Short answer: the region decides the Golden Visa threshold before anything else. As of 6 November 2026 the minimum is €800,000 in the whole of Attica (which includes Athens and Piraeus), in the Thessaloniki regional unit, on Mykonos and Santorini, and on every island with more than 3,100 residents. Halkidiki and the rest of the country sit at €400,000. A commercial building already converted to housing qualifies at €250,000 in every region. Bank of Greece data shows apartment prices up 5.0% year on year in Athens and 4.7% in Thessaloniki in the second quarter of 2026. No official source publishes rental yields by region.
Contents
- What do the official price figures show?
- How does the region change the Golden Visa threshold?
- Where in Athens should you buy?
- Is Piraeus any different from Athens?
- What do Thessaloniki prices and the threshold look like?
- Why is Halkidiki in the €400,000 band?
- What is the Golden Visa threshold in Crete?
- How do you calculate a rental yield in Greece?
- Who should buy in which region?
- Risks to check before choosing a region
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources
| Region | Golden Visa threshold (stegasi.gov.gr, 6 Nov 2026) | Conversion route | Apartment price change, Q2 2026 year on year (Bank of Greece) | Official rental yield | Projects on our site (6 Nov 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens neighbourhoods | €800,000 | €250,000 | 5.0% (Athens series) | not published | 10 |
| Piraeus | €800,000 | €250,000 | no separate series | not published | 6 |
| Thessaloniki | €800,000 | €250,000 | 4.7% (Thessaloniki series) | not published | 5 |
| Halkidiki | €400,000 | €250,000 | no separate series | not published | 4 |
| Crete | €800,000 (population rule) | €250,000 | no separate series | not published | 2 |
How the figures were checked: the thresholds were read again on 6 November 2026 from the Greek government's housing policy portal (stegasi.gov.gr) and from the text of Law 5100/2024 in the Government Gazette. The price changes come from the Bank of Greece index of apartment prices by geographical area; the bank marks values after the third quarter of 2025 as provisional. The project counts were taken the same day from our own published listings for Greece. They show what we list, not the size of the market. Attica holds 22 of those projects in total; the six outside Athens and Piraeus are in Voula, Alimos, Elliniko, Glyka Nera and Perissos.
What do the official price figures show?
The Bank of Greece publishes one index for each geographical group, not for every city. Its four series are the only official price measure for Greek apartments; values after the third quarter of 2025 are provisional.
| Bank of Greece series | 2025 change | Q2 2026 change, year on year | Index, Q2 2026 (2007 = 100) | New flats up to 5 years old, Q2 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens | 6.6% | 5.0% | 118.3 | 4.7% |
| Thessaloniki | 9.7% | 4.7% | 111.9 | 3.7% |
| Other cities | 10.3% | 5.4% | 108.2 | 5.1% |
| Other areas | 9.6% | 7.1% | 112.8 | 10.1% |
Piraeus, Halkidiki and Crete have no series of their own. "Other cities" and "other areas" cover them only as background, and neither figure can be read as the change in those places.
How does the region change the Golden Visa threshold?
Article 64 of Law 5100/2024 split the minimum property investment into two bands. Everything in the Attica region, the Thessaloniki regional unit, Mykonos, Santorini and every island with more than 3,100 residents according to the latest census moved to €800,000. The areas the list does not name stayed at €400,000, the level set in 2024.
In both bands the investment has to be made in a single property, and the home must have at least 120 m² of main use area. You cannot reach €800,000 by buying two smaller flats. The text is published in the Government Gazette (FEK A 49, 05.04.2024).
The third route works in any region: buy a commercial building that has already been converted to housing and the threshold is €250,000. The conversion must be finished before you apply. The 120 m² rule does not apply here, but the home cannot be used as a company's registered office or branch. The document list for the conversion route is set out in the Golden Visa guide; the projects sold this way are listed under €250,000 conversion-route projects, 12 of them on 6 November 2026.
Listed or protected buildings are a separate procedure at MITOS. We leave the amount out of this guide because we did not re-read the official text for this update. The full requirements, family scope and application steps are set out in our Greek Golden Visa guide.
