The rental market, meanwhile, remains under pressure, particularly in Athens and Thessaloniki, where strong demand continues to support higher asking rents.
According to the latest SPI House Price Index compiled by property platform Spitogatos, the average asking price for homes nationwide rose 6.1% year-on-year in the second quarter, down from a 9.7% annual increase recorded during the same period in 2025. Rental prices increased by a much more modest 1.3%, compared with 7.2% a year earlier, suggesting that rent inflation is beginning to ease at the national level.
The slowdown has been more pronounced in the sales market than in rentals. In the Athens metropolitan area, average asking prices for homes rose 5.3% from a year earlier, compared with a 9.4% increase in the second quarter of 2025. Rental asking prices in the capital climbed 4.5%, broadly in line with last year's 4.4% increase, underscoring the resilience of demand for leased housing despite affordability pressures.
Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city, also recorded slower price appreciation. Residential asking prices increased 7.7% year-on-year, compared with 11.4% a year earlier, while asking rents rose 6.6%, down from 10.9% in the same quarter of 2025. The figures point to continued buyer and tenant interest in both the city and its surrounding municipalities.
The country's most expensive housing markets remain concentrated in high-end coastal areas and tourism-driven destinations. The Athens Riviera's southern suburbs retained their position as Greece's most expensive area to buy residential property, with an average asking price of €4,231 per square meter, followed by the Cyclades islands at €4,063 per square meter. Athens' northern suburbs, the Ionian island of Lefkada, and the regional unit of Chania on Crete rounded out the top five.
At the other end of the market, the northern regional unit of Kastoria remained Greece's least expensive housing market, with average asking prices of €585 per square meter, followed by Florina, Kozani, Kilkis, and Karditsa.
The Cyclades also topped the rankings for rental prices, with average asking rents reaching €14.4 per square meter, reflecting the islands' strong tourism sector and limited long-term housing supply. Athens' southern suburbs followed, ahead of central Athens, Lefkada and the capital's northern suburbs. In contrast, the lowest asking rents were recorded in Pella, followed by Kilkis, the wider Thessaloniki region, Grevena and Imathia.
Within the Athens metropolitan area, premium southern suburbs continued to dominate the luxury segment. Vouliagmeni remained the city's most expensive location for both buying and renting residential property, with average asking sale prices reaching €7,364 per square meter and rents averaging €22 per square meter. Other high-value districts included Voula, Elliniko, Glyfada and Palaio Psychiko, reinforcing the long-standing appeal of the Athens Riviera among affluent domestic and international buyers.
The strongest annual price gains, however, were recorded in more affordable suburbs. Drosia, a northern Athens suburb, led the market with a 30.2% increase in asking prices, partly reflecting a growing supply of newly built, energy-efficient homes and maisonettes. Dafni followed with a 27% increase, while Lykovrysi, Tavros and Nea Philadelphia also posted substantial gains. In the rental market, Drapetsona, near the Port of Piraeus, recorded the sharpest increase, with asking rents rising 29.1% year-on-year.
In Thessaloniki, Kalamaria, a popular waterfront suburb, remained the city's most expensive area for residential purchases, with average asking prices of €3,175 per square meter, ahead of the city center, Pylaia, Charilaou and Toumba. For rentals, the highest asking prices were recorded in the Vardaris-Lachanokipoi district and the city center, both averaging €12 per square meter.
The city's most affordable housing markets remained on its outskirts. Mygdonia posted the lowest asking sale prices at €938 per square meter, while Chortiatis offered the lowest average asking rents at €4.9 per square meter.
