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Pros of Living in Greece
Cost of Living
Pros:
Greece is super-affordable, especially when compared to North America and much of the rest of Europe. Prices for daily essentials (food, transport, etc.) are at least 20% cheaper than in the U.S. and costs to rent an apartment can be as much as 70% less.
Throughout Greece, you’ll save money by using public transport, avoiding touristy areas, shopping at local markets, and eating out where the Greeks do. A budget-conscious expat can live comfortably in Greece for no more than $2,000 a month.
Lifestyle
Pros:
Greece is a proud nation that emphasizes family, tradition, and a love of the outdoors. Because tourism plays such an important part in the Greek economy, English is widely spoken in many areas and the country’s infrastructure caters well for locals and visitors alike.
Greek cuisine is a food-lover’s dream. Fresh seafood specialties you must try include lobster pasta, fried anchovies, grilled octopus, crab salad, Greek cod with garlic sauce, and mussels cooked in tomato sauce and feta cheese.
Grilled meats feature heavily on restaurant menus, and every tavern in the country seems to serve souvlakis, crispy Greek meatballs, and gyros—a tasty, economical roast-meat wrap. A classic Greek salad goes well with just about everything. (Insider tip: Crete has arguably the tastiest food in all of Greece).
If you have a sweet tooth, you can’t go past Greek baklava, halva, kataifi (a pastry with a coating that looks like shredded wheat), and my personal favorite: bougatsa, a flat, flaky custard pie topped with cinnamon.
Epic Mediterranean weather is a constant highlight in this corner of Europe: cooling, ocean breezes in summer, bright, mild days in winter, and a close-to-perfect climate in spring and autumn. If maximum sunshine is your goal, head towards Rhodes, Kythira, Santorini, or Crete, where sun worshipping is a way of life.
Whether your ideal Greek home is a sturdy lakefront cabin in the mountains, a rooftop apartment on the outskirts of Thessaloniki, or a low-maintenance beachfront unit on Mykonos, you’re guaranteed plenty of sunshine and four distinct seasons—even though the Greeks tend to think in terms of ‘summer and everything else’.
Healthcare
Pros:
The quality of medical care in Greece is generally excellent, especially in major centers like Athens and Thessaloniki.
Emergency health care in Greece is free regardless of nationality. For non-emergencies, most expats opt for some form of private health insurance, which provides better quality care and shorter waiting times than the Greek public system provides. Pharmacies are abundant throughout the country—Greece has more pharmacists per capita than any other nation in Europe.
Safety and Security
Pros:
Greece is one of the safest countries in Europe, and has an easy-going, relaxed feel. I felt 100% safe wandering all over Athens, day or night.
Residency
Pros:
After 2010, Greece introduced a Golden Visa program designed to lure foreign investors and move forward from the country’s financial crisis. The scheme encourages non-EU expats to take advantage of fast-tracked residency in exchange for financial investment: those who qualify are granted a renewable, five-year residency permit.
The main requirement for obtaining a Golden Visa is real estate investment in Greece amounting to at least 250,000 Euros (but subject to change). This is currently the cheapest Golden Visa program of any European country and allows you to travel in and out of the country with no restrictions. There are no in-country living requirements. Obtaining legal residency status in Greece can take as little as three months, from start to finish.
Greek Style
There are many reasons to love living in Greece. It’s an easy place to adopt a healthy lifestyle, the entire country is physically breathtaking, and the Greek people are some of the friendliest, most helpful, and genuinely caring folks you’ll ever meet.
Greece’s affordability gets even better with time, too: the longer you’re there, the cheaper things seem to become as you learn the fine Greek art of living more while spending less!
Greek nominations requirements:
1. Non-criminal record;
2. 50,000 euros bank statement;
3. Medical report (AIDS, hepatitis B, tuberculosis and general items)
4. Real estate certificate;
Greek purchase a property requirements:
1. Non-criminal record;
2. Purchase properties over 250,000 euros;
3. Medical report (AIDS, hepatitis B, tuberculosis and general items)
Why choose us: WZ&P is the expert in residence and citizenship planning. There are hundreds of clients and advisors rely on our expertise and experience. Our highly qualified professionals work together as one team worldwide.
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