Today, I will share our monthly cost to retire in Athens Greece including rent, groceries, utilities, internet, cell phone, restaurants, drinking water, laundry, and transportation if the two of us retire here on a tight budget.
On this leg of our retire cheap in Europe tour, we took the bus from Kalamata Greece to Athens. Some of you enjoyed learning about Kalamata, a small beach town on the southern coast of Greece, but you were curious what a larger town would cost with more nightlife, arts, and entertainment.
I will show you the video we took with our feet on the ground in Athens Greece as I share what I learned about retiring for cheap here.
The truth is, some of us want to retire in smaller or mid-sized intimate towns and visit large cultural meccas only on holidays. However, other retirees want to live in a cultural mecca and only head to the beach on holidays.
Luckily, the world has something for everyone. I left the USA in 2007 and I have lived in or visited 73 countries in my life, and I have retirement reports on the best beaches and cultural meccas all over the world. But today, we are talking about Athens Greece.
After I share my itemized list of estimated costs in Athens, I will share what I learned about healthcare, food, real estate, things to do, social considerations, retirement visas, walkability, weather, Internet speeds, and expat considerations.
Estimated Cost to Retire in Athens Greece
Rents: Today, I found this furnished 1-bedroom apartment in Athens advertised online for 650 Euros ($705 USD) per month. The ad shows that it is located in the central area of Athens which is walkable from the best restaurants, nightlife, museums, and art galleries, with buses and subways that will take you all over the city. If you rent for a short term on Airbnb it would be much more expensive.
A larger apartment could easily cost twice as much per month. So I estimate $1300 USD per month or more depending upon area and size for the middle range estimate.
Here is the process we use to find great apartments. So, we will show you a table of all estimated expenses in a moment. We will use $705 USD per month for our lower rent estimate and $1300 USD per month for the middle cost of living estimate for expats who want more space.
But remember, you could easily save 30% on rents by living further outside the city and just ride the subway into the city center for cultural exploration.
Utilities: For the apartment above, we estimate the year-round average utilities for us would be about $90 USD per month. The utilities would cost more for the larger space, starting at around $140 USD per month.
Groceries: We would shop in the farmers market for fresh fruits and vegetables, and purchase nonperishable foods and other things like shampoo and detergents in the grocery stores. We estimate about $448 USD per month for groceries. Other expats are likely to spend more on imported groceries they miss from home spending $650 USD per month or more on groceries, since many don’t go to the farmer’s markets as often.
Restaurants: We would eat out twice per week mostly in more local-style restaurants averaging about $7 to $10 USD per meal per person and one or two splurges per month of $10 to $15 USD per meal per person. If you add all that up, we would spend around $270 per month for the two of us. We may have a beer here and there, but that is covered below in alcohol.
Other expats are likely to eat more the expensive expat-style restaurants and less in local-style restaurants, so they would likely spend more like $380 per month for 2 people in restaurants. It is lifestyle-dependent.
Cell Phone Data: The cheapest prepaid Vodaphone SIM cards are about $30 USD for 30 days including unlimited data. My Android phone will act as a hotspot so we can both be on the internet when we are out of the house together.
Other (retired) expat couples are likely to buy two prepaid SIM cards so they would need about $60 USD per month.
Laundry: The apartments all seemed to have clothes washing machines. The above grocery estimate includes laundry detergent.
Drinking Water: We read online that the water is clean here and many people drink water from the tap but we would be a little more careful. We didn’t see reverse osmosis delivery in 20-liter jugs here so we would probably get a Brita water filter. The filter refills would be about $5 USD per month.
Internet: I found in-home wifi online for about $31 USD per month for 100 Mbps fiber.
Public Transportation: We took an Uber taxi (11.80 Euros) to and from the bus station to our accommodations since we had our luggage with us. The public transportation (buses and subway) costs 1.2 Euros per person ($1.30 USD) for 90 minutes. Our accommodations in central were walkable to everything else but the city is spread out and there are places we would go not as walkable. So we estimate transportation costs about $60 USD per month.
Other expats might walk less and spend more on taxis and less on public transportation, so I estimate $120 USD per month for them.
Alcohol (Optional): Domestic beers in grocery stores in Athens start at 0.64 Euros (0.70 USD) for 330 ml, which is the same as a standard-sized beer in the USA. In bars and restaurants, half-liter draft domestic beers run from about 4 to 6 Euros. We estimate about $140 per month on alcohol for the two of us.
