡΟ is a café and coworking space in one, and coho, the coworking home, is a cozy, central space with free coffee and tea and day passes from about €19.
Phone and data
- I have T-Mobile, so my phone just worked in Greece. No local SIM or eSIM needed.
Gym: we went to Body Fit gym, and a day pass was €10.
Visas
- Americans can visit Greece visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area
- To stay longer while working remotely, Greece has a digital nomad visa. You need at least €3,500 a month in income after taxes, from work outside Greece.
- Since February 2026, you have to apply at a Greek consulate before you travel. You can no longer apply from inside Greece.
Best Cafés to Work From
There are cafés everywhere in Thessaloniki, but not all of them are laptop friendly. Here are 4 where I saw others with their laptops out.
1. ΥΔΡΟ
ΥΔΡΟ is a coffee shop that doubles as a coworking space, so you get the café vibe and a place to work.
2. Ypsilon
This was the café where we saw the most people working on laptops. The Wi-Fi was good, and it was full of young people meeting up. A very hip spot, and I heard it turns into a club at night. Ypsilon is in a restored 1868 building near Aristotelous Square.
3. Noon
A café and cocktail bar on Mitropoleos Street, right in the center, and a good place to work from.
4. Philia
Philia is known for their coffee, but the food is just as good. I had a toasted sandwich on sourdough with an iced coffee. It’s a bright, modern space with plants and a long bar, and a good place to work from.
More Cafés and Brunch Spots
These are the other cafés and brunch spots we loved.
1. Slow Cafe
Get the salted vanilla matcha. It was so good. It’s coffee by day and a wine bar vibe at night, and there’s a basketball hoop over the bar. Espresso or freddo espresso is €2.70, a cappuccino, latte or flat white is €3.20, and banana bread is €3.50.
2. The Shed
Fancy drinks and cute outdoor seating. We had an iced matcha and a freddo cappuccino next to an old stone wall. A good spot to sit and read.
3. The Blue Cup
A swanky coffee bar by day and a speakeasy by night. The garden courtyard is gorgeous, with olive trees, orange chairs and mirrors on the walls. I’d have a party here.
4. Brunchsin
So many fun pancake options, and everything on the menu looks delicious. I got the skillet pancake with chocolate, berry sauce and cookie crumble. Most pancakes and waffles are around €8 to €8.50.
5. Beyond the Walls
They have a really nice outdoor patio, and 100% of the restaurant sat out there, which meant we sat inside and had the whole place to ourselves. The menu is huge and everything was good. I ordered the chocolate pancakes. I’d go back.
6. Kitchen Bar
Right on the water with great views, and very popular. My “healthy pancake” came with banana, strawberries and honey. Healthy-ish.
Thessaloniki Sweets You Have to Try
1. Trigona Elenidis
Get the trigona Panoramatos at Trigona Elenidis: crispy, cone-shaped phyllo pastries soaked in syrup and filled to the brim with rich, cold sweet cream. It’s the sweet treat Thessaloniki is most famous for!
2. Bougatsa Giannis
Bougatsa is flaky phyllo pastry filled with sweet cream or savory cheese, and it’s a Thessaloniki breakfast classic. Bougatsa Giannis is famous, and the best bougatsa we had. We tried many. The people were really nice, and it was actually really tasty.
Where to Eat
1. The Rouga
Greek food, well priced, and I loved every dish. We had the seafood pasta with shrimp and mussels, plus grilled squid in a skillet. Sit outside on the pedestrian street.
2. Savvikos
Big portions, great prices and great service. The pita wrap comes stuffed with meat and fries, with potatoes, slaw and tomatoes on the side.
3. Olympos Naoussa
A Michelin recommended restaurant, and worth it for a special dinner. Our total bill for two was €99, and it was amazing.
Rooftop Bars and Views
1. OTE Tower
The food and drinks are overpriced, but it’s still worth it. It’s the only rotating restaurant in Greece, and a one-of-a-kind experience.
2. Ennea Rooftop
On top of the Monasty hotel, with a pool and views over the city.
3. ON Rooftop Bar
Nuff said. Go for sunset over the bay.
4. Castra All Day Terrace Bar
Seriously the best view in the city, and totally worth it. Expect slow, bad service and overpriced drinks, because you’re paying for the view. We drove up and got parking right in front.
Massage at Harara Hammam
I got an hour-long massage at Harara Hammam for $35. A good massage for the price.
My Birthday Photoshoot in Thessaloniki
For my birthday, I booked a photoshoot through Airbnb around the main sites of Thessaloniki, and I’d recommend it to anyone.
- The photographer is from Thessaloniki, was very nice, and sent the photos back quickly
- We shot around the old town: the Umbrellas art installation, the statue nearby, the White Tower and the Rotunda
- Cost: about $90
Day Trips from Thessaloniki
We used the rental car for two big day trips back to back. It’s a lot of driving, but worth it.
1. Halkidiki
We drove to Halkidiki for a full beach day. This is where you go in summer if you actually want to swim.
Breakfast in Paralia Gerakini
We stopped in Gerakini on the way and had breakfast at Kritamo Beach Bar – Restaurant. I ordered sardines and a salad, and it was so good. Gerakini sits right between the Kassandra and Sithonia peninsulas, so it’s an easy stop no matter which way you’re headed.
Karydi Beach
Beautiful, but a little too local for me. No chairs, no beach clubs, no vendors. Just families. It was perfectly fine, but I wanted a beach club, so we left after about 30 minutes. It’s good for families with kids, since the water is shallow and calm.
Livrochio Beach
This is where we found our beach club day. The first club was very crowded, sunbeds were about €30 each, and they only had one bed left. We went next door instead. The food was cheaper and an umbrella with two beds was €25 total. My tip: walk next door before you settle, because prices can change a lot from one club to the next.
2. Mount Olympus and Litochoro
This was one of my favorite days of the whole trip, so it got its own post: my Mount Olympus day trip itinerary from Thessaloniki, with the route, what it cost and every stop in order.
The short version: we drove to ancient Dion, the Ourlias Waterfall, the village of Litochoro, the Enipeas Gorge, the Olympus National Park Information Center and the Old Monastery of Saint Dionysios, then up to Prionia, the highest point you can drive to on Mount Olympus.
FAQs
Is Thessaloniki good for digital nomads?
Yes. It’s walkable, public transport is cheap, there are a couple of good coworking options, and it’s a little more affordable than Athens for a longer stay. Just know that in summer, we didn’t see many people working from cafés.
How much does it cost to live in Thessaloniki for a month?
Our Airbnb was $1,500 a month, which is on the high side. A regular one-bedroom rents for closer to €500. Coffee is around €3, and a nice dinner for two at a Michelin recommended restaurant was €99.
Are there coworking spaces in Thessaloniki?
Yes. ΥΔΡΟ is a café and coworking space in one, and coho is a central coworking space with day passes from about €19.
Can you swim in Thessaloniki?
Not in the city itself. The closest spot is The Hidden Beach in Angelochori. For clear water, Halkidiki is about an hour’s drive.
Do Americans need a visa to stay in Thessaloniki?
Not for up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area. To stay longer and work remotely, look into Greece’s digital nomad visa.
Final Thoughts
I would happily stay a month in Thessaloniki, or just live there, and use it as a jumping-off point to explore the rest of Greece. I’d love Athens too, but Thessaloniki is a little more affordable for long-term living.
I would live in Thessaloniki.
Next, read my Mount Olympus day trip itinerary.