Where in Athens should you buy?
Every neighbourhood in Athens sits inside the Attica region, so moving from one to another does not change the threshold: €800,000 for a single property, €250,000 through the conversion route (stegasi.gov.gr, accessed 6 November 2026). Neighbourhood choice is about budget, transport and what you want from the flat, not about the visa.
We had 10 Athens projects published on 6 November 2026. They fall into three groups:
- Centre and historic core: Psyri, Kerameikos, Exarcheia and Akademia Platonos.
- Municipalities around the centre: Ampelokipi, Nea Ionia, Peristeri, Kallithea and Nikaia.
- Southern coast (the Athens Riviera): Alimos, Elliniko and Voula. On our site these are listed under Attica rather than Athens.
Prices. The Bank of Greece Athens series rose 6.6% in 2025 and 5.0% in the second quarter of 2026 compared with a year earlier, taking the index to 118.3 on a 2007 base of 100 (Bank of Greece, index of apartment prices by geographical area, accessed 6 November 2026). New flats up to five years old rose 4.7% over the same quarter. The bank does not break the index down by neighbourhood, so there is no official figure for the gap between Psyri and Voula, and no official €/m² series for individual districts.
Rental yield. There is no official yield figure for Athens at city or neighbourhood level. The Bank of Greece publishes a price index but no rent or yield series; the ELSTAT rent measure sits inside the consumer price index for the country as a whole. Portal figures quoted for Athens compare asking rents with asking sale prices, not signed contracts, so we do not use them. A Golden Visa property cannot be let for less than 60 days at a time (Airbnb-style), although longer lets are allowed. Work out your return on an annual tenancy agreement.
All Athens projects are listed on the Athens new-build page; those flagged for the €800,000 band appear under €800,000 Golden Visa projects in Attica.
Is Piraeus any different from Athens?
Not for the Golden Visa. Piraeus is part of the Attica region and has no threshold of its own: €800,000 for a single property, €250,000 through the conversion route (stegasi.gov.gr, accessed 6 November 2026). Anyone selling Piraeus as a cheaper band than Athens is describing the rules before 2024.
We had 6 Piraeus projects published on 6 November 2026, split between Akti Kondili around the port and Kastella on the hill. Projects with a 2027 delivery date can be filtered separately.
Prices. The Bank of Greece does not publish a Piraeus series. Its closest series is Athens, but the bank does not say how much of Piraeus that series covers, so the 5.0% Athens figure for the second quarter of 2026 should not be read as Piraeus's change. There is no official Piraeus price or €/m² figure.
Rental yield. No official yield figure exists for Piraeus either. Proximity to the port makes short lets look attractive, but a Golden Visa property cannot be rented for less than 60 days at a time; longer lets are allowed. Breaking the rule cancels the residence permit and carries a fixed administrative fine (Migration Ministry circular 9/2024).
The current list is on the Piraeus new-build page, and the national €800,000 band is under €800,000 Golden Visa projects.
What do Thessaloniki prices and the threshold look like?
The Thessaloniki regional unit sits in the €800,000 band; the conversion route is €250,000 (stegasi.gov.gr, accessed 6 November 2026). The rule does not stop at the city centre: Thermi and the coastal town of Asprovalta belong to the same regional unit and the same band. Check which regional unit an address falls into against the land registry and the municipality before you commit.
We had 5 Thessaloniki projects published on 6 November 2026, covering the centre plus Thermi, Analipsi and Asprovalta. One of them was flagged for the €800,000 Golden Visa band on that date.
Prices. The Bank of Greece Thessaloniki series rose 9.7% in 2025. Growth slowed to 4.7% year on year in the second quarter of 2026, with the index at 111.9 (Bank of Greece, accessed 6 November 2026). New flats up to five years old rose 3.7% over the same quarter. Slower growth is not a price fall: values are still climbing, just less quickly. No official €/m² series exists for Thessaloniki.
Rental yield. Rent levels in Thessaloniki get searched heavily, but no official source gives a Thessaloniki rent or yield figure. A Golden Visa property cannot be let for less than 60 days at a time; longer lets are allowed, and that 60-day minimum is the basis for any yield calculation.
