CITY / CITYVerified city comparison
HeraklionvsThessaloniki.
Heraklion is stronger on 2 of 8 headline facts; Thessaloniki on 0. Cost of living (single, excl. rent): Heraklion $766/mo, Thessaloniki $766/mo. Freelancer tax burden: Heraklion 30.9%, Thessaloniki 30.9%. Climate comfort: Heraklion 10/12 mo, Thessaloniki 5/12 mo.
VerifiedUpdated
14 compared criteria · 17 sources · country-level facts are clearly inherited
gr / gr · SettleMetric
01
The key differences
The key numbers head-to-head — the stronger side is marked. The overall score stays decoration; what matters is which facts fit you.
Headline result
Heraklion leads on 2 of 8
Heraklion
2
Thessaloniki
0
01Cost of living (single, excl. rent)
Heraklion
$766/mo
ELSTAT — Household Budget Survey 2023
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- ELSTAT HBS 2023: average annual expenditure per person = €8,358.24 = €696.52/month (monetary purchases, excludes imputed owner rent). Subtracted the actual-rent component (~€24.6/person) → €671.9/person excl. rent × 1.1399 = $766. Same low-reading per-capita HBS basis as peers.
- Notes
- Greek monetary household consumption is genuinely depressed (ELSTAT reports it ~20.5% below 2008), so the per-capita figure lands near Czechia despite Greece feeling pricier in tourist zones. Rent shown separately.
Thessaloniki
$766/mo
ELSTAT — Household Budget Survey 2023
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- ELSTAT HBS 2023: average annual expenditure per person = €8,358.24 = €696.52/month (monetary purchases, excludes imputed owner rent). Subtracted the actual-rent component (~€24.6/person) → €671.9/person excl. rent × 1.1399 = $766. Same low-reading per-capita HBS basis as peers.
- Notes
- Greek monetary household consumption is genuinely depressed (ELSTAT reports it ~20.5% below 2008), so the per-capita figure lands near Czechia despite Greece feeling pricier in tourist zones. Rent shown separately.
02Freelancer tax burden
Heraklion
30.9%
SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (Law 5246/2025 income-tax scale + e-EFKA Class 1)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Standard freelancer scheme at €60,000, single (scheme gr-freelancer-standard): EFKA Class 1 = 3,006/yr (deductible); income tax on 56,994 via the 2026 scale (9/20/26/34/39%) = 15,528. Levies 18,534 → 30.9%. NOTE: a relocating new tax resident gets the 50% income-tax exemption (Article 5C, scheme gr-freelancer-newresident-50) for 7 years, cutting this to ≈13.5% — but the 30.9% standard figure is the unconditional, steady-state burden shown as the headline.
Thessaloniki
30.9%
SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (Law 5246/2025 income-tax scale + e-EFKA Class 1)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Standard freelancer scheme at €60,000, single (scheme gr-freelancer-standard): EFKA Class 1 = 3,006/yr (deductible); income tax on 56,994 via the 2026 scale (9/20/26/34/39%) = 15,528. Levies 18,534 → 30.9%. NOTE: a relocating new tax resident gets the 50% income-tax exemption (Article 5C, scheme gr-freelancer-newresident-50) for 7 years, cutting this to ≈13.5% — but the 30.9% standard figure is the unconditional, steady-state burden shown as the headline.
03Homicide rate
Heraklion
0.78/100k
Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (crim_off_cat, ICCS0101, unit P_HTHAB, geo=EL)
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Police-recorded intentional homicide, 2024 (0.78). Very low by global standards (world average ~5.8) and down over the series (1.29 in 2008 to 0.68–0.88 recently). One of the safer countries in the set.
Thessaloniki
0.78/100k
Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (crim_off_cat, ICCS0101, unit P_HTHAB, geo=EL)
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Police-recorded intentional homicide, 2024 (0.78). Very low by global standards (world average ~5.8) and down over the series (1.29 in 2008 to 0.68–0.88 recently). One of the safer countries in the set.
04Climate comfort
Heraklionstronger
10/12 mo
SettleMetric computation over climate-normals (NOAA GSOD 1991–2020, Heraklion Airport)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2020
- Verified
- Sep 20, 2026
- Method
- Months whose mean daily maximum is between 15 and 28 °C AND whose monthly precipitation is under 150 mm: Jan (15.3), Feb (15.6), Mar (17.4), Apr (20.3), May (23.9), Jun (27.5), Sep (27.3), Oct (24.2), Nov (20.4), Dec (16.9) = 10. Only July and August are excluded, both at 29.4 °C. The precipitation test excludes nothing: the wettest month is January at 90.2 mm.
- Notes
- Ten sits at the top of this dataset’s range: Lisbon and Los Angeles also reach ten, and only Bogotá, Las Palmas, Mexico City and Funchal reach twelve. The count rewards a winter that never gets cold rather than a gentle summer — January and February qualify here purely because their daily maxima sit just above the 15 °C floor.
Thessaloniki
5/12 mo
SettleMetric computation over climate-normals (Climates to Travel 1991–2020, Thessaloniki airport)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2020
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Months with mean daily max 15–28°C AND precipitation < 150mm: Apr (19.4), May (25.0), Sep (27.3), Oct (21.6), Nov (15.8) = 5. Excluded: Jan/Feb/Dec and Mar (14.9°C, just below 15) for cold; Jun–Aug (30.0–32.3°C) for heat. All months satisfy the precip test (max 50 mm). Thessaloniki's colder winters knock out March, while its milder September qualifies.
05Internet speed
Heraklion
37 Mbps
M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Greece
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Median of the 343 daily country-median download values for GR in 2023 = 37.3 Mbps (268,076 download tests; daily medians ranged 21.3–47.3). M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads below Ookla-style tests — comparable only within this criterion. 2023 is the latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API.
- Notes
- Greece's fixed broadband is improving as fibre rolls out; the single-stream M-Lab median is used only for cross-country comparability on one consistent method.
Thessaloniki
37 Mbps
M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Greece
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Median of the 343 daily country-median download values for GR in 2023 = 37.3 Mbps (268,076 download tests; daily medians ranged 21.3–47.3). M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads below Ookla-style tests — comparable only within this criterion. 2023 is the latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API.
- Notes
- Greece's fixed broadband is improving as fibre rolls out; the single-stream M-Lab median is used only for cross-country comparability on one consistent method.
06English proficiency
Heraklion
High
EF EPI 2025 — Greece (score 592, rank 20/123, High band)
Research
- Data as of
- Nov 1, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Own band informed by EF EPI 2025 (attribution: EF Education First): Greece scores 592, rank 20/123 — top of the 'High' band, just below the 'Very High' threshold (~600); global average 488. English is widely functional in tourism, services and among younger Greeks, though the score slipped 10 points from the prior edition.
Thessaloniki
High
EF EPI 2025 — Greece (score 592, rank 20/123, High band)
Research
- Data as of
- Nov 1, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Own band informed by EF EPI 2025 (attribution: EF Education First): Greece scores 592, rank 20/123 — top of the 'High' band, just below the 'Very High' threshold (~600); global average 488. English is widely functional in tourism, services and among younger Greeks, though the score slipped 10 points from the prior edition.
07Private healthcare cost
Heraklion
$1,368/yr
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 15, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Midpoint of local comprehensive (inpatient + outpatient) annual premiums for a healthy 35-year-old, €600–1,800 from major Greek insurers (mid-range €100–180/month) → ~€1,200/yr × 1.1399 = $1,368.
- Notes
- Public cover exists via EOPYY (funded through EFKA contributions), but waiting lists and gaps drive a large private market. Local plans run cheaper than international/expat plans ($2,000–4,000+/yr). Greek insurers raised premiums ~14% in 2025 — a rising curated midpoint, not a firm quote.
