The housing problem in Greece has long gone beyond expensive real estate: the country has one of the highest housing costs relative to income in the EU, apartments continue to rise in price, and young people are increasingly able to afford to live separately from their parents.
Renews attention to the scale of the problem Prian. However, recent data is especially revealing Eurostat: in 2025 26.4% of Greek residents lived in households where total housing costs exceeded 40% of disposable income. The average for the European Union was only 7.7%.
– housing overload in Greece – 26.4% versus 7.7% on average in the EU;
— apartments in the second quarter of 2026 increased in price by another 5.5% per year;
– new apartments added 6.2%, old ones – 5.0%;
— housing is now rising in price most quickly outside the largest cities — by 7.1%;
— young Greeks leave their parents’ home on average only in 30.9 years.
Housing takes up too much of your income
| Indicator | Greece | EU |
| Housing costs over 40% of income | 26.4% | 7.7% |
| Age of leaving parental home | 30.9 years | 26.3 years |
| Apartment price growth, Q2 2026 | +5.5% | — |
Eurostat uses the housing cost overburden rate indicator – the share of the population whose housing costs after taking into account benefits exceed 40% disposable income. In Greece, this figure is more than three times the European average.
We have already examined the general picture of family expenses in detail in the material “Cost of Living in Greece in 2026”: Housing remains one of the most difficult budget items.
Prices keep going up
At the same time, one cannot yet count on a noticeable reduction in price. According to Bank of Greecein the second quarter of 2026, apartments increased in price by another 5.5% in annual terms. New housing increased in price by 6.2%, old housing by 5.0%.
Significantly, growth is no longer limited to Athens. Prices rose by 5.0% in the capital, by 4.7% in Thessaloniki and immediately by 7.1% in other regions of the country.
Young people put off independent living
For young Greeks, the consequences are especially noticeable. According to the latest Eurostat data, in 2025, on average, they left their parents’ home 30.9 years – almost five years later than the European average of 26.3 years.
Our material is devoted to this problem. “Your own apartment only after 30”. Students are a separate problem: the cost of small apartments and studios is increasingly becoming prohibitive for one family. We have collected practical prices and housing search options in student housing guide.
The problem is no longer just a market one
Slowing price increases does not solve the affordability problem. Even if real estate goes up in price not by 9%, but by 5–6% per year, the cost is already at a level that increasingly corresponds to the salaries of a significant part of the population.
More Stories
Greek EFA Group and MyDefence combine counter-drone technologies
Greece’s housing paradox: 2.3 million vacant homes, expensive rent and plans to build even higher
Inflation in Greece rises to 5.1%: prices are again rising faster than in the eurozone