Athens real estate market — prices, rental yield and trend

• Average price: $3,278 / m²
• Gross rental yield: 5.31%
• 12-month price change (USD): 1.4%
• Net rental yield: 4.35%
• Transaction cost: 12.1%
• Bubble-risk band: elevated
• Price basis: local-market average

Residential property in Athens averages $3,278 per square metre. In dollar terms the market has barely moved over the last twelve months (+1.4%). That makes it the 146th most expensive of the 264 markets in the set.

What a buyer pays in Athens

The $3,278 figure is a local-market average across all residential property types: a flat in a prime district sits well above it, an older unit on the edge of the market well below. Buying costs — transfer tax or stamp duty, notary, registration and agency — come to about 12.1% of the price here. On a 100 m² apartment at the average price that is roughly $39,666 on top of the $327,822 purchase price. That is above the 9.5% median across the set — the entry cost is part of the investment case here. Of that, the transfer tax alone is 3.1%; the rest is notary, registration and agency fees. That is within a few percent of the Greece national average of $3,221, which is unusual — in most countries the leading city runs well ahead. Among the other Greece markets we track, Rhodes at $2,928 is 12% cheaper, and Thessaloniki at $3,022 is 8.5% cheaper.

What it earns

A square metre lets for about $14.5 a month. Against a purchase price of $3,278 per square metre that is 5.3% gross, before tax. Both figures come from the same source and the same period, so you can check the arithmetic yourself. It ranks 126th of 311 markets by gross yield. Rental income is taxed at 14.3–21.9% — the rate is not a single number here. That is the difference between 4.2% and 4.6% net on the same property. The 4.4% net figure we publish uses 18.1%. On the way out there is a third tax: a non-resident seller pays 0–15% on the gain, depending on how long the property was held and who is selling.

How the tax works. Progressive: a 5% automatic maintenance deduction (ITC art. 39(3)(a)) and then the art. 40 rental scale, which from 1 January 2026 has a new 25% bracket between €12,000 and €24,000 (Law 5246/2025) in place of the former jump to 35%. That gives 14–22% across typical rent levels; tables from before 2026 overstate the burden. Source: PwC Greece / WTS.

Where the price sits against its own history

Prices are +43.3% over five years and +103.8% over ten in local terms. Today’s level sits 32.9% above the city’s own long-run trend. A gap that size does not have to close, but it is the number to watch. Glopra’s bubble-risk score for Athens is 74 out of 100 — elevated risk. Of the 65 markets scored, 10 read higher. It combines the deviation from trend, price-to-income and the pace of recent growth — a warning light, not a forecast.

Athens house price index, 2016–2025 (2016 = 100)

Rebased to 100 in 2016, the index stands at 199.7 in 2025. The series is in local currency, and the twelve-month numbers above show how much of that a dollar buyer actually keeps.

Who can buy in Athens

Freehold; non-EU buyers need approval in border zones. That is the rule a foreign buyer meets first, not legal advice — check the current position locally before you commit.

How this figure is built

The price figure for Athens is built from asking prices from listings. It was last refreshed on 2026-10-11. We rate our confidence in this market’s data medium: the series is usable, but thinner or less current than our best-covered markets. We recompute every market the same way, which is what lets Athens be compared with a country average or another city.

Sources: en.rua.gr · globalpropertyguide.com · airbtics.com. Snapshot: 2026-10-11.