Cost of living in Greece

500 euros for food shopping in Thessaloniki?Thessaloniki is much cheaper than Athens + suburbs don't know how u manage that, we are 2ppl and we spend no more than 250-300, and this is eating meat 3-4 times weekly.

I heard that food in some supermakrkets like Carefour doesnt cost same in Thessaloniki and in Athens??I cant belive in these becouz it is samo super market l mean how can Lidl be wxpencier in Athens?

Like every country you gotta check the specials, plan meals,and shop smart,Samo supermarket? i dont know it, it must be a eparxia local market, you can chose what u shop WHERE, Fruits: laikh, meats: Lidl-Aldi or the Agora, when smt is on special and it is smt you have as a staple or always use, by BULK, if ur gonna do all your shopping in a local supermarket or mini market then ur asking for it,it all comes down to common sense, resourcefulness and shopping smart.

Its basically expensive the cost of living ( talking about Athens) compared to the average pay rates.

Greece is one of the most expensive countries in the EU if not the most of all, well known fact.

I wish to come to Greece and work but i dont know whether the immigrant could easily find job that could be afford for the cost of the living there. Anybody having an idea should let me know. Thanks

debarald wrote:

I wish to come to Greece and work but i dont know whether the immigrant could easily find job that could be afford for the cost of the living there. Anybody having an idea should let me know. Thanks

Welcome to Expat.com, Debarald!
As this topic is primarly only to give info about the cost of living, could you please start a new topic?
Thks

Hi All,
I shall be moving to greece in  few days time .. wanted to know abt the cost of living .. am being paid Eur 1200 pm .. with company taking care of my accommodation somewhere near kifissia ... will it be sufficient for a comfortable stay ..I 'm planing to stay for a few years in athens ..
Thnx in advance ...

Hi 2 everyone :)Can any 1 plz tell me that there is any tuition free universities in Greece for international students??? im from Pakistan and wana study my undergraduation in Greece! if there is any university in any city of greece so plz kindly tell me!

Its a Request 2 All

accommodation prices (how much does it cost to rent or to buy an accommodation in Greece?)

I live in Thessaloníki and depending on what part of town you live in prices rise accordingly!! middle of the range apt's can go from 300-450 for 1 bedroom,sitting area, kitchen, WC. for more than one room you are looking at 400 and upwards depending on the area

public transportation fares (tube, bus etc ...)

we got Taxis and Buses here till the super duper cool metro(subway) opens up!! supposedly around 2014 but don't hold your breath!! buses are 60 cents taxis minimum is 2,80.

food prices(per month, how much does it cost you?)

for a couple we spend between 300-450 a month depending on how excited we are over food!!!

health prices (for those who need medical insurance)

I am an Insurance agent therefore i am privately insured. Programs can range from 50 euro/month to 150/month depending on what the individuals needs are for private medical insurance. I highly suggest you take a look at some Insurance companies. the cost is very low compared to the monthly dues in USA!!!
if you choose to use a Dr outside of national healthcare system it can range from 50 euro on upwards depending on you you speak to

education prices (if you need to pay)
N/A


energy prices (oil, electricity)

i have natural gas for heating and the bills on average are much cheaper than using oil furnaces. we pay on average 80 euro a month in the winter due to large house. electricity can vary depending on the time of the year  summers are more expensive due to A/C usage.

common bills (Internet, television, telephone, mobile phone)

i am on a plan with WIND for my cell it costs 50 euro a month
my landline and internet is 50 euro /month

price of a good menu in a traditional restaurant

average 45-70 euro
expensive 55-110 euro

price of a beer or a coffee in a regular pub

N/A i drink neither :-(

Texas Ted in which super market you are buying?

i go to Masoutis,Lidl,and AB Vasilopoulos. Each one for specific items. And i also buy all my vegetables from the farmers market in my neighborhood once a week

Found this on the web... is quite accurate.

expatistan.com/cost-of-living/index

I live in Larisa, and a bachelor apt. here rents for as little as 140 euros, 2ari rents start at 160 euros, for 300 euros you can get a really nice place, one or two bdrm. As for groceries, i try to be careful because some items just seem too much. The weekly liaki market offers fresh goods, and traditional greek cuisine i find is the most affordable, tasty and nutritious.

thanks a lot

> accommodation prices; My rent is €270 a month for a one bedroom flat with private courtyard, it's also 2 streets from the Acropolis. I found it privately not through an agent but I think I still got very lucky!

