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A holiday home in Greece lists at about €2,250 per m² on Crete, €2,531 in the Ionian and €2,941 in the Aegean on average, and above €7,000 per m² on Mykonos, Spitogatos data for Q2 2026 show. Buying adds about 4.6% in taxes and fees set by law, and foreigners buy on the same terms as Greeks outside border areas. Below: prices, costs, letting rules, the 15% transfer tax bill and where to look.
Last verified: 25 October 2026Halkidiki ranked first for international demand for homes for sale in Greece in the second quarter of 2026, ahead of the Municipality of Athens, the Thessaloniki suburbs, the southern suburbs of Athens and the Cyclades, Spitogatos data published on 24 September 2026 show. Detached houses, apartments and villas were the types buyers abroad searched most. Spitogatos measures searches and enquiries on its platform, not completed sales.
| Indicator | Figure | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Countries with high demand for homes for sale | US, Germany, UK, Bulgaria, Serbia, Netherlands, Switzerland | Q2 2026 | Spitogatos, 24 September 2026 |
| Leading foreign buyers on the islands | US, UK, Germany, Netherlands, France | Q2 2026 | Spitogatos, 16 September 2026 |
| Islands most searched from abroad | Cyclades, Dodecanese, then Chania, Corfu, Heraklion | Q2 2026 | Spitogatos, 16 September 2026 |
| Non-resident investment in Greek real estate | €515.8 million (−11.3%); H1 2026 €1,027.4 million (+9.5%) | Q2 2026 | Bank of Greece |
| Travel receipts | €18,197.5 million (+9.4%) | Jan–Aug 2026 | Bank of Greece, 22 October 2026 |
The Bank of Greece investment flows are explained in our analysis.
A holiday home on the Greek islands is listed at €2,941 per m² on average in the Aegean, €2,531 in the Ionian and €2,250 on Crete in the second quarter of 2026, up 5.9% to 6.9% in a year (Spitogatos, 16 September 2026). Islands range from €1,059 per m² on Samos to €7,600 on Antiparos. On the mainland, holiday homes range from €1,171 per m² in Zagora on Pelion to €3,000 in Sithonia, Halkidiki (Spitogatos, 24 September 2026).
| Area | Asking price, €/m², Q2 2026 | Change on Q2 2025 (– not published) |
|---|---|---|
| Aegean islands (average) | 2,941 | +5.9% |
| Cyclades (average, Spitogatos national release, 4 August 2026) | 4,063 | – |
| Ionian islands (average) | 2,531 | +5.9% |
| Crete (average) | 2,250 | +6.9% |
| Antiparos | 7,600 | rise |
| Mykonos | 7,059 | fall of 1% to 6% |
| Paros | 5,263 | – |
| Patmos | 5,000 | – |
| Paxoi | 3,846 | rise |
| Skiathos | 3,521 | – |
| Lefkada | 3,302 | – |
| Chania regional unit | 3,102 | rise |
| Kalymnos | 2,759 | close to +20% |
| Kefalonia | 2,531 | rise |
| Heraklion regional unit | 2,200 | rise |
| Skopelos | 2,154 | – |
| Lasithi regional unit | 1,944 | – |
| Lesvos | 1,136 | rise |
| Samos | 1,059 | rise |
A 90 m² house at the Ionian average lists at about €228,000, and at the Crete average at about €202,500, before purchase costs. Santorini, Folegandros, Sikinos and Andros fell in the year with Mykonos, by 1% to 6%, while Leros rose more than 30%. The Bank of Greece apartment price index rose 5.5% in the year to Q2 2026, and 7.1% outside the main cities (15 September 2026). Asking prices are list prices, not sale prices. See Greece house prices, luxury villas by area and cheap houses in Greece.
Buying a resale holiday house in Greece adds about 4.6% of the price in taxes and fees fixed by law, before the lawyer, the licensed engineer and any agent: about €13,850 on €300,000.
| Worked example: €300,000 resale house, Cadastre area | Basis | Amount (€) |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer tax | 3% of €300,000 | 9,000.00 |
| Municipal surcharge | 3% of the tax | 270.00 |
| Notary scale fee | 0.80% of €120,000 + 0.70% of €180,000 + €20 | 2,240.00 |
| VAT on notary fee | 24% of €2,240 | 537.60 |
| Cadastre registration | 0.6% of €300,000 | 1,800.00 |
| Total set by law | 13,847.60 (about 4.6%) | |
| Lawyer, licensed engineer, agent | Agreed case by case, plus 24% VAT | not quantified |
The example assumes the taxable (objective) value is not above the price and leaves out per-sheet and fixed fees. See the buying cost calculator and the cost of buying property in Greece.
