Relocation intelligence
🇬🇷 Moving to Greece: tax, residency and cost of living
Standard progressive 9-44% (top above 60,000), but strong expat regimes: 7% flat tax on foreign pension (15 years), non-dom 100,000 lump sum (15 years, 500k investment), 50% exemption for new residents and digital nomads (7 years). CIT 22%, VAT 24%, euro, EU member, Golden Visa via property.
Thinking of moving to Greece? Here is the tax, residency, property and quality-of-life picture in plain numbers, with sources.
Key facts
- Top income tax
- 44%
- Corporate tax
- 22%
- Capital gains
- 15%
- Wealth tax
- No
- Inheritance tax
- Yes
- Cost of living index
- 62
- Safety
- 7/10
- Internet quality
- 7/10
- Visa-free destinations
- 185
- Foreigners can own property
- Yes
- Residency in
- 0 months
- Citizenship in
- 0 years
Taxes
Greece taxes regular income progressively from 9% to 44% (top above 60,000 since Law 5246/2025), with high social contributions (employee 13.37%, employer 21.79%) and 24% VAT. The appeal lies in the expat regimes: foreign pensioners pay a 7% flat tax on worldwide pension for 15 years; wealthy non-doms can opt for a 100,000 lump sum per year (15 years, with 500,000 investment); new residents and digital nomads get a 7-year 50% exemption on Greek employment or business income.
Residency and visas
For EU/EEA citizens residence is nearly frictionless. Third-country nationals go via the Golden Visa (property from 250,000-800,000 depending on region), the digital-nomad permit or the pension/non-dom regime. Naturalisation usually after seven years.
Property ownership
Foreigners may freely buy property (outside a few border zones), and property is the main route to the Golden Visa. Euro currency, so no currency risk.
Cost of living and quality of life
Greece offers a mild Mediterranean climate, islands and coast, low costs relative to Western Europe and a safe environment; against that are slow bureaucracy and uneven public services.
Passport and mobility
The Greek passport gives visa-free access to about 185 destinations (Henley 2026, global top 4) and full EU/Schengen freedom of movement.
Why people move to Greece
7% flat pension tax, non-dom 100k and 50% expat exemption
Three stackable regimes make Greece fiscally attractive for pensioners (7% flat, 15 years), the wealthy (100,000 lump sum, 15 years) and working newcomers (50% exemption, 7 years), on top of EU free movement and a top-4 passport.
Outside the regimes highly taxed, high contributions and slow bureaucracy
Without one of the regimes the standard rate rises to 44%, with 13.37% employee contributions and 24% VAT; administrative handling is historically slow.
Honest trade-offs
- Buiten de expat-regimes hoog totaal belast: werknemer-SSC 13,37% + werkgever 21,79% (35,16%) bovenop progressief tot 44%, en 24% btw (een van de hoogste in de EU).
- Wereldwijde belastingheffing voor residenten (geen territoriaal stelsel buiten de speciale regimes); erfbelasting van toepassing.
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