Thessaloniki
$1,368/yr
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 15, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Midpoint of local comprehensive (inpatient + outpatient) annual premiums for a healthy 35-year-old, €600–1,800 from major Greek insurers (mid-range €100–180/month) → ~€1,200/yr × 1.1399 = $1,368.
- Notes
- Public cover exists via EOPYY (funded through EFKA contributions), but waiting lists and gaps drive a large private market. Local plans run cheaper than international/expat plans ($2,000–4,000+/yr). Greek insurers raised premiums ~14% in 2025 — a rising curated midpoint, not a firm quote.
08Air quality (PM2.5)
Heraklionstronger
11.7 µg/m³
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Sep 20, 2026
- Method
- Row Irakleio/GRC, year 2024, of the WHO Ambient Air Quality Database v8.0 (2026): pm25_concentration = 11.66 µg/m³ at 99% temporal coverage over 1 station, reference "European Environmental Agency". Cross-checked against the EEA statistic it is built from, queried directly on 2026-09-20: station GR0433A HERAKLION-2, urban traffic, annual mean 11.663023 µg/m³, data coverage 98.95%, verification flag 1 (validated). The row’s station sits at 35.3328°N 25.1382°E, 0.9 km from this city’s recorded coordinates. Reference year 2024 is the latest year with a full-year figure and the year already used by the other European cities here; the database also carries 2025 at 10.97 µg/m³, but on 56% coverage, far below the EU’s 90% data-quality objective, so it is reported here rather than used.
- Notes
- ONE station, and an urban traffic one, so this reads high relative to where people actually live — Heraklion has no urban background PM2.5 monitor. For scale, the nearest background site, Finokalia on the coast 48 km east, measured 7.08 µg/m³ in the same year, and the whole Greek network reported between 7.08 and 24.51. Preceding year in the same series: 2023, 13.30 µg/m³ at 88% coverage. Even on the traffic station the figure is well under the EU limit value of 25 and the lowest of the three Greek cities here — Athens 14.2 (a five-station average) and Thessaloniki 16.11 (six stations, four of them traffic) for the same year.
Thessaloniki
16.1 µg/m³
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Aug 28, 2026
- Method
- Row Thessaloniki/GRC, year 2024, of the WHO Ambient Air Quality Database v8.0 (2026), read from the published spreadsheet on 2026-08-28: pm25_concentration = 16.11 µg/m³ at 96% temporal coverage over 6 stations (four urban traffic, one urban background and one urban industrial), reference "European Environmental Agency", WHO footprint population 315,196. Reference year 2024 — the latest year this database carries a full-year PM2.5 figure for this city, and the year already used by the other European cities in this dataset. The database also holds a later row for this city — 2025 reads 15.82 µg/m³ but at 81% coverage, below the EU's 90% data-quality objective — so it is reported in notes rather than used. Identity checked against the row's own station centroid, which lies 0.9 km from this city's recorded coordinates — the file contains near-miss names such as "Playa Del Ingles/ESP" and "Porto Empedocle/ITA", so the check is not a formality.
- Notes
- Four of the six stations are urban traffic, which biases the mean upward relative to where people live — the comparable cities in this dataset are mostly background-weighted, so Thessaloniki is flattered by nothing here. The direction of travel is clear and steady: 20.43 µg/m³ in 2021 down to 16.11 in 2024. Preceding years in the same series: 2020 19.05 (96%), 2021 20.43 (88%), 2022 18.71 (94%), 2023 17.77 (93%).
02
Which city fits your plan?
Each lens weighs only the facts that matter to that plan, and names the side it favours.
Remote IT / freelancer
Contract or freelance in tech, billing clients abroad.
A close call for this plan
01Freelancer tax burden
Heraklion
30.9%
SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (Law 5246/2025 income-tax scale + e-EFKA Class 1)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Standard freelancer scheme at €60,000, single (scheme gr-freelancer-standard): EFKA Class 1 = 3,006/yr (deductible); income tax on 56,994 via the 2026 scale (9/20/26/34/39%) = 15,528. Levies 18,534 → 30.9%. NOTE: a relocating new tax resident gets the 50% income-tax exemption (Article 5C, scheme gr-freelancer-newresident-50) for 7 years, cutting this to ≈13.5% — but the 30.9% standard figure is the unconditional, steady-state burden shown as the headline.
Thessaloniki
30.9%
SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (Law 5246/2025 income-tax scale + e-EFKA Class 1)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Standard freelancer scheme at €60,000, single (scheme gr-freelancer-standard): EFKA Class 1 = 3,006/yr (deductible); income tax on 56,994 via the 2026 scale (9/20/26/34/39%) = 15,528. Levies 18,534 → 30.9%. NOTE: a relocating new tax resident gets the 50% income-tax exemption (Article 5C, scheme gr-freelancer-newresident-50) for 7 years, cutting this to ≈13.5% — but the 30.9% standard figure is the unconditional, steady-state burden shown as the headline.
02Internet speed
Heraklion
37 Mbps
M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Greece
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Median of the 343 daily country-median download values for GR in 2023 = 37.3 Mbps (268,076 download tests; daily medians ranged 21.3–47.3). M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads below Ookla-style tests — comparable only within this criterion. 2023 is the latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API.
- Notes
- Greece's fixed broadband is improving as fibre rolls out; the single-stream M-Lab median is used only for cross-country comparability on one consistent method.
Thessaloniki
37 Mbps
M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Greece
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Median of the 343 daily country-median download values for GR in 2023 = 37.3 Mbps (268,076 download tests; daily medians ranged 21.3–47.3). M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads below Ookla-style tests — comparable only within this criterion. 2023 is the latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API.
- Notes
- Greece's fixed broadband is improving as fibre rolls out; the single-stream M-Lab median is used only for cross-country comparability on one consistent method.
03English proficiency
Heraklion
High
EF EPI 2025 — Greece (score 592, rank 20/123, High band)
Research
- Data as of
- Nov 1, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Own band informed by EF EPI 2025 (attribution: EF Education First): Greece scores 592, rank 20/123 — top of the 'High' band, just below the 'Very High' threshold (~600); global average 488. English is widely functional in tourism, services and among younger Greeks, though the score slipped 10 points from the prior edition.
Thessaloniki
High
EF EPI 2025 — Greece (score 592, rank 20/123, High band)
Research
- Data as of
- Nov 1, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Own band informed by EF EPI 2025 (attribution: EF Education First): Greece scores 592, rank 20/123 — top of the 'High' band, just below the 'Very High' threshold (~600); global average 488. English is widely functional in tourism, services and among younger Greeks, though the score slipped 10 points from the prior edition.
04Cost of living (single, excl. rent)
Heraklion
$766/mo
ELSTAT — Household Budget Survey 2023
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- ELSTAT HBS 2023: average annual expenditure per person = €8,358.24 = €696.52/month (monetary purchases, excludes imputed owner rent). Subtracted the actual-rent component (~€24.6/person) → €671.9/person excl. rent × 1.1399 = $766. Same low-reading per-capita HBS basis as peers.
- Notes
- Greek monetary household consumption is genuinely depressed (ELSTAT reports it ~20.5% below 2008), so the per-capita figure lands near Czechia despite Greece feeling pricier in tourist zones. Rent shown separately.
Thessaloniki
$766/mo
ELSTAT — Household Budget Survey 2023
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- ELSTAT HBS 2023: average annual expenditure per person = €8,358.24 = €696.52/month (monetary purchases, excludes imputed owner rent). Subtracted the actual-rent component (~€24.6/person) → €671.9/person excl. rent × 1.1399 = $766. Same low-reading per-capita HBS basis as peers.
