May 3, 2025, 9:16 am | Read time: 3 minutes
Olive groves, sea views, and 300 days of sunshine — more Germans are finding their dream home in Greece. Once a vacation destination, Greece is now becoming a retirement plan, a relocation target, and an alternative to the overpriced homeland. What’s driving the new hype around Greek real estate?
Greece is experiencing a boom in German real estate buyers — particularly on the mainland, where demand and prices are rising according to a comprehensive report by BILD. Affordable homes, tax advantages, and Mediterranean quality of life are increasingly attracting German customers to Greece. Travelbook takes a look at what a house by the sea in Greece can cost.
For many real estate agents in Greece, the growing interest from Germany is a ray of hope. Initially, they came as tourists — with a 15 percent increase in 2024 to nearly six million. Now, they are increasingly appearing as buyers. “The number of buyers from Germany has increased by 25 percent within a few years,” BILD quotes Yannis Ziavras, Athens head of the international real estate company Remax.
While buyers from China previously dominated the market by purchasing luxury properties to obtain visas, German interest is focused on affordable properties. Many are interested in real estate up to 250,000 euros. “They vacation on the islands but are increasingly buying on the mainland because flights arrive year-round, and they are not dependent on ferries or domestic flights,” says Ziavras.
A Paradise for Retirees
An additional incentive: Retirees who live in Greece for more than six months can have their pensions taxed at only seven percent. Add to that 300 days of sunshine a year and mild winters with temperatures between 54 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit in the south.
Regions around Athens and the Peloponnese are gaining popularity. The infrastructure is good, flights are available — and prices are still affordable. In Glyfada and Vouliagmeni, super-rich investors from Arab countries are investing, while the German middle class is looking for affordable homeownership between Pylos, Sparta, Patras, and Corinth.
BILD spoke with a real estate agent from Kyparessia on the west coast of the Peloponnese. She says, “The Germans have become the most important customers.” And: “Last year, almost all my clients were German.” She is currently marketing a house with 1,076 square feet of living space and 10,226 square feet of land — in a prime hillside location for 170,000 euros (see large photo above).
The Sea Is Never Far Away
Places like Meligalas, about 30 minutes from the sea, are also becoming increasingly interesting. Everything you need — beaches, airport, hospital — is reachable within half an hour. Here, simple houses cost between 50,000 and 130,000 euros, and renovation costs are comparatively low. In Skala Oropou, 30 minutes north of Athens, a 1,615 square foot property with a garden, barbecue area, and about 6,458 square feet of land costs 240,000 euros, fully furnished.
If you are now dreaming and considering buying a house in Greece, you should not rush into it. Marios Christodoulou, head of the German-language real estate platform Ferimmo.de in Berlin, told BILD: “Plan one or more inspection trips. Work with an independent lawyer (for the transfer). Thoroughly check the property.”