🇬🇷Greece
The ruins you learned about at school, a drowned volcano with villages on its rim, and a northern city that quietly cooks better than anywhere else in the country. Cheap by eurozone standards, and late-running in the best way.
Cities
Twenty-five centuries of history under a hill you can see from almost anywhere in the city. Scruffier and far more alive than the ruins suggest, and one of the cheapest capitals in the eurozone.
A drowned volcano with villages balanced on the crater rim. The most photographed island in Greece, the most expensive, and — if you plan around the crowds rather than into them — still worth it.
Greece's second city: Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman layers stacked on a seafront promenade, a student population that keeps it up late, and the best food in the country. Almost no tour groups.
At a glance
How Greece’s cities compare. Rough 2025–2026 figures.
| City | Cheap meal | Mid-range hotel | Transit ride | Avg. monthly salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇬🇷 Athens | $4.00–8.00 | $70–130 | $1.30 | ≈ $1,450 |
| 🇬🇷 Santorini | $6.00–11 | $140–320 | $2.00–2.80 | ≈ $1,500 |
| 🇬🇷 Thessaloniki | $4.00–7.00 | $55–105 | $1.10 | ≈ $1,350 |