- Notes
- Greek monetary household consumption is genuinely depressed (ELSTAT reports it ~20.5% below 2008), so the per-capita figure lands near Czechia despite Greece feeling pricier in tourist zones. Rent shown separately.
05Domestic delivery quality
Heraklion
Good
Greek carrier networks (ELTA, ACS, BoxNow) — composite
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 15, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Dense mainland-city coverage: national couriers (ELTA post, ACS, Geniki Taxydromiki, Speedex) plus one of SE Europe's largest parcel-locker networks (BoxNow) and Skroutz Last Mile; cash-on-delivery ('αντικαταβολή') is mainstream. Athens/Thessaloniki are excellent, but ELTA's financial troubles and ferry-dependent island last-mile keep the national rating at 'good' rather than 'excellent'.
Thessaloniki
Good
Greek carrier networks (ELTA, ACS, BoxNow) — composite
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 15, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Dense mainland-city coverage: national couriers (ELTA post, ACS, Geniki Taxydromiki, Speedex) plus one of SE Europe's largest parcel-locker networks (BoxNow) and Skroutz Last Mile; cash-on-delivery ('αντικαταβολή') is mainstream. Athens/Thessaloniki are excellent, but ELTA's financial troubles and ferry-dependent island last-mile keep the national rating at 'good' rather than 'excellent'.
Family
Relocating with a partner and school-age children.
A close call for this plan
01International schools
Heraklion
1
Official source
- Data as of
- Sep 20, 2026
- Verified
- Sep 20, 2026
- Method
- Accreditor-verified: the School of European Education – Heraklion (A. Nioti and Savathianon 8, seeh.eu) is listed on the European Schools registry as accredited to teach the European Schools curriculum from nursery to the European Baccalaureate, English and Greek language sections, first Baccalaureate session 2015. It is the only Accredited European School in Greece, one of the 24 locations on that registry, and was set up around the EU agency ENISA, which the registry names as its linked agency.
- Notes
- VERIFIED FLOOR. The IB World Schools directory (ibo.org) has refused our requests since the Polish work in August 2026 and the Internet Archive holds no snapshot of its country listings, so any IB-authorised school in Heraklion could not be counted or ruled out — the same blocked check that leaves thirteen other published cities in this dataset without a count. Heraklion is unusual in that one accredited school could be confirmed at a different registry, so it carries a number rather than a gap; treat it as "at least one", not as a complete count.
Thessalonikistronger
2
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 15, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Accreditor-verified: (1) Pinewood — The International School of Thessaloniki (IB World School, PYP/MYP/DP; also Middle States Association-accredited, US State Dept-recognized); (2) Anatolia College (IB DP-authorized since 1997). Pinewood and Anatolia jointly deliver one IBDP but are two distinct IB-authorized institutions = 2.
- Notes
- Verified FLOOR (±1). Greece has 22 IB World Schools nationally, ~14 in Athens. Additional IB or other-accreditor schools may exist in the wider Thessaloniki area; 2 is a conservative floor.
02Homicide rate
Heraklion
0.78/100k
Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (crim_off_cat, ICCS0101, unit P_HTHAB, geo=EL)
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Police-recorded intentional homicide, 2024 (0.78). Very low by global standards (world average ~5.8) and down over the series (1.29 in 2008 to 0.68–0.88 recently). One of the safer countries in the set.
Thessaloniki
0.78/100k
Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (crim_off_cat, ICCS0101, unit P_HTHAB, geo=EL)
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Police-recorded intentional homicide, 2024 (0.78). Very low by global standards (world average ~5.8) and down over the series (1.29 in 2008 to 0.68–0.88 recently). One of the safer countries in the set.
03Private healthcare cost
Heraklion
$1,368/yr
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 15, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Midpoint of local comprehensive (inpatient + outpatient) annual premiums for a healthy 35-year-old, €600–1,800 from major Greek insurers (mid-range €100–180/month) → ~€1,200/yr × 1.1399 = $1,368.
- Notes
- Public cover exists via EOPYY (funded through EFKA contributions), but waiting lists and gaps drive a large private market. Local plans run cheaper than international/expat plans ($2,000–4,000+/yr). Greek insurers raised premiums ~14% in 2025 — a rising curated midpoint, not a firm quote.
Thessaloniki
$1,368/yr
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 15, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Midpoint of local comprehensive (inpatient + outpatient) annual premiums for a healthy 35-year-old, €600–1,800 from major Greek insurers (mid-range €100–180/month) → ~€1,200/yr × 1.1399 = $1,368.
- Notes
- Public cover exists via EOPYY (funded through EFKA contributions), but waiting lists and gaps drive a large private market. Local plans run cheaper than international/expat plans ($2,000–4,000+/yr). Greek insurers raised premiums ~14% in 2025 — a rising curated midpoint, not a firm quote.
04Air quality (PM2.5)
Heraklionstronger
11.7 µg/m³
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Sep 20, 2026
- Method
- Row Irakleio/GRC, year 2024, of the WHO Ambient Air Quality Database v8.0 (2026): pm25_concentration = 11.66 µg/m³ at 99% temporal coverage over 1 station, reference "European Environmental Agency". Cross-checked against the EEA statistic it is built from, queried directly on 2026-09-20: station GR0433A HERAKLION-2, urban traffic, annual mean 11.663023 µg/m³, data coverage 98.95%, verification flag 1 (validated). The row’s station sits at 35.3328°N 25.1382°E, 0.9 km from this city’s recorded coordinates. Reference year 2024 is the latest year with a full-year figure and the year already used by the other European cities here; the database also carries 2025 at 10.97 µg/m³, but on 56% coverage, far below the EU’s 90% data-quality objective, so it is reported here rather than used.
- Notes
- ONE station, and an urban traffic one, so this reads high relative to where people actually live — Heraklion has no urban background PM2.5 monitor. For scale, the nearest background site, Finokalia on the coast 48 km east, measured 7.08 µg/m³ in the same year, and the whole Greek network reported between 7.08 and 24.51. Preceding year in the same series: 2023, 13.30 µg/m³ at 88% coverage. Even on the traffic station the figure is well under the EU limit value of 25 and the lowest of the three Greek cities here — Athens 14.2 (a five-station average) and Thessaloniki 16.11 (six stations, four of them traffic) for the same year.
Thessaloniki
16.1 µg/m³
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Aug 28, 2026
- Method
- Row Thessaloniki/GRC, year 2024, of the WHO Ambient Air Quality Database v8.0 (2026), read from the published spreadsheet on 2026-08-28: pm25_concentration = 16.11 µg/m³ at 96% temporal coverage over 6 stations (four urban traffic, one urban background and one urban industrial), reference "European Environmental Agency", WHO footprint population 315,196. Reference year 2024 — the latest year this database carries a full-year PM2.5 figure for this city, and the year already used by the other European cities in this dataset. The database also holds a later row for this city — 2025 reads 15.82 µg/m³ but at 81% coverage, below the EU's 90% data-quality objective — so it is reported in notes rather than used. Identity checked against the row's own station centroid, which lies 0.9 km from this city's recorded coordinates — the file contains near-miss names such as "Playa Del Ingles/ESP" and "Porto Empedocle/ITA", so the check is not a formality.
- Notes
- Four of the six stations are urban traffic, which biases the mean upward relative to where people live — the comparable cities in this dataset are mostly background-weighted, so Thessaloniki is flattered by nothing here. The direction of travel is clear and steady: 20.43 µg/m³ in 2021 down to 16.11 in 2024. Preceding years in the same series: 2020 19.05 (96%), 2021 20.43 (88%), 2022 18.71 (94%), 2023 17.77 (93%).
