Shelter

If you are the owner of a house, your housing costs will be the property tax, which varies between €3 and €5 per square meter annually depending on the age of the building.

For those who don’t own their home, the rental price to be considered is typically around €450 per month for an 80 m2 2+1 house, although this can vary depending on the location and region of the house, and rental prices may increase as the economy improves.

If you own a rental property, you will also need to pay rental income tax each year. The tax rate for rental income under €12.000 per year is 15%, and increases as the amount of income increases.

Although there are many private companies that provide electricity distribution, the practices are generally standardized. For a family of four using electricity at a standard rate, the estimated bi-monthly electricity bill is around €40 per month, with one bill being estimated and one being definite.

Water distribution services are still provided by the state, and the drinking water from the mains is of a high quality throughout the country. Water bills are sent out quarterly and are estimated at around €10 per month for a family of four.

In 34 cities, including Athens and Thessaloniki, there are private companies that provide natural gas distribution services, but the practices are standardized. The bi-monthly natural gas bill, including heating, is estimated at approximately €30 per month for a family of four using a standard rate of natural gas.

Nowadays, internet service is considered a basic necessity. The average monthly fee for 100 Mb internet service is around €28.

Nutrition

Supermarkets and public markets are also widely used in Greece to meet nutritional needs. Major market chains with wide distribution network of the country: Lidl, Masoutis, Sklavenitis, AB, Vassilopoulos, Galaxías etc.

The poverty line in Greece has been set by DiaNeosis, the European independent research organization, at €905 for a family of four living in Athens and paying rent.

Below you can find the average prices of some basic products that can give an idea about the subject:

Bread                                            :  €1.30

Milk (Liter)                                     :  €1.50

Yogurt (Kilo)                                  :  €4.50

Cheese (Feta / Kilo)                      :  €11.00

Egg (Grain)                                    :  €0.45

Vegetables (Season / Kilo)            :  €2.00

Legumes (Kilo)                              :  €2.50

Fruit (Season / Kilo)                       :  €1.50

Meat (Beef / Kilo)                           :  €10.00

Meat (Pig / Kilo)                             :  €6.50

Meat (Chicken / Kilo)                     :  €4.00

Mince (Beef / Kilo)                         :  €8.50

Fish (Sea / Kilo)                             :  €9.50

Olive oil                                          :  €6.50

Sunflower Oil                                 :  €4.00

Social life

The pace of social life in Greece might intrigue many citizens of the country, as it follows a unique rhythm. Although big cities in Greece, particularly Athens, are not immune to the “urban stress” phenomenon, the “slowness” of social life is less apparent in the Attiki region, which is located at the heart of Athens and accommodates over one third of the country’s population.

One factor that highlights this “slowness” is the practice of “siesta,” which is recognized as “public silence” hours by Greek law and observed from 15:00 to 17:30 during the summer months and 15:30 to 17:30 during the winter months. Except for the tourist areas, shops also shut down during siesta, and those that close on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays reopen until 21:00 after siesta on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

To estimate the cost of an average social life, we believe it would be more accurate to create a list that covers its essential elements.

Education

The Greek government offers free education and textbooks for primary, secondary, and higher education. Non-Greek students with a valid residence permit can enroll in public schools and receive the same education as Greek students, given that they speak Greek. Private schools that provide primary and secondary education in Greek, as well as other languages such as English, German, and French, are available throughout the country. Some of these schools offer diplomas recognized by the country where the language is spoken and their fees are charged annually, including transportation. Private primary education fees range from €4.000 to €9.000, while private secondary education fees range from €5.000 to €12.000.

In Greece, state institutions provide higher education, and private universities are not permitted by current legislation. Foreigners who want to be admitted to universities must apply to the Ministry of Education, and the admission process involves assessing quotas and high school diploma grades without an exam. Although universities require Greek proficiency for registration, the Ministry accepts foreign students and places them on leave for one year after pre-registering them in the relevant faculty. The student must obtain a Greek Language Education Certificate within one year from the admission date to complete their registration.

