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Retiring in Greece

Residency routes, healthcare and pension tax · EUR

Routes to residency

Where in Greece

Cost, climate and access to healthcare vary more within Greece than most people expect.

Attica (Athens)

Athens and its coast. The best hospitals in the country, the main international airport, and the widest range of services — which matters more with age than the scenery does.

Cost: The most expensive part of Greece, though still inexpensive by Northern European standards. The southern coastal suburbs cost far more than the city proper.

Climate: Hot dry summers and mild winters. Athens suffers genuine heatwaves, increasingly severe, which is worth weighing for older residents.

Altitude: Low-lying around the basin, with hills in the suburbs. Not a factor.

Who is already there: Large and varied international population, more working than retired.

Northern Greece

Thessaloniki, the Halkidiki beaches and the mountainous interior. The second city has a university hospital and a far lower cost base than Athens.

Cost: Cheaper than Attica across the board, and the interior is cheaper again.

Climate: Four real seasons. Winters inland are genuinely cold by Greek standards, with snow in the mountains.

Altitude: Coastal areas are low; the western interior is mountainous but not at altitudes that affect health.

Who is already there: Modest and concentrated in Thessaloniki and Halkidiki. Far less anglophone than the islands.

Groups three administrative regions — Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Central Macedonia and Western Macedonia — plus Mount Athos. Mount Athos is an autonomous monastic state, closed to women and to residence of any kind; it is included because it physically sits on the Halkidiki peninsula and would otherwise leave a hole in the map.

Central Greece and the Peloponnese

The mainland south and west, within reach of Athens but a different pace. Nafplio, Kalamata and the Mani have drawn foreign residents without becoming resorts.

Cost: Among the cheaper parts of mainland Greece, particularly inland.

Climate: Hot dry summers, mild wet winters on the coast; colder in the mountains.

Altitude: Coastal plains and high mountains in between. Settlements are generally low.

Who is already there: Small but growing, especially around Kalamata and the Messenian coast.

Groups Central Greece, the Peloponnese and Western Greece.

Epirus and Thessaly

Ioannina, Meteora, the Pelion peninsula and the Thessalian plain. Mountainous, green and almost untouched by the retirement market, with Ioannina a real university town rather than a resort.

Cost: Among the cheapest parts of mainland Greece.

Climate: The wettest and coldest part of mainland Greece. Epirus gets heavy mountain snow; the Thessalian plain has hot summers and cold winters.

Altitude: Ioannina sits near 480 m and the Pindus mountains rise well above 2,000 m, though nobody settles that high.

Who is already there: Very small. Ioannina has a university hospital, but English-language services are thin and distances to anywhere else are long.

Groups two administrative regions, Epirus in the north-west and Thessaly in the centre.

Ionian Islands

Corfu, Kefalonia, Zakynthos and Lefkada. Greener and wetter than the Aegean, with a long British and Italian connection.

Cost: Moderate, rising sharply in the resort areas of Corfu and Zakynthos.

Climate: The wettest part of Greece. Mild winters, hot summers, and far more rain than the Aegean islands.

Altitude: Low-lying coasts with hilly interiors. Not a factor.

Who is already there: A long-established British presence on Corfu in particular, with services to match.

Aegean Islands

From Santorini and Mykonos to Rhodes, Kos and Lesvos. Beautiful, and the practical considerations are real: specialist healthcare usually means a flight.

Cost: Varies enormously. The famous Cyclades are expensive; the larger and less fashionable islands are among the cheapest places in Greece.

Climate: The driest and sunniest part of the country, with strong summer winds. Winters are mild but can be bleak on small islands.

Altitude: Coastal and hilly. Not a factor.

Who is already there: Substantial on Rhodes, Kos and parts of the Cyclades; thin elsewhere. Island size is the best proxy for how much support exists.

Groups the North Aegean and South Aegean administrative regions, which together cover the Cyclades, the Dodecanese and the eastern islands.

Crete

Large enough to be self-sufficient: two international airports, a university hospital at Heraklion, and a year-round economy rather than a tourist season.

Cost: Moderate. Chania and Heraklion cost more than the south coast and the interior.

Climate: The warmest winters in Greece and long hot summers. The south coast is noticeably hotter than the north.

Altitude: Coastal settlements are low; the island rises above 2,400 m inland, but nobody lives at that height.

Who is already there: One of the largest and best-established foreign retiree populations in Greece, concentrated around Chania and Rethymno.

