Cost of Living in Greece 2026: Athens, Thessaloniki and Beyond

A single person in Athens should plan on roughly €1,500 to €2,300 a month including rent, according to a Greek Reporter guide of 17 August 2026; the same guide puts Crete and the Peloponnese at €1,200 to €1,800. Other guides give lower figures, from about €850 to €1,500 a month for a national single-person budget. The gap comes from different methods and from rent, which is the biggest variable. Treat every number below as a planning range, not a quote.

Rent

The figures are monthly rents for a one-bedroom flat in the Greek Reporter guide:

• Central Athens, a desirable area: €800 to €1,400.
• Thessaloniki: €600 to €1,000.
• Islands such as Santorini and Mykonos: the guide says prices are higher, especially in peak season, but gives no figure. We found no reliable island budget in any source, so we do not state one.

Another guide quotes €500 to €900 for a central Athens one-bedroom. Both can be right: the area, the floor, the age of the building and whether the flat is furnished move the price more than the city.

Everyday costs (Greek Reporter, 17 August 2026)

Item	Per month
Utilities (electricity, water, heating)	€120 to €200
Internet	€25 to €40
Groceries, one person	€250 to €400

The article does not give figures for eating out, transport or healthcare, and it does not name the survey behind its numbers, so we treat it as one data point among several.

Total budget and the income to aim for

Household	Budget or income needed
Single person in Athens	€1,500 to €2,300 budget
Single person in Crete or the Peloponnese	€1,200 to €1,800 budget
Single person, income after tax	€1,800 to €2,500
Couple, combined income after tax	€2,800 to €4,000
Family, income after tax	€3,500 to €5,500 or more

Aggregator sites give lower ranges for Thessaloniki, about €1,100 to €1,700 a month including rent, with groceries, restaurants and transport cheaper than in Athens. Many of these pages are automated or built from user submissions, so use them to compare cities, not to fix a budget.

What the figures leave out

• Health insurance. Golden Visa applicants must buy private cover, priced by age in our calculator; see health insurance and healthcare.
• Property costs. If you own a flat you pay the annual property tax; see property taxes in Greece.
• A car or scooter. Costs rise outside the big cities, where public transport is thinner.
• Income tax. A resident taxed in Greece pays on income; see tax residence.

How to use this

1. Pick the city, then the district: compare areas in our Athens districts guide.
2. Add rent and utilities to a grocery budget of €250 to €400, then add insurance and transport.
3. Compare the total with your income after tax, and keep a margin: the guides' ranges are wide.
4. Rent a flat for a month or two before you commit to a city.

Sources: Greek Reporter, "Cost of living in Greece 2026" (17 August 2026), and aggregator guides (Freenance, GetWhereNext, Expatistan) as described. Informational only; prices change quickly.