Many other expats would spend more for imported foreign or craft beers in stores and restaurants, so estimate about $260 USD per month for 2 people assuming they are not into imported whiskey or wine.
Entertainment (Optional): We would budget about $240 per month for entertainment for the two of us. We enjoy doing more do-it-yourself kinds of entertainment so we estimate other expats would spend a little more, maybe $360 per month, for 2 of them.
Estimated Costs to Retire in Athens Greece
|
Athens Greece |
Lower (USD) |
Middle (USD) |
|
Rent |
605 |
1300 |
|
Utilities |
90 |
140 |
|
Groceries |
448 |
650 |
|
Restaurants |
270 |
380 |
|
Cell Data |
30 |
60 |
|
Laundry |
0 |
0 |
|
Drinking Water |
5 |
5 |
|
Internet |
31 |
31 |
|
Transportation |
60 |
120 |
|
Total |
$1539 |
$2686 |
|
|
|
|
|
Alcohol |
140 |
260 |
|
Optional Total |
$1679 |
$2946 |
|
|
|
|
|
Entertainment |
240 |
360 |
|
Optional Total |
$1919 |
$3306 |
I gathered this data with my feet on the ground in Greece in September of 2024. The above lower cost estimates would be for the two of us living on a tight budget.
I would estimate that 80 to 90% of overseas retirees will spend significantly more than our above-lower estimated budget. This is often because they do not need to live on so little because many have significantly more retirement resources available. So, the middle estimate is just another example of what other expats might spend for these expenses if they moved here.
To understand what it would cost you to live here, you must put your feet on the ground, see what you would choose to rent, eat, drink, and how you would entertain yourself, and add it all up. It doesn’t matter what anyone else spends because we are all different.
Athens Greece Retirement Desirability Factors
I will now share what I learned about Greece’s retirement visas, healthcare, walkability, Internet, food, weather, things to do, social considerations, safety, expat communities, and real estate, and then assign an overall retirement desirability score for Athens.
Walkability: High. We walked almost everywhere in Athens and only took the bus to the LIDL grocery store. We found almost all of our daily needs within a 30-minute walk from our accommodations. So we would not need a car if we lived here. Avoiding the expense of a car would be highly desirable to us. The keyis finding an area that you like where 80 to 90% of your daily needs are within walking distance. But Athens has a great transportation system when you do need to go across town.
Internet: High. The wifi in our Airbnb had about 28 Mbps down and 22 Mbps upload speeds, but we read we could get in-home wifi costs online for about $31 USD per month for 100 Mbps fiber.
Food: High. There is a Farmer’s market about a 19-minute walk from our apartment. For fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats, we would shop in the Farmer’s Market. For other special foods and imports, we would go to our favorite discount supermarket once a week or so, called LIDL. Links to all this information and much more are at the first link in the first comment below this video. Subscribe and ring the bell now if you would like to be notified when we report on the best retirement destinations in the world.
Weather: High. The coldest month in Athens is in January with an average daily high of just 56F (13C) and average nightly lows of 44F (7C). The hottest month in Athens is July with an average daily high of 91F (33C) and nightly low of 74F (23C). The best time to visit Athens is May through September. Athens receives light snowfall once every four years.
Things to Do: High. Athens is an ancient cultural mecca rivaled only by cities like Rome, Paris, London, Kyoto, Istanbul, Madrid, Bejing, and New Delhi. Athens has 69 museums with art, history, music, technology, costumes, and more archaeological museums than anywhere in the world. There is a symphony, live theatre, musicals, orchestra, and concert halls. There are over 20 art galleries and organized gallery walks, both edgy, contemporary, and classical. There is an endless array of things to do for cultural explorers and a nightlife that would leave almost nobody wanting.
You could wander into the Plaka Neighborhood any day of the year and enjoy the best foods, the best people watching, and the best nightlife in the world.
Annual events in Athens include the Athens Marathon, Athens and Epidaurus Festival with music, dance, and theatre, the Athens Marathon International Film Festival, The LatinxFest celebrating Latin culture of the Americas, the Olympus Festival of music and theater, Athens City Festival, Art Athina, Summer Nostos Festival, Athens Digital Arts Festival, Plisskën Music Festival, and 12 more festivals you can read more about at this link.
Social Considerations: High. The official language spoken in Greece is Greek, but we were surprised how many people spoke English. In fact, people would just look at us and start speaking English. So, you won’t have to worry too much about the language barrier until you get outside the central areas.