05English proficiency
Heraklion
High
EF EPI 2025 — Greece (score 592, rank 20/123, High band)
Research
- Data as of
- Nov 1, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Own band informed by EF EPI 2025 (attribution: EF Education First): Greece scores 592, rank 20/123 — top of the 'High' band, just below the 'Very High' threshold (~600); global average 488. English is widely functional in tourism, services and among younger Greeks, though the score slipped 10 points from the prior edition.
Thessaloniki
High
EF EPI 2025 — Greece (score 592, rank 20/123, High band)
Research
- Data as of
- Nov 1, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Own band informed by EF EPI 2025 (attribution: EF Education First): Greece scores 592, rank 20/123 — top of the 'High' band, just below the 'Very High' threshold (~600); global average 488. English is widely functional in tourism, services and among younger Greeks, though the score slipped 10 points from the prior edition.
Money & crypto
Optimising tax, banking and crypto rules.
A close call for this plan
01Crypto regulation
Heraklion
Legal regulated
Official source
- Data as of
- Apr 10, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- EU MiCA applies and was transposed by Law 5193/2025 (10 April 2025), with CASP licensing and EU passporting, supervised by HCMC and the Bank of Greece. Individual crypto capital gains are taxed at a flat 15% (from 1 Jan 2025), with a €500 annual tax-free threshold and 5-year loss carry-forward. Fully legal and now clearly regulated/taxed rather than a grey area.
Thessaloniki
Legal regulated
Official source
- Data as of
- Apr 10, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- EU MiCA applies and was transposed by Law 5193/2025 (10 April 2025), with CASP licensing and EU passporting, supervised by HCMC and the Bank of Greece. Individual crypto capital gains are taxed at a flat 15% (from 1 Jan 2025), with a €500 annual tax-free threshold and 5-year loss carry-forward. Fully legal and now clearly regulated/taxed rather than a grey area.
02Financial control level
Heraklion
Moderate
Official source
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Composite: EUR (eurozone), full EU free movement of capital; the 2015 crisis-era capital controls were fully lifted on 1 September 2019, so funds move abroad without restriction. Offsetting this: Greece has the STRICTEST cash-payment cap in the EU (€500 for consumer transactions; breaches fined at double the amount) plus routine AML/CASP reporting. The open capital account alone reads 'low', but the €500 everyday-cash restriction pulls the composite up to 'moderate'.
- Notes
- A 2025–26 proposal to cut the cap to €200 was withdrawn; the €500 limit remains.
Thessaloniki
Moderate
Official source
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Composite: EUR (eurozone), full EU free movement of capital; the 2015 crisis-era capital controls were fully lifted on 1 September 2019, so funds move abroad without restriction. Offsetting this: Greece has the STRICTEST cash-payment cap in the EU (€500 for consumer transactions; breaches fined at double the amount) plus routine AML/CASP reporting. The open capital account alone reads 'low', but the €500 everyday-cash restriction pulls the composite up to 'moderate'.
- Notes
- A 2025–26 proposal to cut the cap to €200 was withdrawn; the €500 limit remains.
03Freelancer tax burden
Heraklion
30.9%
SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (Law 5246/2025 income-tax scale + e-EFKA Class 1)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Standard freelancer scheme at €60,000, single (scheme gr-freelancer-standard): EFKA Class 1 = 3,006/yr (deductible); income tax on 56,994 via the 2026 scale (9/20/26/34/39%) = 15,528. Levies 18,534 → 30.9%. NOTE: a relocating new tax resident gets the 50% income-tax exemption (Article 5C, scheme gr-freelancer-newresident-50) for 7 years, cutting this to ≈13.5% — but the 30.9% standard figure is the unconditional, steady-state burden shown as the headline.
Thessaloniki
30.9%
SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (Law 5246/2025 income-tax scale + e-EFKA Class 1)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Standard freelancer scheme at €60,000, single (scheme gr-freelancer-standard): EFKA Class 1 = 3,006/yr (deductible); income tax on 56,994 via the 2026 scale (9/20/26/34/39%) = 15,528. Levies 18,534 → 30.9%. NOTE: a relocating new tax resident gets the 50% income-tax exemption (Article 5C, scheme gr-freelancer-newresident-50) for 7 years, cutting this to ≈13.5% — but the 30.9% standard figure is the unconditional, steady-state burden shown as the headline.
Calm lifestyle
Prioritising safety, air, and an easy daily life.
Heraklion fits better — 2 of 4
01Homicide rate
Heraklion
0.78/100k
Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (crim_off_cat, ICCS0101, unit P_HTHAB, geo=EL)
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Police-recorded intentional homicide, 2024 (0.78). Very low by global standards (world average ~5.8) and down over the series (1.29 in 2008 to 0.68–0.88 recently). One of the safer countries in the set.
Thessaloniki
0.78/100k
Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (crim_off_cat, ICCS0101, unit P_HTHAB, geo=EL)
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Police-recorded intentional homicide, 2024 (0.78). Very low by global standards (world average ~5.8) and down over the series (1.29 in 2008 to 0.68–0.88 recently). One of the safer countries in the set.
02Air quality (PM2.5)
Heraklionstronger
11.7 µg/m³
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Sep 20, 2026
- Method
- Row Irakleio/GRC, year 2024, of the WHO Ambient Air Quality Database v8.0 (2026): pm25_concentration = 11.66 µg/m³ at 99% temporal coverage over 1 station, reference "European Environmental Agency". Cross-checked against the EEA statistic it is built from, queried directly on 2026-09-20: station GR0433A HERAKLION-2, urban traffic, annual mean 11.663023 µg/m³, data coverage 98.95%, verification flag 1 (validated). The row’s station sits at 35.3328°N 25.1382°E, 0.9 km from this city’s recorded coordinates. Reference year 2024 is the latest year with a full-year figure and the year already used by the other European cities here; the database also carries 2025 at 10.97 µg/m³, but on 56% coverage, far below the EU’s 90% data-quality objective, so it is reported here rather than used.
- Notes
- ONE station, and an urban traffic one, so this reads high relative to where people actually live — Heraklion has no urban background PM2.5 monitor. For scale, the nearest background site, Finokalia on the coast 48 km east, measured 7.08 µg/m³ in the same year, and the whole Greek network reported between 7.08 and 24.51. Preceding year in the same series: 2023, 13.30 µg/m³ at 88% coverage. Even on the traffic station the figure is well under the EU limit value of 25 and the lowest of the three Greek cities here — Athens 14.2 (a five-station average) and Thessaloniki 16.11 (six stations, four of them traffic) for the same year.
Thessaloniki
16.1 µg/m³
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Aug 28, 2026
- Method
- Row Thessaloniki/GRC, year 2024, of the WHO Ambient Air Quality Database v8.0 (2026), read from the published spreadsheet on 2026-08-28: pm25_concentration = 16.11 µg/m³ at 96% temporal coverage over 6 stations (four urban traffic, one urban background and one urban industrial), reference "European Environmental Agency", WHO footprint population 315,196. Reference year 2024 — the latest year this database carries a full-year PM2.5 figure for this city, and the year already used by the other European cities in this dataset. The database also holds a later row for this city — 2025 reads 15.82 µg/m³ but at 81% coverage, below the EU's 90% data-quality objective — so it is reported in notes rather than used. Identity checked against the row's own station centroid, which lies 0.9 km from this city's recorded coordinates — the file contains near-miss names such as "Playa Del Ingles/ESP" and "Porto Empedocle/ITA", so the check is not a formality.
