Greece’s rental market is getting more expensive in 2026, as strong demand and a limited supply of available homes continue to push prices higher, particularly in Athens and other sought-after locations.
Average residential rents nationwide rose 3.8% from 2025, according to data from RE/MAX Greece. The survey, based on rental transactions through the company’s network across 124 areas, shows that demand remains particularly strong for higher-quality properties.
Attica, the region encompassing Athens and its suburbs, recorded a 4.3% increase, while rents in the rest of Greece rose 4%. Thessaloniki, the country’s second-largest city, posted a more moderate 3% increase.
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The figures highlight how Greece’s housing affordability problem is spreading beyond traditionally expensive neighborhoods. More than 30 of the 124 areas surveyed now command average rents of at least €10 a square meter.
Kolonaki, one of central Athens’ most affluent neighborhoods, Thessaloniki’s Old Waterfront and the island of Santorini are the country’s most expensive rental markets in the survey, each averaging €14 a square meter. Vari-Varkiza, on the Athens Riviera, and Lycabettus in central Athens follow at €13.
The biggest percentage increases, however, are being recorded elsewhere. Nea Iraklitsa, a coastal community near Kavala in northern Greece, saw rents jump 16.7% in a year. Athens’ Petralona followed with a 15.6% increase, while Kypseli in Athens and Thermi near Thessaloniki both recorded gains of 14.3%.
Across Attica, the average rent reached €9.20 a square meter, compared with €8.90 in 2025. In Athens and surrounding districts, rents climbed 5.4% to €9.80. Neos Kosmos averaged €10.60 and Petralona €10.40, while relatively more affordable areas included Patissia at €7.50 and Vyronas at €7.60.
Athens’ southern suburbs remain the capital region’s most expensive market overall, with rents averaging €11.10 a square meter, up 3.7%. Vari-Varkiza reached €13 and Glyfada €12.40, while Elliniko recorded a 9.1% annual increase.
The fastest overall increase within Attica came in the western suburbs, where rents rose 5.7% to €7.40 a square meter. In Piraeus and neighboring districts, rents increased 4% to €7.80.