Safety Considerations: High. Greece was ranked the 40th safest country in the world 92 countries safer than the USA. When I last checked, the US State Department webpage published a “Level 1 Risk” for Greece–Exercise normal precaution in Greece. You can also review my report, How to Travel the World Safely, which is how I have remained safe traveling the World for 17 years. We went out walking and drinking late in the evening in and around the Plaka neighborhood in Athens and never felt a hint of trouble.
Expat Community: High. Greece has been a full member of NATO since 1952 and a member of the EU since 1981. According to online sources, about 8% of the entire population living in Greece holds foreign passports, so it is fairly easy to adjust to life overseas here.
Here are Facebook groups that cater to English-speaking expats living in Athens and other parts of Greece (1, 2, 3, 3). These are great for learning all about things that expats want to learn when they first move overseas. Make sure to search for previous questions asked and answered recently before posting any questions to these groups.
Medical: Medium. This healthcare international comparison index ranks Greece 41st in the world, 28 spots better than the United States which ranks 69th. There are different ways healthcare is rated, but this one seems to be considering quality of care in relation to what patients are charged.
If you decide to move here, make sure to ask around for referrals and establish relationships with doctors for your special needs based on the feedback you have gotten from others who have used their services. The above Expats Facebook pages may be a good source for that information.
Tourist Visa: High. European citizens can live and work in Greece. Citizens of many other countries can presently visit Greece as tourists for 90 days without obtaining a visa. As soon as 2025, visiting tourists will be expected to obtain a simple travel authorization before boarding flights to Europe. Read our link about that before booking your flight to see if that has been implemented yet.
Retire in Greece (Update Below): According to various sources online, foreigners can retire and move to Greece with formalities such as proof of a pension or other sources of income of 2000 Euros ($2200 USD) per month (add 20% for spouse), or 40k Euros ($44k USD) in savings if you have no proof of pension. That visa can be renewed every 2 years if the financial conditions remain the same. The retirement visa does not allow work permits, and you must have proof of health insurance, a clean police record, a certificate of health, and a valid passport. Requirements change from time to time.
Retirement Visa Update: One of you sent me an email saying that the retirement visa for non-EU nationals is called the “financially independent visa,” which was raised to 3500 Euros per month from 2000 Euros per month and provided these links: 1, 2, 3.
However, rather than promoting any particular service I was told about or read about online, I would request a referral to a lawyer on one of the Expat Facebook pages I shared above. I would ask the expats for an immigration lawyer who they have already successfully used to get their residence permits for Greece. I would not pay someone to help get me residency until I have confirmation from an expat who used their services to successfully gain residency.
Real Estate: High. When I read about it today, foreigners are allowed to purchase real estate in Greece. If you buy a property worth 400k Euros ($436k USD), you may be able to use that as an alternative way to obtain residency. But you do not need to buy real estate if you qualify for the Greek retirement visa previously discussed.
Today, I saw this 2-bedroom unfurnished apartment for sale for 90k Euros or $98k USD, but if you are willing to live further outside the walkable city center you may be able to find an apartment for less.
However, I would not buy real estate in a foreign country until I have lived there for an extended period of time making sure I loved it after the honeymoon period. I would also hire a lawyer who has no conflict of interest with me. Do not use a lawyer recommended by your real estate broker or your local lover. I would seek a referral from an expat who has used that lawyer’s services to successfully buy real estate in Greece.
Athens Greece Retirement Desirability Score: High. Athens is an amazing city with endless things to do and ways to entertain yourself. One of the things we enjoyed most was just walking around while people-watching, trying out new restaurants, and enjoying the Plaka Neighborhood at night. For cultural explorers who love city life, it would easily be in the running for top consideration. If you are thinking of living city life as a cultural explorer in Europe, with a reasonable cost of living, consider site visits comparing Athens with Rome, Madrid, or Lisbon. Depending on your lifestyle and neighborhood choice, Athens seems a bit cheaper and has slightly warmer weather.
What would it cost you to live in Athens?
You should add anything to the above table that you spend money on in your home country that is not listed in the table. Presumably, you find those things necessary in life. To do that, visit the Numbeo Athens and add anything not mentioned in the above table.
But most importantly, never move anywhere until you have visited first personally to verify the living costs for your lifestyle and needs. I am not guaranteeing these prices. These are just my notes and estimates from the time of my visit and this post. Your costs will likely be drastically different depending on your lifestyle and the time since this post.