- Notes
- Four of the six stations are urban traffic, which biases the mean upward relative to where people live — the comparable cities in this dataset are mostly background-weighted, so Thessaloniki is flattered by nothing here. The direction of travel is clear and steady: 20.43 µg/m³ in 2021 down to 16.11 in 2024. Preceding years in the same series: 2020 19.05 (96%), 2021 20.43 (88%), 2022 18.71 (94%), 2023 17.77 (93%).
03Cost of living (single, excl. rent)
Heraklion
$766/mo
ELSTAT — Household Budget Survey 2023
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- ELSTAT HBS 2023: average annual expenditure per person = €8,358.24 = €696.52/month (monetary purchases, excludes imputed owner rent). Subtracted the actual-rent component (~€24.6/person) → €671.9/person excl. rent × 1.1399 = $766. Same low-reading per-capita HBS basis as peers.
- Notes
- Greek monetary household consumption is genuinely depressed (ELSTAT reports it ~20.5% below 2008), so the per-capita figure lands near Czechia despite Greece feeling pricier in tourist zones. Rent shown separately.
Thessaloniki
$766/mo
ELSTAT — Household Budget Survey 2023
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- ELSTAT HBS 2023: average annual expenditure per person = €8,358.24 = €696.52/month (monetary purchases, excludes imputed owner rent). Subtracted the actual-rent component (~€24.6/person) → €671.9/person excl. rent × 1.1399 = $766. Same low-reading per-capita HBS basis as peers.
- Notes
- Greek monetary household consumption is genuinely depressed (ELSTAT reports it ~20.5% below 2008), so the per-capita figure lands near Czechia despite Greece feeling pricier in tourist zones. Rent shown separately.
04Climate comfort
Heraklionstronger
10/12 mo
SettleMetric computation over climate-normals (NOAA GSOD 1991–2020, Heraklion Airport)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2020
- Verified
- Sep 20, 2026
- Method
- Months whose mean daily maximum is between 15 and 28 °C AND whose monthly precipitation is under 150 mm: Jan (15.3), Feb (15.6), Mar (17.4), Apr (20.3), May (23.9), Jun (27.5), Sep (27.3), Oct (24.2), Nov (20.4), Dec (16.9) = 10. Only July and August are excluded, both at 29.4 °C. The precipitation test excludes nothing: the wettest month is January at 90.2 mm.
- Notes
- Ten sits at the top of this dataset’s range: Lisbon and Los Angeles also reach ten, and only Bogotá, Las Palmas, Mexico City and Funchal reach twelve. The count rewards a winter that never gets cold rather than a gentle summer — January and February qualify here purely because their daily maxima sit just above the 15 °C floor.
Thessaloniki
5/12 mo
SettleMetric computation over climate-normals (Climates to Travel 1991–2020, Thessaloniki airport)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2020
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Months with mean daily max 15–28°C AND precipitation < 150mm: Apr (19.4), May (25.0), Sep (27.3), Oct (21.6), Nov (15.8) = 5. Excluded: Jan/Feb/Dec and Mar (14.9°C, just below 15) for cold; Jun–Aug (30.0–32.3°C) for heat. All months satisfy the precip test (max 50 mm). Thessaloniki's colder winters knock out March, while its milder September qualifies.
03
The full comparison
Open any fact to see what it measures, how fresh it is and the complete source trail for both cities.
01
Taxes
CriterionHeraklionThessaloniki
01+−Freelancer tax burden% effective burden at €60k/year self-employed profileHeraklion30.9Thessaloniki30.9
What this measures
Effective total burden (income tax + mandatory social and health contributions) for a solo IT freelancer with €60,000/year revenue and 10% deductible expenses, using the most favourable eligible scheme in the country's tax-schemes data. Computed by the SettleMetric tax engine; recorded as a curated value with the winning scheme id in method.
Lower is better· % effective burden at €60k/year self-employed profile· re-verified every 365 days
Heraklion
SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (Law 5246/2025 income-tax scale + e-EFKA Class 1)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Standard freelancer scheme at €60,000, single (scheme gr-freelancer-standard): EFKA Class 1 = 3,006/yr (deductible); income tax on 56,994 via the 2026 scale (9/20/26/34/39%) = 15,528. Levies 18,534 → 30.9%. NOTE: a relocating new tax resident gets the 50% income-tax exemption (Article 5C, scheme gr-freelancer-newresident-50) for 7 years, cutting this to ≈13.5% — but the 30.9% standard figure is the unconditional, steady-state burden shown as the headline.
Thessaloniki
SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (Law 5246/2025 income-tax scale + e-EFKA Class 1)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Standard freelancer scheme at €60,000, single (scheme gr-freelancer-standard): EFKA Class 1 = 3,006/yr (deductible); income tax on 56,994 via the 2026 scale (9/20/26/34/39%) = 15,528. Levies 18,534 → 30.9%. NOTE: a relocating new tax resident gets the 50% income-tax exemption (Article 5C, scheme gr-freelancer-newresident-50) for 7 years, cutting this to ≈13.5% — but the 30.9% standard figure is the unconditional, steady-state burden shown as the headline.
02
Legalization
CriterionHeraklionThessaloniki
01+−Remote-work legalization easeHeraklionDedicated nomad visaThessalonikiDedicated nomad visa
What this measures
Best available legalization route for a location-independent earner with a median (non-EU, non-US) passport, classified from this country's legalization-paths data: dedicated digital-nomad visa; general freelance/self-employment permit; realistic long-stay path (e.g. renewable temporary residence); only short visa-free/tourist stays; effectively none.
Rated by category· re-verified every 180 days
Heraklion
Hellenic Republic MFA — Digital Nomad Visa (Law 4825/2021)
Official source
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Greece runs a dedicated digital-nomad visa (Law 4825/2021): a 12-month visa then a 2-year residence permit for non-EU remote workers earning ≥ €3,500/month net from abroad. Paired with the 50% new-resident income-tax exemption it is one of the EU's most marketed relocation deals for mid-income freelancers, though the income bar is higher than in Albania or Bulgaria. EU citizens simply register.
Thessaloniki
Hellenic Republic MFA — Digital Nomad Visa (Law 4825/2021)
Official source
- Data as of
- Jan 1, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Greece runs a dedicated digital-nomad visa (Law 4825/2021): a 12-month visa then a 2-year residence permit for non-EU remote workers earning ≥ €3,500/month net from abroad. Paired with the 50% new-resident income-tax exemption it is one of the EU's most marketed relocation deals for mid-income freelancers, though the income bar is higher than in Albania or Bulgaria. EU citizens simply register.
03
Cost of living
CriterionHeraklionThessaloniki
01+−Cost of living (single, excl. rent)USD/month, single person, excluding rentHeraklion766Thessaloniki766
What this measures
Monthly cost of a defined single-person basket (food, transport, utilities, mobile+internet, modest leisure) excluding rent, curated from national statistics office price data and large local retailers' published prices, converted to USD at the ECB rate recorded in fx-rates. The method field of each value itemizes the basket inputs.
Lower is better· USD/month, single person, excluding rent· re-verified every 365 days
Heraklion
ELSTAT — Household Budget Survey 2023
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- ELSTAT HBS 2023: average annual expenditure per person = €8,358.24 = €696.52/month (monetary purchases, excludes imputed owner rent). Subtracted the actual-rent component (~€24.6/person) → €671.9/person excl. rent × 1.1399 = $766. Same low-reading per-capita HBS basis as peers.
- Notes
- Greek monetary household consumption is genuinely depressed (ELSTAT reports it ~20.5% below 2008), so the per-capita figure lands near Czechia despite Greece feeling pricier in tourist zones. Rent shown separately.
