An Overview of the Elxis Data
This analysis shows that 44% of prospective buyers who contacted us about purchasing a holiday home in Greece during this period came from non-EU countries. Ultimately, 20% of the purchases that were completed concerned people from outside the EU. Therefore, one in five holiday home purchases is made by people from outside the EU, while the remaining purchases are made by citizens of EU member states.
As Mr. Giorgos Gavriilidis, CEO of Elxis, states: “Concerning non-EU buyers, our main markets are the UK (an increase of 20% from 2024 to 2026) and the US (an increase of approximately 30% from 2024 to 2026). Australia also doubled its share within one year and is now the third-largest market outside the EU, along with Switzerland and Israel, a country from which interest has declined significantly compared with 2024.”
British buyers prefer the Ionian Islands, at a rate of 24%. Meanwhile, buyers from the US and Canada mainly turn to Crete (28%) and mainland Greece (25%), while the Ionian Islands account for only 12%. The Aegean attracts the same level of interest from both markets, at 19% each.
At the same time, however, the share of prospective buyers from outside the EU recorded an increase of 11.1% from 2024 to 2026. This figure is of particular interest, taking into account that almost four in ten prospective buyers from countries outside the EU (38%) state that they have a budget of more than €400,000 available for the purchase of a holiday home in Greece. The corresponding percentage of prospective buyers from countries within the EU is 24%. Therefore, people from countries outside the EU generally have larger budgets and often choose more expensive and higher-quality properties.
According to the government’s announcement, the property transfer tax for non-EU citizens will increase to 15%, from the current 3%. It will apply exclusively to homes purchased by individuals, while Greek expatriates and long-term residents of the country will be exempt. The measure is scheduled to come into effect on 1 July 2027.
“We are monitoring developments and any changes that may arise during the legislative process of this measure with particular attention. One such change could, for example, be the exemption of areas located outside the major urban centers, which, by their nature, are not experiencing housing pressure. In any case, we expect an acceleration in decision-making by buyers from outside the EU in the coming months,” Mr. Gavriilidis points out.