Healthcare

Foreign residents can access Greece's public system (EFKA/ESY) only if they are employed, self-employed, or otherwise paying EFKA social-security contributions and obtain an AMKA number; retirees with only foreign pension income and no EFKA contributions (e.g. Golden Visa or most retiree-visa holders) are generally NOT eligible for EFKA/ESY and must rely on private insurance, per official and expat-guide sources.

Where EFKA eligibility applies (via employment/self-employment contributions), sources indicate a qualifying period of at least 50 days of contributions in the prior 12 months before illness-related benefits can be claimed; UK pensioners with a registered S1 form may have a separate entitlement route.

Private health insurance is a condition of residency in Greece.

Private health insurance is a mandatory supporting document for Greek residence permits (Golden Visa, retirement visa, digital nomad visa), typically requiring minimum coverage around €30,000 including emergency, hospitalization and repatriation cover; costs and plans vary by age and insurer.

US Medicare: US Medicare does not cover medical care received in Greece; Medicare coverage is generally limited to the United States, with only very narrow exceptions (e.g., certain emergencies near the US border), so retirees relying on Medicare have no coverage for routine or emergency care while residing in Greece.

Pension income tax

Greece taxes foreign pension income of its residents.

Greece generally taxes the worldwide income, including foreign pensions, of its tax residents under ordinary progressive rates. However, Greece offers a special 'Pensioners' Regime' (Article 5B) allowing qualifying new tax residents with foreign pension income to elect a flat 7% tax rate on all foreign-source income (including pensions) for up to 15 years, provided they were not Greek tax residents for 5 of the prior 6 years and come from a country with a tax information exchange agreement with Greece.

There is a US income tax treaty with Greece.

Greece and the United States have an income tax treaty (in force since the 1950s). General commentary notes the Pensioners' Regime requires the applicant's country to have a tax-information exchange arrangement with Greece, which the US satisfies; specific treaty article language on allocation of taxing rights over private pensions and US Social Security was not retrieved in this search and should be confirmed against the official treaty text or IRS treaty table.

Sources: EFKA: Greece's Public Health & Social Security System - XpatAthens.com · Healthcare in Greece for British Expats: Costs & Care · Private Health Insurance in Greece: Everything you Should Know · Healthcare in Greece 2026: A Guide for Golden Visa Investors and Their Families · Greece's 7% Flat Tax for Foreign Pensioners: Everything You Need to Know · How to Retire in the Mediterranean While Only Paying 7% Tax - IMI Daily · Greece Flat Tax: The Ultimate Guide in 2026 - Global Citizen Solutions

Checked Oct 2026

Customs & etiquette

• The Moutza Gesture — The moutza is an ancient and highly offensive gesture made by extending an open palm with fingers splayed toward someone. It is considered one of the most insulting gestures in Greek culture and should never be used, even in jest or as a casual wave.
• Greetings and Address — Greeks typically greet with a handshake on first meeting, while close friends and family often greet with a kiss on both cheeks. It is polite to use titles and last names until invited to use first names, and greeting service staff and elders respectfully is expected.
• Table Manners and Pacing Meals — Meals in Greece are social events that can last for hours across multiple courses. Diners are expected to keep hands above the table (not resting elbows), use utensils rather than hands even for foods sometimes eaten by hand elsewhere, and pace alcohol consumption slowly alongside the group.
• Tipping Practices — Tipping in Greece is customary but not obligatory; a tip of roughly 5-10% is appropriate for good restaurant service, sometimes on top of a service charge already included in the bill. Rounding up or leaving small change is common in cafes and taxis.
• Dress Code at Churches and Monasteries — Religious sites such as churches and monasteries, including those at Meteora and Mount Athos, enforce modest dress codes. Men should wear long trousers, and women should cover their shoulders, upper arms, and knees, often with a long skirt or dress; shawls are sometimes provided at the entrance for visitors who arrive underdressed.
• Gift Giving and Name Days — Greeks commonly exchange gifts at Christmas, birthdays, and especially on "name days" — the feast day of the saint after whom a person is named, which is often celebrated more than a birthday. Gifts are typically modest in value since they are usually reciprocated, and a very expensive gift can create a sense of obligation for the recipient.

Religion

Greek Orthodox 81% · Muslim 2% · other 3% · none 4% · unspecified 1%

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Reference information compiled from the sources cited above and reviewed by hand. Immigration, healthcare and tax rules change and are applied at the authorities' discretion — confirm with the consulate, an immigration adviser or a tax adviser before making plans. Nothing here is tax or immigration advice.

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