Thessaloniki
ELSTAT — Household Budget Survey 2023
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- ELSTAT HBS 2023: average annual expenditure per person = €8,358.24 = €696.52/month (monetary purchases, excludes imputed owner rent). Subtracted the actual-rent component (~€24.6/person) → €671.9/person excl. rent × 1.1399 = $766. Same low-reading per-capita HBS basis as peers.
- Notes
- Greek monetary household consumption is genuinely depressed (ELSTAT reports it ~20.5% below 2008), so the per-capita figure lands near Czechia despite Greece feeling pricier in tourist zones. Rent shown separately.
ELSTAT — Household Budget Survey 2023, Table 1 (COICOP shares)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- ELSTAT HBS 2023 Table 1 per-household monthly amounts, with €59.5 rent removed from the Housing line, each divided by household size 2.42 and converted at 1.1399. Items sum to ≈$766. Housing here is utilities/energy/water/maintenance only (rent excluded); Greek energy costs are relatively high, keeping that line large.
Food & non-alcoholic beverages164 USD
Transport104 USD
Restaurants, cafes & hotels90 USD
Utilities, energy, water & home upkeep (excl. rent)84 USD
Miscellaneous goods & services67 USD
Health (out-of-pocket)61 USD
Clothing & footwear37 USD
Household durables & equipment35 USD
Recreation & culture35 USD
Communications34 USD
Education27 USD
Alcohol & tobacco27 USD
04
Housing
Rent by apartment type
Asking rent, central price with outside-centre in parentheses ($/mo).
Heraklion
Thessaloniki
RE/MAX Ελλάς — nationwide residential rent survey 2026 (rents agreed through the network), Heraklion
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Sep 3, 2026
- Verified
- Sep 20, 2026
- Method
- DERIVED (€/m² × standardized size). RE/MAX Ελλάς, "Πανελλαδική αύξηση 3,8% στα ενοίκια των κατοικιών το 2026" (published 2026-09-03), price table "Υπόλοιπη Ελλάδα": Ηράκλειο €8.5/m²/month. Standardized sizes studio 30, 1br 40, 2br 60, 3br 85 m², converted at the ECB rate in data/fx-rates.json (EUR 1 = USD 1.1534). E.g. 1br = 8.5 × 40 = €340 × 1.1534 = $392. The table lists a second "Ηράκλειο" at €9.0 under Δυτικά Προάστια — that is the Attica municipality of the same name, not this city.
- Notes
- FLAT BY LOCATION and on a different basis from the other two Greek cities. RE/MAX publishes one figure for Heraklion with no central/suburban split, so both columns carry the same number; the real spread within the city is not published anywhere readable. The figures are rents actually agreed through the network (93 offices, 1,200+ agents, 124 areas), not asking prices, while Athens and Thessaloniki here are Spitogatos asking prices — see the same survey for the size of the gap: it puts central Athens at €9.8/m² against Spitogatos’ €11.5, and the Municipality of Thessaloniki at €9.6 against €10.4, so agreed rents run 8–15% under asking. An asking-basis Heraklion would therefore be roughly €9.2–10.0/m², or $425–460 for the 1-bedroom cell. The ordering is not affected: on the one basis that covers all three, Heraklion (8.5) is below Thessaloniki (9.6) and Athens (9.8), exactly as the stored numbers show.
Spitogatos Price Index — Thessaloniki asking rents (Q1 2026), municipality/center vs suburban €/m²
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Mar 31, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Spitogatos asking €/m²/month × standardized sizes (studio 30, 1br 40, 2br 60, 3br 85 m²) × 1.1399. Center = Thessaloniki municipality/central (Kentro) ~€10.4/m²; outside = suburban (Kalamaria / western suburbs) ~€8.5/m² (derived ~18% below the municipality average). E.g. 1br center = 10.4×40×1.1399 = $474.
- Notes
- DERIVED (€/m² × standardized size). The €10.4/m² center figure is the Thessaloniki-municipality average used as a central proxy (prime Kentro runs higher, ~€15/m²). Materially cheaper than Athens across all cells.
01Studio
Heraklioncheaper
$294$294 outside
Thessaloniki
$356$291 outside
021-bedroom
Heraklioncheaper
$392$392 outside
Thessaloniki
$474$388 outside
032-bedroom
Heraklioncheaper
$588$588 outside
Thessaloniki
$711$581 outside
043-bedroom
Heraklioncheaper
$833$833 outside
Thessaloniki
$1,008$824 outside
05
Safety
CriterionHeraklionThessaloniki
01+−Homicide rateintentional homicides per 100,000/yearHeraklion0.8Thessaloniki0.8
What this measures
Intentional homicide victims per 100,000 population, latest available year. Country level: UNODC national series. City level: official municipal/police statistics where published; otherwise null (country value shown as country-level).
Lower is better· intentional homicides per 100,000/year· re-verified every 730 days
Heraklion
Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (crim_off_cat, ICCS0101, unit P_HTHAB, geo=EL)
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Police-recorded intentional homicide, 2024 (0.78). Very low by global standards (world average ~5.8) and down over the series (1.29 in 2008 to 0.68–0.88 recently). One of the safer countries in the set.
Thessaloniki
Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (crim_off_cat, ICCS0101, unit P_HTHAB, geo=EL)
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Police-recorded intentional homicide, 2024 (0.78). Very low by global standards (world average ~5.8) and down over the series (1.29 in 2008 to 0.68–0.88 recently). One of the safer countries in the set.
06
Climate
CriterionHeraklionThessaloniki
01+−Climate comfortpleasant months/yearHeraklionstronger10Thessaloniki5
What this measures
Number of months whose 1991–2020 climate normals satisfy: mean daily maximum between 15°C and 28°C and monthly precipitation under 150mm. Computed from the city's climate-normals indicator; the raw normals are stored alongside so users can judge by their own taste.
Higher is better· pleasant months/year· re-verified every 3650 days
Heraklion
SettleMetric computation over climate-normals (NOAA GSOD 1991–2020, Heraklion Airport)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2020
- Verified
- Sep 20, 2026
- Method
- Months whose mean daily maximum is between 15 and 28 °C AND whose monthly precipitation is under 150 mm: Jan (15.3), Feb (15.6), Mar (17.4), Apr (20.3), May (23.9), Jun (27.5), Sep (27.3), Oct (24.2), Nov (20.4), Dec (16.9) = 10. Only July and August are excluded, both at 29.4 °C. The precipitation test excludes nothing: the wettest month is January at 90.2 mm.
- Notes
- Ten sits at the top of this dataset’s range: Lisbon and Los Angeles also reach ten, and only Bogotá, Las Palmas, Mexico City and Funchal reach twelve. The count rewards a winter that never gets cold rather than a gentle summer — January and February qualify here purely because their daily maxima sit just above the 15 °C floor.
Thessaloniki
SettleMetric computation over climate-normals (Climates to Travel 1991–2020, Thessaloniki airport)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2020
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Months with mean daily max 15–28°C AND precipitation < 150mm: Apr (19.4), May (25.0), Sep (27.3), Oct (21.6), Nov (15.8) = 5. Excluded: Jan/Feb/Dec and Mar (14.9°C, just below 15) for cold; Jun–Aug (30.0–32.3°C) for heat. All months satisfy the precip test (max 50 mm). Thessaloniki's colder winters knock out March, while its milder September qualifies.
02+−Air quality (PM2.5)µg/m³, annual mean PM2.5Heraklionstronger11.7Thessaloniki16.1
What this measures
Annual mean fine-particulate (PM2.5) concentration for the city, latest available year. Anchors follow the WHO 2021 guideline (5 µg/m³ → 10) through the EU limit value territory (25 µg/m³ → 2). Preferred source: European Environment Agency city-level air quality data; outside Europe: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database or the national monitoring network.