Thessaloniki projects are on the Thessaloniki new-build page, with the qualifying ones under €800,000 Golden Visa projects in Thessaloniki.
Why is Halkidiki in the €400,000 band?
Halkidiki is not named in the €800,000 list in article 64 and it is not an island, so it stays in the "other areas" group at €400,000. The conversion route is still €250,000 (stegasi.gov.gr, accessed 6 November 2026). Sharing a border with Thessaloniki does not move it: the test is the administrative region, not the distance.
We had 4 Halkidiki projects published on 6 November 2026, on the Kassandra peninsula around Kallithea, on the Athos road at Ouranoupoli, and near Gerakini. One was flagged for the €400,000 band on that date.
Prices. The Bank of Greece publishes no separate Halkidiki series. Its "other areas" series, which covers everything outside the big cities, rose 7.1% year on year in the second quarter of 2026 (Bank of Greece, accessed 6 November 2026), but that series measures every small town and rural area in the country at once and is not specific to Halkidiki. Halkidiki's own price change and €/m² level are not in official data.
Rental yield. No official yield figure exists for Halkidiki. The area is known for seasonal tourism, which makes short lets tempting, but a Golden Visa property cannot be rented for less than 60 days at a time; longer lets are allowed. A return model built on summer-week income does not work for a Golden Visa property here.
Halkidiki projects are on the Halkidiki new-build page, with the qualifying ones under €400,000 Golden Visa projects in Halkidiki.
What is the Golden Visa threshold in Crete?
Crete is not named in the €800,000 list either. What the list does say is "every island with more than 3,100 residents according to the latest census", and Crete's population is far above that line, which puts the island in the €800,000 band (stegasi.gov.gr, accessed 6 November 2026). The conversion route has been €250,000 since 2024. Because the rule works by criterion rather than by name, get written confirmation from a Greek lawyer before you apply.
We had 2 Crete projects published on 6 November 2026. With that few, choice is limited; none was flagged for the Golden Visa band on that date.
Prices. The Bank of Greece publishes no Crete series. It does not say whether Heraklion and Chania are measured inside its "other cities" group. For context: "other cities" rose 5.4% year on year in the second quarter of 2026 and "other areas" rose 7.1% (Bank of Greece, accessed 6 November 2026). Neither figure is Crete's own change, and Crete-specific price and €/m² data are not in official sources.
Rental yield. No official yield figure exists for Crete. Tourism drives income on the island, but a Golden Visa property cannot be rented for less than 60 days at a time; longer lets are allowed. If short lets are the plan, a purchase outside the Golden Visa programme is a separate decision.
Crete projects are on the Crete new-build page; for the island-wide €800,000 band see €800,000 Golden Visa projects.
How do you calculate a rental yield in Greece?
Official sources do not give yields by region. The Bank of Greece publishes a price index but no rent or yield series. The ELSTAT rent data is one item inside the consumer price index and does not produce a regional return. Most of the regional percentages online come from portals dividing an asking rent by an asking sale price, which is not a signed rent or a completed sale.
Build your own number from three lines:
- Net annual rent: what a contract of at least 60 days, ideally a full year, can bring in, minus the months the flat sits empty.
- Costs: service charge, annual property tax (ENFIA), insurance and management fees. Purchase taxes are a separate line; the AADE English pages on transfer tax and ENFIA set out what applies.
- Tax: rent from a Greek property is taxed in Greece even if the owner lives abroad (AADE, accessed 13 October 2026).
The short-let ban came with article 64 of Law 5100/2024. Under Migration Ministry circular 9/2024, a let shorter than 60 days that covers accommodation only counts as a short let whether or not it runs through a platform. Lets of 60 days or more fall outside the ban. Breaking it cancels the permit and triggers a fixed administrative fine.