> public transportation fares; I don't take public transport much as I live so centrally and walk most places, but a single is €1.20 at the mo I believe

> food prices; for basic food for 2 people we spend around €120 a month. We are both vegetarian so no meat included, we buy all our fruit and veg at the local laiki agora, grains pulses and spices around Athinas and other basics at the local supermarket. Extras like chocolate, cakes or beers not included and vary depending on how much spare money we have!

> health prices N/A

> eduction prices N/A

> energy prices; our electricity bills so far have been around €20 a month. We don't have a TV, dishwasher or washing machine so we are below average consumption. Heating during the winter was between €30 and €50 a month.

> common bills; We don't have a landline and we are lucky to be able to use a free wifi service. We're both on WIND for our mobiles on pay-as-you-go, mainly texting so not topping up often, I'd say it averages out to around €5 a month each. We don't have a TV and I've not yet worked out if the TV license is mandatory. It was included in our first electric bill but not the second! TV license works out at around €5 euro a month though.

> price of a good menu in a traditional restaurant; Both being vegetarian eating out is a lot cheaper for us than for most. Having said that you can obviously spend as much or as little as you want when you go for a meal. If you go the veggie route sharing a selection of dishes, with a couple of drinks you can eat from around €20 for two people.

> price of a beer or a coffee in a regular pub; varies depending on area and trendiness, you can get an espresso for €1 or €3, cappuccino for €2.50 or €5. The least I've paid for a beer is probably €2.50, the most €5, that was my parents actually, I would not pay that much for a beer but I'm sure some places charge even more.


It is possible to live in Greece, even the capitol city on very little money!

Thanks a lot for your contribution Popi

HI,
I SHALL BE MOVING TO ATHENS ON AN EMPLOYMENT BASIS.I AM A BACHELOR.MY COMPANY IS PROVIDING ME THE ACCOMMODATION. I WANTED TO KNOW WHAT WOULD BE THE AVERAGE EXPENSES PER MONTH UTILITY BILLS... GROCERYS AND OTHER THING IN GENERAL ..
THANKS.

Hi Vicky,

Could you please avoid using your caps lock on the forum? Thank you.

I would have thought it is getting more expensive! Lees people spending money would drive up the cost of living. I wonder how much longer the Euro will be the currency too. That will surely have an impact!

Greece is an expensive country.
Most expensive locations are Athens, Thesaloniki & all tourist areas.
It is a nice place to come for vocations but it's not a nice place to work here due to low salaries and expensive cost of living.

hallowseve wrote:

What about Souda Bay, Crete??? Can anyone give any input on all these costs of living there? I might accept a job there but need to make sure I can afford to support my husband and me.

krete very naise pleise bat ekspensive .joobs very difikylt naw rimember greece ic in the west kraises  sorry abayt my inglish not good in raiting

Hello, just to remind the title of this thread is on "Cost of Living in Greece". Thank you.

Hello, I live near athens (at Chalkida). The cost-living here is too high (just like Athens)

Accomodation: 2 years before I rented a flat (~80sq.m.) for 500euro. It consisted of two small rooms, living room and kitchen. However, it was new and it has air-condition in all rooms. Now, I believe you could find a similar flat for about 400euros

Transportation: There are buses but I never use them. There is also train to Athens (80km far). (I think the price is about 7 euro?). The traffic load is always a problem in the center of the city. I 'd rather to walking or to cycling than taking my car (for center), but be careful! There are no cycling roads at all!!

