Serifos has 273.75 registered short-term rentals per 1,000 residents, about 27 times the Greek average of 10.02, according to a peer-reviewed study published on 16 October 2026. It mapped 104,999 registrations across 333 municipal units.
The paper, “Spatial Analysis of Short-Term Rentals in Greece”, appears in the journal Tourism and Hospitality. Its five authors used the 2025 property registration numbers that every short-term let in Greece must carry, set against 2021 census population.
The five densest areas
| Area | Registrations per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|
| Serifos | 273.75 |
| Kythnos | 234.06 |
| Sifnos | 181.85 |
| Kassandra (Halkidiki) | 175.56 |
| Sithonia (Halkidiki) | 175.50 |
| Greece | 10.02 |
Three of the five are small islands in the western Cyclades. The other two are the Halkidiki peninsulas near Thessaloniki.
A market concentrated in few places
- The 20 largest local markets hold 48.44% of all registrations. About 80% sit in 75 of the 333 units.
- Areas classed as specialised or high-intensity make up 25.23% of units but hold 60.52% of the stock.
- At the other end, low-intensity areas are 53.15% of units and hold 8.09% of registrations.
- In 55 units, rentals relative to population run at more than four times the national level.
The authors note two limits. Registrations show how many homes are listed, not how often they are let. The population base is also five years older than the rental data.
What it means for buyers
For a buyer looking at Serifos, Sifnos or Kythnos as a holiday-let investment, the figures describe a crowded field. On Serifos there is roughly one registered short-term let for every four residents, so a new listing competes with many others for the same summer guests.
The study presents its typology as a tool for monitoring and for differentiated short-term rental rules by area. It is research, not policy: no new restriction has been announced for these places. The rules in force today, including the freeze on new registrations in central Athens, are set out in our short-term rental rules guide.
Buyers who plan to let should model returns on a long-term let as well, and check the tax side in our guide to Greek rental income tax for owners abroad. Buyers should confirm how the rules apply to them with a Greek lawyer or accountant.