Who should buy in which region?
| Buyer | Region that fits | What does not fit |
|---|---|---|
| Family with a Golden Visa budget around €400,000 | Halkidiki (€400,000 band) | In Athens, Piraeus, Thessaloniki and Crete the same budget only works through the €250,000 conversion route |
| Buyer with €250,000 | A converted commercial building in any region | Choice is narrow if you want a family-sized home above 120 m² |
| Family living in the city with children in school | Athens neighbourhoods, Thessaloniki | Halkidiki and Crete have fewer schools and services in winter |
| Investor planning a long-term let | Central districts of Athens and Thessaloniki | Wanting both seasonal short-let income and a Golden Visa: the two cannot be combined |
| Holiday-home buyer with no residence plan | Halkidiki, Crete | If a Golden Visa application is coming, the short-let ban removes the summer-income plan |
Risks to check before choosing a region
- Old threshold information: on 6 November 2026 the Migration Ministry's English Golden Visa page still described the rules under the 2014 law. Use stegasi.gov.gr and the statute for the threshold.
- Regional unit boundaries: a village near Thessaloniki is at €400,000 if it belongs to Halkidiki and €800,000 if it belongs to the Thessaloniki regional unit. The administrative unit on the title deed decides.
- One property and 120 m²: in the €800,000 and €400,000 bands the amount must be met with a single home of at least 120 m² main use area; two flats joined together do not count.
- Unsourced yield promises: a sales pitch that guarantees a percentage is not built on official data. If the contract carries a yield guarantee, ask in writing who gives the guarantee and what secures it.
- Provisional price data: Bank of Greece index values after the third quarter of 2025 are provisional and can be revised in later releases.
- The short-let ban: letting a Golden Visa property for under 60 days ends the permit. A management contract must state the letting period in writing.
Frequently asked questions
Where in Greece should I buy property?
Start with the budget the Golden Visa sets: €800,000 opens Athens, Piraeus, Thessaloniki and Crete; €400,000 covers Halkidiki and other unnamed areas; €250,000 buys a converted building in any region (stegasi.gov.gr, 6 November 2026). Without a Golden Visa plan, the choice is about how you will use the home and how you get there.
Are property prices falling in Greece?
No. On the Bank of Greece Athens series, apartment prices rose 6.6% in 2025 and 5.0% year on year in the second quarter of 2026 (provisional data, accessed 6 November 2026). Growth has slowed; prices have not turned down.
Is Piraeus cheaper than Athens for the Golden Visa?
No. Piraeus sits inside the Attica region and carries the same threshold as Athens (stegasi.gov.gr, 6 November 2026): €800,000 for a single property, €250,000 through the conversion route.
Can I get a Golden Visa in Halkidiki with €400,000?
Yes. Halkidiki is not on the €800,000 list, so it stays in the €400,000 band (stegasi.gov.gr, 6 November 2026). The purchase must be a single property with at least 120 m² of main use area.
Can I rent out a Golden Visa property on Airbnb?
No. Lets shorter than 60 days are banned and breaking the rule cancels the permit. Lets of 60 days or more, such as an annual tenancy, are allowed. The detail is in our guide to letting a Golden Visa property on Airbnb.
Does buying property in Greece give you citizenship?
No. The Golden Visa is a five-year residence permit, renewable for the same period as long as you keep the property (Law 5100/2024, article 64). Citizenship is a separate process with its own conditions, covered in our Greek Golden Visa guide.
Sources
- Greek housing policy portal (stegasi.gov.gr), increase in the minimum Golden Visa property investment (accessed 6 November 2026)
- stegasi.gov.gr, ban on short-term letting of properties bought through the Golden Visa (accessed 6 November 2026)
- Law 5100/2024, article 64, FEK A 49/05.04.2024 (accessed 14 October 2026)
- Ministry of Migration and Asylum, circular 9/2024 (definition of a short let) (accessed 6 November 2026)
- MITOS, Golden Visa through change of use (accessed 14 October 2026)
- Bank of Greece, index of apartment prices by geographical area (tables II.7 and II.7.1) (accessed 6 November 2026)
- AADE, taxation of Greece-source income for residents abroad (accessed 13 October 2026)
- satisofisi.com project records, Greece new-build projects (counted 6 November 2026)
Our articles are not the opinion of a single person; they are checked against official sources and reviewed and updated by the satisofisi.com Editorial Desk. That is why we publish under the institution’s name rather than an individual’s.
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