Moving to Athens in 2026: Rent, Golden Visa and Taxes

Athens is increasingly being compared to Dubai. Discover rental prices, Golden Visa requirements, visas for remote workers and tax benefits

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A few years ago, comparing the Greek capital to a city on the Persian Gulf would have sounded like a joke. Now the idea is being discussed in earnest in the British press: Athens, as the Daily Mail notes, is drawing wealthy foreigners with seafront towers, tax incentives and a mild climate. Behind that picture lie some very concrete things: the coastal Ellinikon district, new rules for investors and financiers, and rents that are climbing faster than locals would like.

Let’s look at what actually holds up in 2026 and how much life in Athens costs.

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Ellinikon: how a former airport is becoming Athens’ new centre

The city’s airport on the southern edge of the capital operated for about six decades and closed in 2001. Today the Ellinikon district is being built in its place, and the most striking feature of the landscape is the 50-storey Riviera Tower. The project as a whole includes around 9,000 homes, hotels, offices, clinics, schools and a yacht marina. The first residents are expected in summer 2027, the first phase of construction is due to be completed in 2027–2028, and the whole district will take almost a decade to finish.

Shopping has not been forgotten either. The Ellinikon Mall will have about 340 shops across roughly 100,000 square metres, while Riviera Galleria will bring together international and Greek brands, restaurants and leisure venues. In September, a sports park with pitches, courts, a stadium and a lake also opened. At the ceremony, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described the project as a symbol of the shift from years of stagnation to growth.

So who is buying homes here? According to The Sunday Times, roughly half of the buyers are Greek, another 20% come from the diaspora and 30% are foreigners. The typical British buyer, says Andreas Kambanellas, commercial director for residential property, works in finance or wants a place where remote work is possible. Some, he says, look at Spain, Portugal or Italy first and only then think of Greece.

Read also: Greece to raise housing tax for foreigners fivefold.

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Why wealthy expats and financiers are eyeing Athens

Ten years ago, the idea of hedge funds relocating to Athens would have seemed absurd: the country had barely climbed out of its debt crisis. Today the picture is different. According to a forecast by Greece’s Ministry of Economy and Finance, cited by The Sunday Times, real GDP growth this year will be around 2.0%, with a budget surplus of roughly 0.2% of GDP.

High-profile names have added weight. According to Bloomberg, Chris Rokos, founder of Rokos Capital Management, is moving his tax residency to Greece and will open an office in Athens, although neither he nor the fund’s representatives have commented. New York’s Millennium Management, per The Sunday Times, is also preparing a presence in the Greek capital. And the tax framework for the financial sector really is attractive: fund managers who relocate to Greece pay 5% on so-called carried interest (the share of a fund’s profits received as a performance reward), provided the Greek entity spends at least €3 million a year in the country.

There is another side, too. Critics argue that an influx of financiers does little for the wider economy, while Greeks themselves pay a disproportionate share of income for housing. According to a diaNEOsis study, six in ten renting households spend more than 40% of their income on it. That is worth keeping in mind when reading the enthusiastic headlines.

Important! Greece offers one of the most stable tax regimes for wealthy investors in the EU: a flat tax of €100,000. You’ll find more details in our previous article.

Renting in Athens: how much does it cost in 2026?

The figures depend on the source, because some platforms count asking prices and others count actual deals. According to Spitogatos, average asking rents in Attica rose by 4.5% year on year in the second quarter of 2026. In central Athens the average rate is around €11.8 per square metre per month. RE/MAX Greece, which tracks real transactions, shows lower values: an average of €9.2 per metre across Attica (up 4.3% over the year), €9.8 in Athens and neighbouring areas, €10.3 in the northern suburbs and €11.1 in the southern ones.

The differences between districts are considerable. The most expensive area is Vouliagmeni, where asking rents reach roughly €22 per metre, while Kolonaki and Vari-Varkiza run at €13–14 per metre. The cheapest parts of Attica, such as Agios Stefanos, stay around €7.5, and the western suburbs recorded the fastest rent growth. In everyday terms, a 35-square-metre studio in the centre costs about €440, around €420 in Zografou and €400 in Kallithea. A one-bedroom flat in Athens generally runs from €500 to €900, depending on the area and the condition of the building.

Standard lease or mid-term rental

The traditional Greek lease runs for three years, which is not always convenient for people who arrive to “try the country on”. Mid-term rental platforms offer furnished contracts from 3 to 11 months. According to Spotahome, a whole flat in Athens cost about €1,110 a month on average in July 2026, with half of the listings being two-bedroom. For a couple, that works out at roughly €555 per person.

Living costs: what comes on top of rent?

Rent is only part of the budget. Monthly bills for electricity, water, gas or heating, internet and phone for a whole flat usually come to €150–350, and less in a shared home. In summer, air conditioning noticeably adds to the electricity bill; in winter, many buildings with central heating switch it on for only a few hours a day.