Lower is better· µg/m³, annual mean PM2.5· re-verified every 730 days
Heraklion
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Sep 20, 2026
- Method
- Row Irakleio/GRC, year 2024, of the WHO Ambient Air Quality Database v8.0 (2026): pm25_concentration = 11.66 µg/m³ at 99% temporal coverage over 1 station, reference "European Environmental Agency". Cross-checked against the EEA statistic it is built from, queried directly on 2026-09-20: station GR0433A HERAKLION-2, urban traffic, annual mean 11.663023 µg/m³, data coverage 98.95%, verification flag 1 (validated). The row’s station sits at 35.3328°N 25.1382°E, 0.9 km from this city’s recorded coordinates. Reference year 2024 is the latest year with a full-year figure and the year already used by the other European cities here; the database also carries 2025 at 10.97 µg/m³, but on 56% coverage, far below the EU’s 90% data-quality objective, so it is reported here rather than used.
- Notes
- ONE station, and an urban traffic one, so this reads high relative to where people actually live — Heraklion has no urban background PM2.5 monitor. For scale, the nearest background site, Finokalia on the coast 48 km east, measured 7.08 µg/m³ in the same year, and the whole Greek network reported between 7.08 and 24.51. Preceding year in the same series: 2023, 13.30 µg/m³ at 88% coverage. Even on the traffic station the figure is well under the EU limit value of 25 and the lowest of the three Greek cities here — Athens 14.2 (a five-station average) and Thessaloniki 16.11 (six stations, four of them traffic) for the same year.
Thessaloniki
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2024
- Verified
- Aug 28, 2026
- Method
- Row Thessaloniki/GRC, year 2024, of the WHO Ambient Air Quality Database v8.0 (2026), read from the published spreadsheet on 2026-08-28: pm25_concentration = 16.11 µg/m³ at 96% temporal coverage over 6 stations (four urban traffic, one urban background and one urban industrial), reference "European Environmental Agency", WHO footprint population 315,196. Reference year 2024 — the latest year this database carries a full-year PM2.5 figure for this city, and the year already used by the other European cities in this dataset. The database also holds a later row for this city — 2025 reads 15.82 µg/m³ but at 81% coverage, below the EU's 90% data-quality objective — so it is reported in notes rather than used. Identity checked against the row's own station centroid, which lies 0.9 km from this city's recorded coordinates — the file contains near-miss names such as "Playa Del Ingles/ESP" and "Porto Empedocle/ITA", so the check is not a formality.
- Notes
- Four of the six stations are urban traffic, which biases the mean upward relative to where people live — the comparable cities in this dataset are mostly background-weighted, so Thessaloniki is flattered by nothing here. The direction of travel is clear and steady: 20.43 µg/m³ in 2021 down to 16.11 in 2024. Preceding years in the same series: 2020 19.05 (96%), 2021 20.43 (88%), 2022 18.71 (94%), 2023 17.77 (93%).
07
Healthcare
CriterionHeraklionThessaloniki
01+−Private healthcare costUSD/year, comprehensive private insurance premium, healthy 35-year-oldHeraklion1,368Thessaloniki1,368
What this measures
Median of at least three publicly quoted annual premiums for comprehensive private medical insurance (outpatient + inpatient, ~$100k coverage, small deductible) for a healthy 35-year-old resident foreigner, from local and international insurers. Method field lists the insurers quoted.
Lower is better· USD/year, comprehensive private insurance premium, healthy 35-year-old· re-verified every 365 days
Heraklion
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 15, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Midpoint of local comprehensive (inpatient + outpatient) annual premiums for a healthy 35-year-old, €600–1,800 from major Greek insurers (mid-range €100–180/month) → ~€1,200/yr × 1.1399 = $1,368.
- Notes
- Public cover exists via EOPYY (funded through EFKA contributions), but waiting lists and gaps drive a large private market. Local plans run cheaper than international/expat plans ($2,000–4,000+/yr). Greek insurers raised premiums ~14% in 2025 — a rising curated midpoint, not a firm quote.
Thessaloniki
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 15, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Midpoint of local comprehensive (inpatient + outpatient) annual premiums for a healthy 35-year-old, €600–1,800 from major Greek insurers (mid-range €100–180/month) → ~€1,200/yr × 1.1399 = $1,368.
- Notes
- Public cover exists via EOPYY (funded through EFKA contributions), but waiting lists and gaps drive a large private market. Local plans run cheaper than international/expat plans ($2,000–4,000+/yr). Greek insurers raised premiums ~14% in 2025 — a rising curated midpoint, not a firm quote.
08
Money & crypto
CriterionHeraklionThessaloniki
01+−Crypto regulationHeraklionLegal regulatedThessalonikiLegal regulated
What this measures
Own classification of the legal status of holding, trading and cashing out cryptocurrency for individuals: legal-friendly (legal with clear, favourable rules or explicit tax exemptions), legal-regulated (legal under standard licensing/AML and taxation), restricted (partial bans: payments or banking access prohibited), banned (holding/trading prohibited). Classified from national regulators' and central banks' official positions.
Rated by category· re-verified every 180 days
Heraklion
Official source
- Data as of
- Apr 10, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- EU MiCA applies and was transposed by Law 5193/2025 (10 April 2025), with CASP licensing and EU passporting, supervised by HCMC and the Bank of Greece. Individual crypto capital gains are taxed at a flat 15% (from 1 Jan 2025), with a €500 annual tax-free threshold and 5-year loss carry-forward. Fully legal and now clearly regulated/taxed rather than a grey area.
Thessaloniki
Official source
- Data as of
- Apr 10, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- EU MiCA applies and was transposed by Law 5193/2025 (10 April 2025), with CASP licensing and EU passporting, supervised by HCMC and the Bank of Greece. Individual crypto capital gains are taxed at a flat 15% (from 1 Jan 2025), with a €500 annual tax-free threshold and 5-year loss carry-forward. Fully legal and now clearly regulated/taxed rather than a grey area.
02+−Financial control levelHeraklionModerateThessalonikiModerate
What this measures
Own composite of state control over personal money flows: currency/capital controls (IMF AREAER), restrictions on foreign accounts and transfers, mandatory income declaration scope for residents, cash payment limits, banking access for foreigners. Low = free movement of personal funds and easy non-resident banking; very-high = strict capital controls and pervasive reporting. Method field on each value lists the inputs used.
Rated by category· re-verified every 365 days
Heraklion
Official source
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Composite: EUR (eurozone), full EU free movement of capital; the 2015 crisis-era capital controls were fully lifted on 1 September 2019, so funds move abroad without restriction. Offsetting this: Greece has the STRICTEST cash-payment cap in the EU (€500 for consumer transactions; breaches fined at double the amount) plus routine AML/CASP reporting. The open capital account alone reads 'low', but the €500 everyday-cash restriction pulls the composite up to 'moderate'.
- Notes
- A 2025–26 proposal to cut the cap to €200 was withdrawn; the €500 limit remains.
Thessaloniki
Official source
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Composite: EUR (eurozone), full EU free movement of capital; the 2015 crisis-era capital controls were fully lifted on 1 September 2019, so funds move abroad without restriction. Offsetting this: Greece has the STRICTEST cash-payment cap in the EU (€500 for consumer transactions; breaches fined at double the amount) plus routine AML/CASP reporting. The open capital account alone reads 'low', but the €500 everyday-cash restriction pulls the composite up to 'moderate'.
- Notes
- A 2025–26 proposal to cut the cap to €200 was withdrawn; the €500 limit remains.