A bill tabled in Parliament on 3 November 2026, not yet law, would raise the transfer tax on homes to 15% for buyers who are natural persons tax resident outside the EU and EEA, for final contracts signed from 1 July 2027 (bill text, articles 16 and 52). Its public consultation ran from 18 October to 1 November 2026.
Article 16 adds a paragraph 1A to article 27 of Law 5219/2025, the Property Tax Code. The test is tax residence, not nationality: a buyer taxed in the United Kingdom or the United States would pay 15%, an EU or EEA tax resident of any nationality 3%. The bill does not apply to buyers who qualify for the first-home exemption in article 42 of the Property Tax Code; whether a buyer in the Greek diaspora qualifies depends on that article’s conditions. It has no exemption for conversions and does not say how Golden Visa applicants are treated.
For a second home in Greece bought at €300,000, the tax would rise from €9,270 today to €45,000 at 15%, or €46,350 if the 3% municipal surcharge also applies to the new rate, which the bill does not say. On the current wording the date of the final contract decides, so a preliminary contract signed before 1 July 2027 but completed after it would be caught. See our report on the bill, the regulation tracker and the free 15% transfer tax guide.
Holiday home running costs in Greece are ENFIA property tax, insurance, utilities with standing charges, communal charges in a complex and, for owners abroad, a property manager. No official total is published.
Our holiday home running costs page works through each item.
A holiday home in Greece can be let short term in most of the country once it is registered with the tax authority (AADE) and shows its registry number (AMA) on every listing. New registrations are frozen only in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd municipal districts of Athens and the 1st municipal community of Thessaloniki, to 31 December 2026 (stegasi.gov.gr).
Full detail is on renting out your holiday home and in Greece short-term rental rules 2026.
A vacation home in Greece needs the same legal checks as any purchase, and several weigh more by the sea and on islands.
Renovation projects are covered in buying a stone village house to renovate.
Non-EU and non-EFTA buyers need prior permission from a committee of the Decentralised Administration to buy in a border area, which covers the whole Dodecanese, Santorini (Thira) and several Aegean islands, Ikaria among them. A holiday home can also qualify for a Golden Visa, but on the popular islands the threshold is €800,000.
Article 24 of Law 1892/1990, as replaced by article 114 of Law 3978/2011, lists the former prefectures of the Dodecanese, Evros, Thesprotia, Kastoria, Kilkis, Lesvos, Xanthi, Preveza, Rodopi, Samos (including Ikaria), Florina and Chios; the islands of Thira and Skyros; and the former provinces of Nevrokopi, Pogoni, Konitsa, Almopia, Edessa and Sintiki. Corfu and the Diapontia islands are not border areas. Under article 25, transactions in favour of persons with nationality or seat outside the EU and EFTA are prohibited unless the committee lifts the ban under article 26, by a majority of all its members with the Ministry of National Defence representative voting in favour.
For the Golden Visa (Law 5100/2024), the minimum is €800,000 in the Attica Region, the Thessaloniki Regional Unit, Mykonos, Thira and every island with more than 3,100 residents (including Crete, Corfu, Rhodes, Naxos and Paros); €400,000 elsewhere; and €250,000 for a commercial-to-residential conversion or a listed building. The two higher tiers require a single property with at least 120 m² of main areas, and the home may not be let short term. See the Golden Visa hub and Greek residence permits.
Buying a holiday home in Greece from abroad is a routine process. It needs a Greek tax number (AFM, ΑΦΜ), usually a Greek bank account, and a lawyer acting under a power of attorney, so the buyer does not have to attend the signing.
See the free guide to buying property in Greece remotely and real estate agents in Greece.
Where to look depends on budget, access and whether you want to let. The Dodecanese and Santorini add the border-area permit for non-EU buyers. The Peloponnese coast, Halkidiki and the Attica coast are reachable by car from Athens or Thessaloniki.
Prices for Paxoi, Lefkada and Kefalonia are in the table above. Corfu is not a border area. See Corfu, Kefalonia, Lefkada and Zakynthos.