The other typical expenses look like this:

- public transport: a single ticket costs €1.20 and is valid for 90 minutes, while a monthly pass for all city transport is around €30;

- groceries: the main chains, such as Sklavenitis, AB Vasilopoulos and Lidl, keep prices competitive;

- cafés and restaurants: an ordinary meal at a mid-range place with drinks costs €20–30 per person;

- services and mobile: mobile plans for two people can come to just a few tens of euros a month.

Add it all up and one person in Athens needs roughly €1,200–2,000 a month including rent, depending on the area and lifestyle. For a family the figures are of course different, especially if the children attend an international school.

Greece’s Golden Visa: amounts, rules and restrictions

The days when a “golden visa” could be had for a flat from €250,000 are over. Since 1 September 2024, a system with three thresholds has applied:

- €800,000 in Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and on islands with a population above 3,100;

- €400,000 in all other regions of the country;

- €250,000 only in narrow cases: converting commercial property into residential use or restoring listed buildings.

There is also a separate route through investment in start-ups registered with Elevate Greece, likewise from €250,000.

A standard purchase comes with several strict conditions. The investment must be in a single property, and for the €400,000 and €800,000 thresholds it must be at least 120 square metres; you cannot reach the required sum by combining several smaller flats. Such a property cannot be let short-term, and violations carry fines and revocation of the permit. The permit itself is issued for five years and is renewable. It does not require a minimum number of days spent in the country, but it does not give the right to work in Greece either. So for Athens, where the highest threshold applies, the entry price is at least €800,000.

As a general rule, after five years of legal residence the path opens to an EU long-term residence permit, and after seven years to a citizenship application, subject to additional requirements.

Learn more about the terms of the Greek Golden Visa here.

Other residence routes: nomads, retirees, financially independent

Not everyone needs a million-euro property. Remote workers can use the digital nomad visa: it requires a documented income of at least €3,500 a month from clients or an employer outside Greece, with a supplement for family members. The permit is first issued for one year and can be extended to two. An important 2026 change: under Law 5275/2026, you can no longer apply while already in Greece. You first need a national type D visa from a consulate, and only after entry is it converted into a residence permit.

The second option is the Financially Independent Person (FIP) programme, designed for retirees and people who live on passive income. It requires a stable income from abroad of at least €3,500 a month, which excludes salary and remote work, plus private health insurance. The permit is issued for three years and is renewable, but it does not allow you to work in Greece.

Taxes are worth a separate look, because this is where it is easiest to go wrong:

- retirees who move their tax residency here can pay a flat 7% on foreign income for up to 15 years;

- under Article 5A of the tax law, you can pay a flat €100,000 a year on all foreign income, but only with an investment of at least €500,000, and for up to 15 years;

- new tax residents can claim a 50% reduction on tax on local employment or business income for seven years (Article 5C).

That last reduction is not granted automatically with the visa and applies to income from Greek sources, so nomads who live on foreign fees should check their eligibility with a tax adviser.

Moving to Athens: where to start and what to avoid

Start with the visa, not the flat search: for most programmes, documents are submitted at a consulate before you leave. Next you need a Greek tax number (AFM), without which it is hard to sign a lease, open a bank account or connect utilities. Private health insurance and proof of income or investment are almost always required.

Work out the tax consequences in advance. You usually become a Greek tax resident if you spend more than 183 days a year in the country or have your centre of life interests here, and local rates then run from 9% to 44%. Also, don’t buy a flat “for the Golden Visa” on the strength of an advertisement alone: check its legal status, its size and the rules on short-term letting.

Life here is pleasant even without luxury, by the way. Athens has a high level of English, plenty of international schools, pedestrian-friendly districts and a lively cultural scene. In the Neos Kosmos district, art spaces, theatres and independent restaurants have given the area new life in recent years.

Has Athens really become the new Dubai?

Dubai offers zero income tax and vertical cities; Athens offers ancient ruins outside the window, the sea and a Mediterranean rhythm. The comparison holds up better when it comes to policy: Greece is deliberately building a new reputation and competing for the same mobile families that consider Milan or Dubai. At the same time, rising rents, Golden Visa restrictions and local criticism show that the success story has a flip side.

For those ready to live in a historic European city rather than a brand-new metropolis, Athens is a serious candidate. But the plan is best made with a calculator and a lawyer, not with headlines.

Athens is attractive, but the route to a Greek residence permit depends on your situation: the Golden Visa, the digital nomad visa or the programme for financially independent persons. Each has its own requirements for income and documents, and a mistake at the start can cost months of waiting. Visit World’s Immigration Guide gathers up-to-date information on obtaining a residence permit or citizenship in your chosen country in a single PDF that arrives in your inbox within minutes.

Order the Immigration Guide and plan your move without unnecessary stress.

A reminder: golden visas open up new possibilities for moving with the whole family. We have already covered which countries allow you to include parents, adult children and relatives, and what terms they offer investors in 2026.

Photo – generated by Gemini

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