I wish to relocate to Athens in Greece from India for Job. Can some one help with the cost of living & salary?

Question

Dear Friends,

Greetings for the day!

I am getting an opportunity to work for a company in Greece and they want me to relocate to Athens. I have family and 2 kids and my son is 3 years so immediately he will go to a British school. We are moving to Greece from India.

Please can any one help me and guide me to understand what is going to the minimum cost of have a decent living in Athens along with my family taking into consideration the cost to education for my son, a car to buy a car, Renting a 2 bedroom apartment furnished (I think the company will not provide me housing) and other normal expenses of food, phone, petrol, medical, internet, a little outing on weekends etc etc.

My daughter is still 9 months old so my wife will not be able to work for at least 2 more years.

If an Indian family can share their number of email id and give me an opportunity to discuss with them, I will be really grateful as it’s a big decision to move from India to Greece. I wish to know

Answer 1

I am an american living in athens, I can give you an estimate. My daughter goes to a british school,it is around 10,000 euro a year. A decent 2 bedroom in a nice suburb will be 1000 euro,a car from 3,000(old) to 12,000euro(smart car,fiat,) to 35,000(suv) but also you can rent them and there is good public transportation.Petrol is outrageous,food and going out cheaper than London but higher than say,Berlin.It's a fun place to live,ok it has it's ups and downs but I can guarantee you will never be bored- :) i pay 35 euro a mnth for internet and medical depends on your HMO.

Answer 2

the anserer above answered well but i have to tell you that you find much more cheaper rent of about 500 euros(bit more,furniturered)

there are also public (greek) and one multicultural school

but private costs :(

Answer 3

The cost of living in Greece ranges from reasonable to ridiculous. Depending on where exactly in Athens you decide to live will determine if you can get a good price for rent -- some areas are more expensive because they are seaside or in an affluent area. "Normal" is a very subjective term.

Therefore, rent is difficult to quote. You can take a look at different prices and situations by looking in the real estate section of Chrysi Efkairia, which is the biggest collection of listings. They're in Greek I realize, so you may need to ask for help. I don't recommend looking in English language papers because people who place ads in these are counting on "rich" tourists or foreigners to look at these ads and pay more money, thus they overcharge. Whatever situation you find, you can try to bargain down your rent. I've done that many times just by asking politely if we like the place and each other.

Oil for heating in winter, as well as electricity costs vary according to one's usage and whether or not your home is insulated (many homes in GR are not) and what floor you live on (the top floor being more expensive). There are also shared common expenses (called kinochrista) if you live in a building with many tenants for maintenance, cleaning, water and electricity.

If you situate yourself near work and in the right neighborhood, public transportation is a viable and inexpensive way to get around, and you and your wife can walk to most locations, such as the grocery store, pharmacies, post office, bakery, etc. Athens is choked with traffic, and parking is difficult to find because most depend on their cars. By not having a car, it also means you save on gas, insurance, registration, tickets and a lot of bureaucracy.

Your job contract should come with medical coverage, which covers you and your family members, so that should cost you nothing. Medicine is very inexpensive and easily obtained at pharmacies, most often without a prescription.

I recommend looking into bundle deals from phone companies that allow you a home phone, Internet access and sometimes a cell phone plan at a reduced rate.

In general, the cost of living in Greece is quite high compared to other EU countries (many times 30 to 100 percent more), especially considering Greece ranks very low on the salary scale.

"Minimum salary vs. quality and cost of living in the EU"

http://livingingreece.gr/2008/04/11/mini...

"Athens, Greece: Inflation and cost of living"

http://livingingreece.gr/2008/01/17/gree...

"Consumers in Greece pay double for basics"

http://livingingreece.gr/2007/12/19/cons...

Indeed it is a very big decision to move from India (also a beautiful country) to Greece, and I wish you good fortune on your journey.