€4,063 per m² on average in Q2 2026 (Spitogatos, 4 August 2026), the highest island group. Santorini is a border area. See Mykonos, Santorini, Naxos and Paros.
A border area throughout. Astypalaia was at €4,000 per m² in Q2 2026, and Leros rose more than 30% in a year. Rhodes airport passed 7 million passengers in 2025 (Fraport Greece, 16 January 2026). See Rhodes and Kos.
Asking prices rose 50% between Q2 2021 and Q2 2026, with Chania above Heraklion and Lasithi (Spitogatos, 16 September 2026). See Crete.
Alonnisos €2,667 and Skyros €2,402 per m² in Q2 2026. Skyros is a border area. See Greek islands and how to buy a house on a Greek island.
Holiday-home asking prices in Q2 2026 were highest in Kalamata at €2,892 per m², Nafplio at €2,778 and East Mani at €2,727, and lowest in Zacharo at €1,200, Akrata at €1,538 and Xylokastro at €1,700 (Spitogatos, 24 September 2026). See Peloponnese and Porto Heli.
The highest mainland holiday-home asking prices in Q2 2026: Sithonia €3,000 per m², Kassandra €2,895 and Kallikrateia €2,513 (Spitogatos, 24 September 2026). See Halkidiki.
Vouliagmeni €7,364, Voula €6,250 and Glyfada €5,669 per m² in Q2 2026 (Spitogatos, 4 August 2026). For holiday homes, Saronida led the areas near Athens at €3,200 per m², and on the Argosaronic islands Spetses reached €4,615 (up 10% in a year), Poros €3,207 (up more than 20%) and Aegina €2,692 (Spitogatos, 24 September 2026). See Athens Riviera prices, Aegina and Hydra and Spetses.
Thinking about buying in Greece? Give your brief to an independent buyer’s agency. It can search the market for exactly what you are looking for and advise you through the purchase.
Buyers should confirm how this applies to them with a Greek lawyer or accountant.
Yes. Foreigners buy on the same terms as Greek citizens in most of the country. In border areas, which include the Dodecanese, Santorini, Skyros, Lesvos, Chios and Samos, buyers from outside the EU and EFTA need prior permission from a Decentralised Administration committee under Law 1892/1990. EU and EFTA citizens need no permission anywhere.
Island asking prices averaged €2,941 per m² in the Aegean, €2,531 in the Ionian and €2,250 on Crete in the second quarter of 2026, according to Spitogatos. Individual islands range from €1,059 per m² on Samos to €7,600 on Antiparos. Add about 4.6% of the price for transfer tax, notary and Cadastre fees, plus the lawyer, the licensed engineer and any agent.
The fixed items are ENFIA property tax, insurance, electricity and water standing charges, communal charges in a complex and a property manager if you live abroad. ENFIA is due whatever your residence. The small-settlement relief (a 50% cut in 2026, an exemption from 2027) covers only Greek tax residents’ main homes, so it does not reach most holiday homes. See running costs.
Yes, outside the frozen zones of central Athens (districts 1 to 3) and central Thessaloniki, which run to 31 December 2026. The property is registered with AADE, shows its AMA number on listings, has each stay declared by the 20th of the next month, meets the Law 5170/2025 standards and collects the climate resilience fee. Golden Visa homes may not be let short term.
Not today. The 15% rate is in a bill tabled in Parliament on 3 November 2026, not yet law. If passed as tabled, it would apply to homes bought by natural persons who are tax resident outside the EU and EEA, for final contracts signed from 1 July 2027, except buyers who qualify for the first-home exemption in article 42 of the Property Tax Code. The current rate is 3% plus a 3% municipal surcharge on the tax, or 3.09%.
In the Spitogatos island release for Q2 2026, the lowest asking prices were Samos €1,059 per m², Lesvos €1,136, Chios €1,533 and Ikaria €1,846 in the North Aegean, all in border areas, then Lasithi on Crete at €1,944. Skopelos, at €2,154, was the cheapest of the Sporades. See cheap houses in Greece.
No. A buyer needs a Greek tax number (AFM), which a representative can obtain, and a notarial power of attorney so that a lawyer can sign the transfer tax return and the deed. Payment goes by bank transfer and the deed is registered at the Cadastre. See our guide to buying remotely.
