Moving to Greece from Spain
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Spain to Greece — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Spain to Greece, you would find that Greece is 0.2% cheaper than Spain overall. A €65,700 salary in Spain would need to be roughly €57,857 in Greece to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Greek.
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What to expect for your wallet after moving from Spain to Greece.
What does your salary buy?
€65,700 → €57,857
To maintain the same standard of living in Greece
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 17.9% less
Groceries
pay 2.8% less
Transportation
pay 5.2% more
Housing
pay 3.6% less
Childcare
pay 11.9% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 22.8% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Greece cost about 15% less than cities in Spain.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
How many people actually move from Spain to Greece, based on official data.
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Spain to Greece.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Spain performs better than Greece across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Greece generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Spain leads in health coverage index.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Spain performs better than Greece across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Spain generally does better on infrastructure, though Greece leads in broadband per 100 people.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Spain generally does better on employment & economy, though Greece leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Spain performs better than Greece across all family life metrics.
Data: Agencia Tributaria, Spain, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Madrid | Athens |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 55°/40°F (13°/4°C) | 57°/42°F (14°/6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 73°/53°F (23°/12°C) | 78°/57°F (26°/14°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/64°F (30°/18°C) | 90°/67°F (32°/20°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 58°/44°F (14°/7°C) | 65°/50°F (18°/10°C) |
View all months
| Month | Madrid | Athens |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50°/37°F (9.8°/2.7°C) | 54°/41°F (12.5°/5.2°C) |
| Feb | 54°/39°F (12.0°/3.7°C) | 56°/42°F (13.5°/5.4°C) |
| Mar | 61°/43°F (16.3°/6.2°C) | 60°/44°F (15.7°/6.7°C) |
| Apr | 65°/46°F (18.2°/7.7°C) | 68°/49°F (20.2°/9.6°C) |
| May | 72°/52°F (22.2°/11.3°C) | 79°/57°F (26.0°/13.9°C) |
| Jun | 83°/61°F (28.2°/16.1°C) | 88°/65°F (31.1°/18.2°C) |
| Jul | 90°/66°F (32.1°/19.0°C) | 92°/69°F (33.5°/20.8°C) |
| Aug | 88°/66°F (31.3°/18.8°C) | 92°/69°F (33.2°/20.7°C) |
| Sep | 80°/60°F (26.4°/15.4°C) | 85°/63°F (29.2°/17.3°C) |
| Oct | 67°/51°F (19.4°/10.7°C) | 74°/56°F (23.3°/13.4°C) |
| Nov | 56°/43°F (13.5°/6.2°C) | 65°/50°F (18.1°/9.8°C) |
| Dec | 50°/38°F (10.0°/3.6°C) | 57°/44°F (14.1°/6.8°C) |
Data:
Agencia Estatal de Meteorología,
Hellenic National Meteorological Service
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Spain and Greece. To live, work, or study long-term in Greece, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Greece's immigration authority.
Spain passport holder visiting Greece
Visa Free
Greece passport holder visiting Spain
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Greece than Spain?
Yes — Greece is on average about 12% cheaper than Spain. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Greece?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly €14,464 in Greece on a €65,700 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from Greece?
Internet is rarely the blocker — Greece has 43.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people. The real questions are legal: digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
Is Greece safe for expats?
Spain performs better than Greece across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Greece is 1.1 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.7 in Spain.
How is healthcare in Greece compared to Spain?
Greece generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Spain leads in health coverage index. There are 63.7 doctors per 10,000 people in Greece, compared to 44.8 in Spain. Greece scores 77 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Spain: 85).
What's the weather like in Greece compared to Spain?
The average high temperature in Athens is 72°F, compared to 68°F in Madrid. Athens receives around 16.3 in of rainfall per year, while Madrid gets 16.6 in.
What language do they speak in Greece?
The official language in Greece is Greek. In Spain, the official languages are Basque, Catalan, Galician and Spanish.