Cafeteria

In Greece, cafeterias serve as essential spots for daily gatherings, leisure activities, and casual conversations. They are quite popular due to the affordable prices and suitable purchasing power. The price of coffee, which is drinkable and usually comes with free tap water, ranges from €2.50 to €5.00 on average, depending on the venue’s location. Moreover, alcoholic beverages, including beer with various brands, are available in all types of cafeterias, including coffee shops. The cost of beers ranges from €4.00 to €6.00, while soft drinks are priced between €3.00 and €5.00.

Restaurant & Tavern

When it comes to dining in Greece, the large portion sizes are the first thing to be noted. Many locals say “I wish we had ordered one portion for two people” due to the generous serving sizes.

In Greece, taverns are often considered equivalent to restaurants, although there is no clear distinction between them. While restaurants primarily focus on providing food, taverns prioritize socializing. Unlike restaurants, taverns feature live music, dance floors, and other spaces for lingering. Cookware and oven dishes are typical in restaurants, while taverns offer a more basic menu. Restaurants typically operate between 8:00 and 15:00, and they are places where customers do not typically stay for long periods.

Taverns, on the other hand, are considered the most basic places for socializing and entertainment, where conversation is the main attraction rather than food or drink. The service in taverns can be quite slow, and the goal is not to simply fill one’s stomach, especially in evening taverns. A night out in a tavern, including drinks, can cost between €20.00 and €30.00 per person on average.

Fun

Taverns with orchestras, stages, and dance floors are the main venues for music and dance-centered entertainment in Greece, with average prices ranging between 25.00 – 40.00 €. Bouzoukia, named after the traditional Greek musical instrument, are also popular places for entertainment outside of taverns. In these places, the focus is not on heavy meals but on appetizers that are consumed with drinks. The average per-person payment in bouzoukia is expected to be between 12.00 and 30.00 €.

Concerts, which offer a great combination of purchasing power and price, are also popular for entertainment. For instance, a concert by Anna Vissi with a twelve-person orchestra at the Thessaloniki Open Air Theater costs only 15.00 – 25.00 € per ticket. Theater plays have an entrance fee between 10.00 – 25.00 €, while cinemas charge between 7,50 – 12.00 € for admission.

Although casinos are legally available as entertainment in Greece, they are only permitted in a few locations, including Athens, Thessaloniki, Alexandroupoli, Rhodes island, and Halkidiki. The cost of opening new casinos is extremely high, and acquiring half of the shares by the state for compulsory control further hinders their proliferation.

Transportation

The metro system in Greece is limited to Athens, but Thessaloniki is expected to launch its own metro system in 2024.

For public transportation, a single ticket costs €0.90, but the price is reduced to €0.45 when purchasing multiple tickets. Monthly cards cost €27, while three-month, six-month, and annual cards cost €75.60, €135, and €243, respectively.

To use urban transportation, passengers must pre-pay for a printed ticket and then present it to the machine on the bus or purchase tickets from an automatic ticket machine. The machines only accept €0.45, €0.90, and €1.80 coins, and passengers must provide exact change. Unlike other countries, passengers can enter buses from any door without regular ticket inspections, although random checks occur, and those caught without a ticket must pay a fine 60 times the ticket price.

Taxis are permitted to pick up additional passengers on their route, as long as they don’t deviate from the original destination. Each new passenger is charged based on the difference between the current meter reading and the value when they boarded, plus an opening fee.

Taxi prices may vary slightly by city, with Thessaloniki charging €1.30 for the opening fee, €3.50 for a hop-on/hop-off fee, and €0.80 for inner city fares, with an extra-city and night tariff of €1.30 per kilometer. In addition, passengers are charged €0.50 for every 10 kg of luggage and an additional €2.20 when exiting ports and stations.

In Greece, some city centers have converted roadside areas into paid parking lots, with blue stripes reserved for residents, yellow stripes for commercial vehicles, and white stripes for guest parking. Payment can be made online or through regional kiosks using the parking code and license plate number.

As for private vehicles, a new 1.2 TCe 100 Authentic Renault Megane costs around €29.980, and the annual vehicle tax is €118. A special consumption tax applies annually to vehicles with engines over 2000 cc. For example, a 2013 diesel engine vehicle with a 2000 cc engine will incur a yearly special consumption tax of approximately €150.