09
Infrastructure
CriterionHeraklionThessaloniki
01+−Domestic delivery qualityHeraklionGoodThessalonikiGood
What this measures
Quality of in-country parcel delivery. excellent = nationwide next-day widely available, dense parcel-locker network, real-time tracking standard; good = 1–3 day delivery, lockers in major cities; basic = reliable but slow (3–7 days), mostly to-door or post-office pickup; poor = unreliable delivery, street addresses often unusable, informal workarounds common. Classified from official service/coverage data of the national postal operator and the two largest private carriers; inputs itemized in each value's method field.
Rated by category· re-verified every 730 days
Heraklion
Greek carrier networks (ELTA, ACS, BoxNow) — composite
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 15, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Dense mainland-city coverage: national couriers (ELTA post, ACS, Geniki Taxydromiki, Speedex) plus one of SE Europe's largest parcel-locker networks (BoxNow) and Skroutz Last Mile; cash-on-delivery ('αντικαταβολή') is mainstream. Athens/Thessaloniki are excellent, but ELTA's financial troubles and ferry-dependent island last-mile keep the national rating at 'good' rather than 'excellent'.
Thessaloniki
Greek carrier networks (ELTA, ACS, BoxNow) — composite
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 15, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Dense mainland-city coverage: national couriers (ELTA post, ACS, Geniki Taxydromiki, Speedex) plus one of SE Europe's largest parcel-locker networks (BoxNow) and Skroutz Last Mile; cash-on-delivery ('αντικαταβολή') is mainstream. Athens/Thessaloniki are excellent, but ELTA's financial troubles and ferry-dependent island last-mile keep the national rating at 'good' rather than 'excellent'.
02+−International delivery easeHeraklionSeamlessThessalonikiSeamless
What this measures
Ease of receiving goods from abroad. seamless = major international carriers deliver door-to-door, meaningful duty-free de-minimis threshold, customs clearance predictable in days; minor-friction = carriers present but low de-minimis, extra paperwork or routine delays; significant-friction = frequent customs holds, high brokerage fees, some marketplaces refuse to ship; unreliable = parcels regularly lost or blocked, informal import channels dominate. De-minimis thresholds and clearance rules from the national customs authority (official source, cite the regulation); carrier presence from carriers' official pages.
Rated by category· re-verified every 365 days
Heraklion
EU single market / customs union membership (Greece) + integrator coverage
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 15, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Qualitative rating from EU membership: as an EU/Schengen customs-union member, intra-EU parcels move without customs or border VAT, so the bulk of European e-commerce is frictionless, and all major integrators (DHL, FedEx, UPS, ACS/Aramex) operate → 'seamless'. Minor caveats (not enough to downgrade): Greece is geographically peripheral (a day or two longer than core-EU hubs), non-EU imports clear customs normally, and island delivery adds domestic delay.
- Notes
- Intra-EU frictionless; the geographic periphery and islands add some transit time but not customs friction.
Thessaloniki
EU single market / customs union membership (Greece) + integrator coverage
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 15, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Qualitative rating from EU membership: as an EU/Schengen customs-union member, intra-EU parcels move without customs or border VAT, so the bulk of European e-commerce is frictionless, and all major integrators (DHL, FedEx, UPS, ACS/Aramex) operate → 'seamless'. Minor caveats (not enough to downgrade): Greece is geographically peripheral (a day or two longer than core-EU hubs), non-EU imports clear customs normally, and island delivery adds domestic delay.
- Notes
- Intra-EU frictionless; the geographic periphery and islands add some transit time but not customs friction.
03+−Internet speedMbps, median fixed downloadHeraklion37.3Thessaloniki37.3
What this measures
Median fixed-broadband download speed over the trailing 6 months from M-Lab NDT open data (CC0), aggregated at country or city level. Not comparable with Ookla figures (different test methodology) — do not mix sources within this criterion.
Higher is better· Mbps, median fixed download· re-verified every 365 days
Heraklion
M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Greece
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Median of the 343 daily country-median download values for GR in 2023 = 37.3 Mbps (268,076 download tests; daily medians ranged 21.3–47.3). M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads below Ookla-style tests — comparable only within this criterion. 2023 is the latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API.
- Notes
- Greece's fixed broadband is improving as fibre rolls out; the single-stream M-Lab median is used only for cross-country comparability on one consistent method.
Thessaloniki
M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Greece
Open data
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2023
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Median of the 343 daily country-median download values for GR in 2023 = 37.3 Mbps (268,076 download tests; daily medians ranged 21.3–47.3). M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads below Ookla-style tests — comparable only within this criterion. 2023 is the latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API.
- Notes
- Greece's fixed broadband is improving as fibre rolls out; the single-stream M-Lab median is used only for cross-country comparability on one consistent method.
10
Language
CriterionHeraklionThessaloniki
01+−English proficiencyHeraklionHighThessalonikiHigh
What this measures
Own banding of how far English gets a resident in daily life (government offices, healthcare, housing, services). Informed by EF EPI band (research source, cited with attribution, not republished) plus official language status and service-sector realities. Values are our bands, not EF scores.
Rated by category· re-verified every 730 days
Heraklion
EF EPI 2025 — Greece (score 592, rank 20/123, High band)
Research
- Data as of
- Nov 1, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Own band informed by EF EPI 2025 (attribution: EF Education First): Greece scores 592, rank 20/123 — top of the 'High' band, just below the 'Very High' threshold (~600); global average 488. English is widely functional in tourism, services and among younger Greeks, though the score slipped 10 points from the prior edition.
Thessaloniki
EF EPI 2025 — Greece (score 592, rank 20/123, High band)
Research
- Data as of
- Nov 1, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Notes
- Own band informed by EF EPI 2025 (attribution: EF Education First): Greece scores 592, rank 20/123 — top of the 'High' band, just below the 'Very High' threshold (~600); global average 488. English is widely functional in tourism, services and among younger Greeks, though the score slipped 10 points from the prior edition.
11
Education
CriterionHeraklionThessaloniki
01+−International schoolsaccredited international schools, countHeraklion1Thessalonikistronger2
What this measures
Count of international schools in the metro area accredited by or member of IB, CIS, COBIS, or an equivalent national-curriculum-abroad body (verified against the accreditor's public registry, not aggregator sites).
Higher is better· accredited international schools, count· re-verified every 730 days
Heraklion
Official source
- Data as of
- Sep 20, 2026
- Verified
- Sep 20, 2026
- Method
- Accreditor-verified: the School of European Education – Heraklion (A. Nioti and Savathianon 8, seeh.eu) is listed on the European Schools registry as accredited to teach the European Schools curriculum from nursery to the European Baccalaureate, English and Greek language sections, first Baccalaureate session 2015. It is the only Accredited European School in Greece, one of the 24 locations on that registry, and was set up around the EU agency ENISA, which the registry names as its linked agency.
- Notes
- VERIFIED FLOOR. The IB World Schools directory (ibo.org) has refused our requests since the Polish work in August 2026 and the Internet Archive holds no snapshot of its country listings, so any IB-authorised school in Heraklion could not be counted or ruled out — the same blocked check that leaves thirteen other published cities in this dataset without a count. Heraklion is unusual in that one accredited school could be confirmed at a different registry, so it carries a number rather than a gap; treat it as "at least one", not as a complete count.
Thessaloniki
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 15, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 15, 2026
- Method
- Accreditor-verified: (1) Pinewood — The International School of Thessaloniki (IB World School, PYP/MYP/DP; also Middle States Association-accredited, US State Dept-recognized); (2) Anatolia College (IB DP-authorized since 1997). Pinewood and Anatolia jointly deliver one IBDP but are two distinct IB-authorized institutions = 2.
- Notes
- Verified FLOOR (±1). Greece has 22 IB World Schools nationally, ~14 in Athens. Additional IB or other-accreditor schools may exist in the wider Thessaloniki area; 2 is a conservative floor.