Cost of Living in Athens: Housing, Groceries, Transport and Healthcare

Every year, Greece attracts more and more tourists and foreigners who decide to relocate to this historic and beautiful country permanently. Let’s take a look at how much it costs to live in the country’s capital of Athens in 2025.

Housing

Athens is a big urban area where more than 3.7M people live. The famous city includes densely populated central districts, in addition to smaller suburbs located up to an hour’s drive away.

Rental prices vary depending on the location:

• The average rent in Athens ranges from €10 to €15 per sq.m.
• In upmarket seaside suburbs like Plaka, Voula, and Vouliagmeni, prices can reach €18-20 per sq.m.

Property listings with monthly rents below €250 are usually located in areas with lower safety levels, but this kind of saving may result in higher taxi expenses and more time spent traveling into the centre of the city.

Property prices also vary by area: you can find options ranging from €1,900 to €7,000 per sq.m. Cheaper older flats often don’t meet modern energy efficiency standards, which leads to higher running costs.

Demand for housing in Athens far exceeds supply. This is largely due to the economic crisis of recent decades, which discouraged developers from launching large-scale projects, as well as the high density of older buildings. Due to the housing shortage, the authorities have even had to limit short-term rentals.

The current market situation actually benefits property owners offering long-term rentals—especially in more scenic neighbourhoods with a metro nearby. Landlords who own housing in these types of areas enjoy a stable income, with annual property value increases of 7-10%.

Important!

Over the past 10 years, the cost of long-term rentals in Athens has doubled.

Utility

Maintaining a 50 sq.m apartment costs from €200 per month. Key expenses include:

• Electricity: rates depend on the area, property size, and usage; starting at €0.10 per kWh. Bills also include waste collection and street cleaning—from 0.025% of the property value annually.
• Water: from €0.41 per cubic metre of cold water + 10% for sewage; heating is provided via gas, liquid fuel, or electricity.
• Service charges: from €10 per month, higher in buildings with pools and private gyms.
• Gas: from €0.80 per cubic metre.
• Home internet: from €30 per month.
• Mobile phone with internet: from €20 per month.

Bills are typically issued every 2 to 4 months. Overall, costs largely depend on the heating method in winter—gas is slightly cheaper than electric. Ground floor property owners can save on air conditioning in summer, but such flats may be damp and cold in winter due to lack of sunlight.

When buying or renting a property, it’s worth checking the energy efficiency rating. Greece uses a 9-point scale: A+ is the highest, H the lowest. New and refurbished residential complexes rated A+, A or B are fitted with solar panels or efficient boilers and well-insulated roofs and walls. Heating and electricity costs in these types of properties can be 5-10 times lower than in older buildings—from €200 compared to €1,000 annually.

Taxes

Income tax is progressive—from 9% to 44%. If you spend fewer than 183 days per year in Greece and don’t earn a local income, you don’t have to pay it. Residence permit holders who become tax residents pay tax on their worldwide income. Non-residents pay the same rate on rental income from Greek properties. For residents, this is included in their total taxable income.

Greece also offers a favourable Non-Dom tax regime for high-net-worth individuals, significantly reducing their tax burden. Under this scheme, a foreigner who changes their tax residency to Greece and makes a substantial investment in the country (from €500,000) pays a flat €100,000 annually on all foreign income.

The tax on interest from deposits in Greek banks is fixed at 15%, and the bank pays it to the tax office directly. These interest payments are not included in personal income for tax purposes. Non-residents holding deposits in non-euro currencies are exempt.

Property tax is calculated using complex formulas. The amount depends on family size and income, the building’s age and the number of floors. The rate ranges from €2 to €16 per sq.m. plus 0.15-1.15% of the land value, based on the owner’s share in the building. There are many deductions available for families with children or owners of modest, older homes.

Transport

Athens has a well-developed public transport system: the metro even reaches coastal satellite towns, and there are buses and trams too, to make getting around much easier. If you’re looking at buying a car then petrol is expensive, traffic jams are common, and parking can be difficult to find.

Typical costs:

• Single ticket for metro, bus or tram — €1.50
• Day pass for all transport — €4.50; weekly — €14
• One hour of parking in central Athens — €1; three hours — €6; it’s free on Sundays and public holidays
• 1 L of petrol — from €1.80

Groceries

Farmers’ markets are held in residential areas of Athens, where you can buy seasonal fruits and vegetables at low prices. Haggling is expected, and towards closing time, you can often get great discounts. Greeks often buy olive oil and meat for the family from relatives or acquaintances in rural villages.

Average supermarket prices:

Education

Any child with a residence permit can get free education in a Greek state school, and children of working parents are accepted into public nurseries.

Compulsory schooling starts at age 5.

Cost of tuition at private institutions:

• Nursery: from €7,000 per year
• School: from €10,000 per year

Healthcare

Public healthcare in Greece is available to citizens and temporary residents who pay into the social insurance fund—contributions start at 14-15% of their salary. Most GP visits are free, and there are discounts of up to 90% on medication through the social insurance fund.

Private health insurance costs from €30 to €210 per month. Even those with access to the public system often prefer private clinics due to shorter waiting periods.

A GP appointment at a private clinic without insurance costs €30-50.

Important!

Emergency ambulance services are free for everyone.

Entertainment

Athens offers entertainment to suit all tastes:

• Acropolis ticket: €5, there are also free admission days.
• Sunbed and parasol at a clean beach in the suburbs: from €8.
• Cinema ticket: €7-9 indoors, €8-10 at open-air summer cinemas.
• Opera or theatre tickets: from €25.
• Music festivals or international artist concerts: from €60.
• Gym membership: from €340 to €1,000 per year depending on the area, facilities and fitness class offerings.
• Restaurants: from €12 and upwards. Athens boasts five Michelin-starred restaurants, along with thousands of simpler spots serving traditional Greek salads, souvlaki skewers, and hearty cheese-and-spinach pies.

Greek Residency-by-Investment in Real Estate

Foreign investors can obtain a residence permit in Greece through a property purchase. The base threshold for properties in Greater Athens is €800,000, although for certain projects this is reduced to €250,000, for example, when a building is being converted from commercial to residential. In such cases, all reconstruction work is handled by the developer.

What are the advantages of this option?

• Developers select areas with a high demand for long-term rentals. Therefore property acquired in these areas have strong investment potential.
• The developer fully acquires the building and transforms it into a modern residential complex. Essentially, the investor is funding a future project and, upon completion, receives ownership of a new, modern apartment in a refurbished building.

A residence permit is granted immediately for 5 years and can be renewed for the same period, if the property remains in the investor’s ownership. Applications are usually processed within 3 to 6 months. The residence permit can be issued not only to the main applicant, but also to their entire family—including a spouse, children under 21, and the parents of both spouses. Importantly, the programme doesn’t require permanent living in the country.

The property can be rented out on a long-term basis, generating a stable passive income in foreign currency at a rate of 4-6% annually, or it can be used for permanent living.

The key advantage of the Golden Visa, unlike other types of residence permits, is that it doesn’t require any obligations to live in the country on a permanent basis.

Other benefits of the Greek residence permit include:

• Visa-free travel within the Schengen Area.
• Access to international banking services.
• Opportunity to relocate your business and unfreeze assets.
• Access to European education and quality healthcare.
• The potential to obtain EU citizenship in the future—after meeting certain conditions.
• Living in a European country with a high standard of living, excellent safety, good environmental conditions, and a stable political and economic climate.

If you’re interested in Greece’s residency by investment programme, contact our Astons experts for a free consultation.