Food prices: Before crisis, you could eat fish near the sea for circa 30euros per person...Now....I don't know! I haven't been out for last 2 years. But you can eat "souvlaki" for ~1,70-1,80 (2 are enough for an adult) or pizza for approximately 10euros (a medium size for 2 people). For cooking in house:
Meat - pork: 6euros/kgr
       lamp: 13euros/kgr
       veal: 10euros/kgr
fish - anchovy: 2-3euros/kgr
       bream: ~14euros/kgr
       haddock: ~20euros/kgr
Fruit/Vegetables - tomatoes: 0,80-1,2euros/kgr
            bananas: 1,0-1,5euros/kgr
            potatoes: 0,60euros/kgr
Spaggeti: ~1euro/kgr
Rice:  ~3euro/kgr

Health prices: I pay ~5000euros per year to my insurance. But, I must pay about 40-50 euros to the pediatrician (get back 20euros after a month or later) and  simple vaccine (Prevenar)costs about 75euros (I should get paid all the amount after much bureaucracy...).

Education prices: Theoretically nothing. But!!!
50euros (I mean for each child) in the beginning of the year for schoolbags, notebooks etc
50euros for arts
~80euros per month to English language school
~50euros to music school if you like
~30-40euros to sports if you like
At high school (or earlier) about 500euros per month for extra lessons (frontistirio)
If you have a kid with dyslexia or ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) count other 600euros per month (insurance will give you back 300).

> accommodation prices -  I am in Orestiada, northern city of Greece, next to Bulgaria and Turkey.

> public transportation fares - small city, you can walk everywhere. Ticket to the Alexandroupolis airport is 10 euro, 140km away.

> food prices - for 1 person, with 50 euros you can survive the month buying everything you need on discount price from supermarket.

> health prices - doctor visits (with no insurance) about 30euros. with insurance, free everywhere.

> eduction prices - free college, but you need to enroll through exams. high schools and elementary schools are required about 10 euros per year as a small token to the schools by the parents.

> energy prices - we have among the cheapest electricity bills in europe, 20-30 euros per month, but the bill includes city taxes plus national tv (which no one watches), and the final bill is up to 60-70 euros for normal sized houses. Petrol in the winter is expensive up to 1.40 per liter.

> common bills - National TV is included in the electricity bill (see above). Nova Satellite TV is 50 euros per month. Internet is about 35 euros per month. But for all the above there are discount packages so you can find cheaper deals.

> price of a good menu in a traditional restaurant: Best restaurant is about 15 euros per person.. Normal restaurants are 8-10 euros per person.

> price of a beer or a coffee in a regular pub:  Beer 4 euros, Coffee 2 euros. Alchohol 6 euros.

big difference than Athens

Good day (Or should I say Kalimera)

I have done some research on Greece, including a book that I am getting bound to help us (my partner and I) when we visit Greece.

A great place to start when comparing costs of living (I found) is:

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/

Its relatively up to date as per today's indicators.

Greece is somewhat more expensive (living) then in RSA, but I believe its much safer, and far less crimes occur there.

SA is the RAPE capital of the world, and both Jan and I fear it will get far worse for gay men to live in RSA, as they (the Government) is trying to change the legislation.

We have also already started to learn the Greek Language, and should be coming to visit somewhere next year (hopefully).

Hope this helps.

Greetings from Sunny SA.

Wayne

the price for buses and trains without any age or discount in Athens is now 1,20 for single direction use and 1,40 for multi-purpose use with a 90 minute limit. this is what I am paying in Athens

Hi,

I am curently living in Santorini, Greece working for the seazon period.

The costs are the following:

> accommodation prices - I pay 250 euro together with my husband ( bills included) for a small room , bathroom with shower only and balcony.With 300e you can rent an apartment not so good looking but with kitchen too.

> public transportation fares - only bus 1.60e for one use

> food prices - 500-600 euro/ month and I eat a lot( without restaurants)

> health prices - I have medical insurance from government because I work here.Anyway I had to pay for the medicine , for example Voltaren - 5 euro.All the medicine are pretty much expensive than anywhere else.

> energy prices (oil, electricity)- cost of petrol - 1,50e

> Internet - There is cable internet with phone included, but I don't have like this . I had from cosmote 3 years ago I payed for 30 GB per month  50 euro with contract for 1 year and you will need to pay also for a stick 25 euro.There are chiper options but less Gb .The prices were the same this spring too.

> price of a good menu in a traditional restaurant- starts from 15 euro/ person in the chipest place to 50 euro or more in the most expensive place.

> price of a beer or a coffee in a regular pub 2,5e to 5e or more