Finally, if you are going to try to retire cheap offshore, make sure to read my report, the Two Biggest Risks of Retiring Early for Cheap Offshore, which explains why you should have emergency funds available for unexpectedly large expenses.
If you are an expat living overseas anywhere in the world and you would like to share your cost of living on this channel, please email me at https://vagabondbuddha.com/contact/. I will probably invite you to share your story on this channel.
To watch over one hundred expats share what it is like to retire overseas for pennies, watch my Guest Stars playlist in the upper right-hand corner of your screen right now.
Fun Locals Nightlife Area
Short History of Athens
Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens is the southernmost capital on the European mainland with an urban area population of over three million, the eighth largest in the European Union.
Athens is one of the oldest cities, with a recorded history of over 3,400 years, with human habitation starting between the 11th and 7th century BC. The city was named after Athena, the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom.
Ancient Athens was one of the most powerful city-states and a center for democracy, the arts, education, and philosophy, regarded as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy.
Athens’s heritage is represented by ancient monuments including the Parthenon, one of the earliest and most well-known landmarks of Ancient Western culture. Athens has two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Acropolis of Athens and the medieval Daphni Monastery.
Athens Walking Tour
Acropolis: The Athenian Acropolis is a collection of structures featuring a citadel on the highest part of land in ancient (and modern-day) Athens, Greece in the 5th century BC, including the Propylaea, Erechtheion, and the Temple of Athena. The Temple of Athena is also commonly known as the Parthenon. There were often dances, music, and plays held at the Acropolis and it became a prime tourist destination by the 2nd century AD during the Roman Empire.
Parthenon: is a temple on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, dedicated to the goddess Athena and a symbol of Ancient Greece, democracy, and Western civilization. It was built in 447 BC to celebrate 5th century BC the Greek victory over invaders of the Persian Empire. In the 6th century AD, it was converted into a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. In 1458 AD, Athens was captured by the Ottoman Empire and held for about 400 years until the Greek War of Independence. The Ottoman used the Parthenon as a munitions dump in 1687 when an explosion severely damaged the Parthenon. Since 1975, numerous large-scale restoration projects have been undertaken to preserve remaining artifacts and ensure their structural integrity.
Acropolis Museum is an archaeological museum in Athens displaying the major archaeological findings unearthed from the Acropolis of Athens originating from the Greek Bronze Age to Roman and Byzantine Greece. The museum opened to the public in 2009 with more than 4,250 objects over an area of 14,000 square meters.
Plaka is the old historical neighborhood of Athens, which was built on top of the residential areas of the ancient town of Athens. It is the “Neighborhood of the Gods” due to its central location adjacent to the Acropolis.
Church of Panagia Kapnikarea is one of the oldest churches in Athens estimated to have been built sometime in the 11th century, perhaps around 1050.
The National Archeological Museum includes the most important artifacts from a variety of archaeological locations around Greece. It is one of the greatest museums in the world of Greek artifacts.
Where we stayed in Athens
We stayed here for $64 USD per night plus fees and taxes. Everything we needed was within walking distance and I have listed all of that below under restaurants, shopping, and services.
How we got from Kalamata Greece to Athens
We took the bus from Kalamata Breece to Athens for $23 USD per person. We bought the ticket at the station on the day we departed. Once in Athens, we used the Uber Taxi App to transfer from the bus station to our Accommodations.
Restaurants, Bars, Markets, Services
Restaurants, Bars (Local currency in Euros)
Vegan Beat Athens: Lemonade 4, Space Gyros 4.80
Dos Gardenias: Vege taco 9, Pork taco 13, beer 6
Pandora: Vegetarian pepper & tomato stuffed 8.50, Spinach pie 3.5
Street Souvlaki: Vegetarian souvlaki 3.5, Chicken souvlaki 3.70, beer 2.2
Ella Greek Cooking: Beer 5, hummus 5.5, bread 2.5, pesto pasta 13.7, lamb chop 17.7
HI-ΦΑΙ: Beer 4, vege wrap 3.9, chicken skew 2.80, beef kebab 2.4
Vietnam Street Food: Beef pho 11, Vegetarian noddle soup 11
The James Joyce Irish Pub: Big Beer 6
Pikap Bar: Small beer 4
Εφημερίδα ATH: Big beer 5, serve water and snacks for beer
Little Tree Books and Coffee: Freddo cappuccino 4, cake 4
Markets and Services (Local currency in Euros)
Farmer’s Market: Everything including fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, and dairy.
Odeon of Herodes Atticus: Dionne Warwick in Athens 85euro per ticket