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One in Three Foreign Buyers Is Looking for a Permanent Home in Greece

Press Releases

24.08.2026

Greece is emerging as one of the most popular choices for foreign buyers, as almost one in three buyers (30.8%) from abroad are looking for a property in the country for permanent residence. This conclusion is based on this year’s analysis of purchasing trends among foreign buyers, drawing on our customer base, and is indicative not only of the growing appeal of the Greek market, but also of the program that has been in place in recent years exclusively for retirees.

What the Data Shows



Mr. Giorgos Gavriilidis, CEO of Elxis – At Home in Greece, states:


“As we can see from our data, 30.8% of demand comes from people, mainly retirees, who wish to acquire a permanent residence in Greece. This is a significant percentage, but also a particularly positive development, as these people’s investments have high added value, since they are not limited to the purchase of the property, but continue to contribute to the local economy as new residents.” According to him, this also explains the preference shown by 71.7% of buyers for newly built homes or properties that can be occupied immediately. In addition, 68.2% are looking for villas, while only 17.2% are interested in apartments. “As far as the average budget available to foreign buyers is concerned, we observe that the majority are looking at amounts ranging between €320,000 and €340,000,” Mr. Gavriilidis notes.


According to Elxis, the increased appeal of permanent residence is also explained by the program introduced in previous years, which offers tax incentives to retirees from abroad. Specifically, those who make use of the relevant provisions can transfer their tax residence to Greece and pay a very low income tax, at a rate of just 7%. This low tax rate applies for a period of 15 years. In addition to the existence of a double taxation avoidance agreement between Greece and the country where the pension is issued and paid, a prerequisite is that the retiree concerned resides in Greece for at least 183 days per year. They must also not have been a tax resident of Greece for five of the six years preceding the transfer of their tax residence to Greece.

Of course, the largest share of foreign buyers (44.4%) still consists of people seeking to acquire a holiday home, while an additional 17.8% are looking for a property primarily for investment purposes. Another interesting finding is that only 7% have the acquisition of a property as their primary motivation to obtain a residence permit through the “Golden Visa” program. This is because, under the new provisions that have come into force, those who make use of the program are prohibited from exploiting their property for investment purposes through short-term rental platforms.


During 2026, the strongest demand is coming from the US, the Netherlands, Germany and England, followed by countries such as Belgium and France. Noteworthy is the increase recorded this year in demand from buyers from Australia, mainly members of the Greek diaspora, as purchasing interest has doubled compared with last year. At the same time, individual differences in demand can also be observed, as buyers from England show a particular preference for the Ionian Islands, which in turn are not particularly favored by buyers from the US. Crete remains consistently at the top of demand, with a share of 42.9%, followed by the Peloponnese with 22.9% and the Ionian Islands with a share of 12.7%.

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