Thinking of Greece makes you imagine Acropolis in Athens, sirtaki music, and happy sunny days on Mykonos, Crete, Corfu, Rhodes, or Kos. The history is engraved everywhere in Greece and local people are trying to preserve it. This country attracts an immense number of tourists, but people are also moving to Greece from the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom to live there permanently or at least to stay there for a long-term period. It is not that difficult to immigrate to Greece as you might think. Those who are willing to purchase real estate property or invest in the local economy are more than welcome to Greece. Thus, this article will be extremely useful for those who are moving to Greece from the USA, the UK, other European states, or from outside of the EU.
Anyone relocating from the USA to Greece or immigrating from any other country will find this process challenging and a bit exhausting. As we want to make it much easier for you, we will provide some background information about this country and list the benefits of international removals to Greece with Eurosender.
| Location | Greece is located on the Balkan Peninsula in Southern Europe. |
| Capital City | Athens |
| Climate | The climate of mainland and islands of Greece is primarily Mediterranean with mild winter and hot dry summers. |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) |
| Population | There are about 11 million people residing in Greece. Previously, the Greek nation was primarily homogenous, but the influx of immigrants and expats has significantly diversified it. |
| Language | Greek is the official language in Greece. However, many local people speak German and English fluently. |
| Timezone | UTC +2 |
| Surprising fact | There are more than 2000 islands in Greece, but only about 200 of those are inhabited. |
Relocation to Greece for a long-term is associated with moving lots of personal belongings, electronics, valuable items, and even household goods overseas. It is practically impossible to take all of them with you, so Eurosender is here to give you a hand. Depending on your chosen route, our booking engine will craft an optimal solution based on the price-to-performance ratio. It means that international removals to Greece would be an affordable option to transport numerous packages. Moreover, you will benefit from booking shipping services with Eurosender as:
Dimitris was late to work today, Helena could not pick up her daughter from the kindergarten on time, and Giorgos could not buy a cup of cappuccino in the afternoon. Why? Living in Greece means that you will have to cope with daily strikes in Athens and siesta time all over the country which lasts for about 3 hours in the middle of the day. Whether you like it or not, moving to Greece means that you will have to get accustomed to your new home.
Living in Greece is also associated with increasing poverty levels and a growing number of immigrants from Asian and African countries. Indeed, Greece is still trying to recover from the crisis the foundation of which was laid long ago. In 2001, when the country entered eurozone and adopted the euro as a currency, the economic situation in Greece encountered its downturn. The government of Greece has already made numerous attempts to recover the country’s political and economic situation.
While expats still immigrate to Greece, they mention both the advantages and disadvantages of living in this country. That is why we have outlined the most significant ones that might shape your decision regarding relocation to Greece.
Advantages
Disadvantages
In general, the cost of living in Greece is much lower than that in France, Germany, or the United Kingdom. Moving to Greece means that you will choose between the mainland or one of the Greek islands. In the latter case, be prepared to pay more for everything starting from food to apartment rental. The average prices for products and monthly expenses in Greece are listed in the table below.
| Apartment rental | 250-500 € |
| Utilities | 150 € |
| Internet | 30 € |
| A cup of cappuccino | 3 € |
| A meal of the day | 10 € |
| Gasoline (1 litre) | 1.57 € |
Those expats moving to Greece from outside of the EU need to take care of their visa along with work and residence permits. While visa allows foreigners to enter the country, permits provide a legal right to live and work in the country.
Expats who immigrate to Greece from non-EU countries are supposed to apply for a residence and work permit upon their arrival in Greece. The EU nationals also need to register in a foreign bureau in case they would like to live and work in Greece for more than three months.
To be honest, the government-run healthcare system in Greece has seen better days before the crisis hit the country. Nowadays, Greek healthcare services are not of the highest quality in the European Union. Public hospitals are often characterized by unsanitary conditions, while medical equipment is not up-to-date.
Expatriates moving to Greece for a long term have to take care of their healthcare insurance. IKA, a public insurance company, covers the healthcare benefits of workers in Greece, so both locals and immigrants employed in the country have the right to use healthcare services for free. However, expats prefer private healthcare insurance that covers those expenses that are not subsidized by the government-owned system. Moreover, it grants access to private hospitals and clinics with English-speaking medical workers.
When a child turns 6, he or she is supposed to start attending school in Greece. Primary and secondary schooling is obligatory for Greek children, while higher education is not compulsory. Nevertheless, many Greek children decide to enrol in one of the Greek universities upon their graduation from school.
In Greece, education in public schools and universities is free of charge. However, students cannot enrol in the university of their choice easily. They need to indicate a list of preferred faculties and then they will be allocated accordingly depending on their academic performance at school. Students with the highest GDP are usually enrolled in the faculties of their highest priority.
Many Greek people started to leave the country as the economic recession took place. The unemployment rates dramatically increased to 20 % or even higher. The average salary rate dropped almost twice from 1200 € to 650 €. However, foreigners still have an opportunity to find work in the country. Agriculture and service sectors bring most of the country’s GDP these days. Thus, seasonal workers in farming and hospitality industry are in high demand as the number of tourists visiting Greece exceeds the number of people living in this country.
More than three-fourths of the Greek population owes a dwelling. Furthermore, the government has launched various programs for foreigners and expats who want to buy real estate property in Greece. The average price per 1 square meter is about $1,500. Thus, a small house somewhere in a rural area might cost $100,000. Consider that the investor Golden Visa is issued only to those who buy a property which costs at least $250,000.
While some expats prefer buying a dwelling as the perspective of permanent residence seems appealing to them, others still prefer renting an apartment. Currently, Athens offers many accommodation options for expats with the prices of about $250 and higher. It will be also not very difficult to rent an apartment on the Greek islands, but the cost will be a bit higher. Those who want to rent a house will have to pay at least $700 for it.
There are several basic rules and recommendations to consider before driving in Greece:
Before relocating to Greece, you need to discover the average moving costs, check how long does it take for a parcel to arrive in Greece, find out the cheapest way to move furniture to Greece, estimate how much is shipping from the USA to Greece, etc. We have prepared the answers to these questions along with the shipping tips to move personal belongings to Greece safely, cheaply, and fast.
Eurosender offers exclusive shipping services for expats and international students at the affordable cost of moving house to Greece. When using Eurosender platform, you can instantly discover average shipping costs and book services just in a few minutes. Furthermore, you will obtain a range of benefits as:
Before booking shipping services, you need to measure the dimensions of your parcel. If the parameters of a parcel do not fit standard dimensions, you have multiple packages or need to ship heavy items, contact our logistics experts and they will craft an individual offer for you.
Have you ever wanted to taste a real Greek salad, moussaka, or gyros? Start moving to Greece from Canada and explore the differences between the lifestyle of those countries. Eurosender will help you with relocation by granting the cheapest way to move furniture to Greece and ship personal belongings overseas.
There are many similarities between Greece and Australia: both countries have a warm climate, friendly people, and unique natural beauties. If you are a digital nomad or a retiree, then moving to Greece from Australia would be one of the best things in your life. Eurosender will make sure that you will get the most affordable cost of moving house to Greece and all your personal belongings will be transported overseas safely.
Do you have several things that you would like to take with you to Greece? With Eurosender, you can book door-to-door shipping services and your suitcase, package or pallet from the United Kingdom to Greece. As we want you to have the best experience while moving to Greece from the United Kingdom, you can always track your parcels online and contact our customer support team in case of any issues.
Disclaimer: The materials provided in this article were collected from other credible resources to be used for general information purposes only. Given that the legislative basis of the country and its economic development have a changing nature, the information provided in the article could be subject to change. Whilst we endeavour to keep the information up-to-date and correct, Eurosender will not be liable for any inappropriate, incomplete, or inaccurate information. Certain links will lead to websites which are not under control of Eurosender. Thus, Eurosender accepts no liability in respect of materials, products or services being not under control of Eurosender.