Greece Faces Winter Strain as Many Cannot Afford Adequate Heating

New data from the statistical office of the European Union (Eurostat) points to a widening housing crisis in Greece, where housing costs now strain households far beyond rent or mortgage payments. One of the most alarming indicators is that one in five people cannot afford to keep their home adequately warm during the winter, showing how housing insecurity increasingly affects basic living conditions.

Housing costs push budgets to the limit

Rising costs for electricity, water, and heating fuels have added to the pressure, turning housing into one of Greece’s most urgent cost-of-living challenges. Eurostat figures show that Greece ranks among the most expensive countries in Europe when housing costs are measured as a share of household resources.

Around 36% of households spend more than half of their disposable income on housing. In 2024 alone, Greek households spent around 70% of their income on core housing expenses, including rent or mortgage payments, utility bills, and heating-related costs, placing Greece at the extreme end of housing cost burden within the European Union.

A rare pattern: city and rural costs almost the same

Across Europe, city living typically comes with a clear price premium compared to rural areas. Greece, however, stands out for a different reason.

The cost gap between urban and rural housing remains minimal, estimated at only about 1%, suggesting that many households face similar pressure regardless of where they live.

Homeownership remains the norm across Europe

At EU level, Eurostat reports that in 2024 about 68% of residents lived in owner-occupied homes, while 32% lived in rented housing. The highest ownership rates were recorded in Romania at 94%, Slovakia at 93%, Hungary at 92%, and Croatia at 91%.

Greece sits close to the European average, with homeownership at nearly 70%. Germany remains the most notable exception, where renting dominates. There, 53% of the population are tenants, followed by Austria at 46% and Denmark at 39%.

Greece among Europe’s highest cost housing markets

Eurostat comparisons also show major differences in housing costs across the EU when measured against the European average. In 2024, Ireland recorded the highest housing cost level at 87% above the EU average, followed by Denmark at 86% above and Luxembourg at 78% above.

Greece reached 70% in 2024, reinforcing its position among Europe’s high-cost housing markets. At the opposite end, Bulgaria recorded costs 38% below the EU average, Croatia 44% below, and Poland 49% below.

Affordability under pressure in cities and rural areas

To measure affordability more directly, Eurostat tracks the housing cost overburden rate, which captures the share of people living in households where housing costs exceed 40% of disposable income. Across the EU in 2024, nearly 10% of people living in cities fell into this category, compared with 6% in rural areas.

Greece recorded the highest rate in cities at 29%, followed by Denmark at 23%, while Cyprus and Croatia posted the lowest rates at 3% each. In rural areas, Greece again topped the list at 28%, with Germany at 11%, while Cyprus recorded the lowest level at 1%.

Greece leads the EU in housing spending share

A separate indicator looks at how much disposable income households devote to housing overall. EU households spent an average of 19% of disposable income on housing in 2024, but Greece recorded the highest level at 36%. Denmark followed at 26%, while Sweden and Germany each stood at 25%.

Cyprus recorded the lowest share at 11%. The gap becomes sharper for lower-income households. Among people earning below 60% of their national median income, housing costs accounted for an average of 37% of disposable income across the EU, compared with 16% for those above that threshold.

Heating remains a major quality-of-life issue

Beyond cost, Eurostat data also points to quality concerns. In 2024, 17% of the EU population lived in overcrowded housing, down from 19% in 2010. More critically, 9% of EU residents could not keep their home sufficiently warm.

The highest heating insecurity rates were recorded in Bulgaria and Greece at 19%, followed by Lithuania and Spain at 18%. Finland, Slovenia, and Poland reported the lowest rates, all below 3%.

Housing prices keep rising across the EU

The broader market trend across Europe adds further pressure. Between 2010 and 2024, EU housing prices rose by 53% overall. Prices increased steadily from 2013 to 2022, with annual growth reaching 8% in both 2021 and 2022.

A slight decline followed in 2023, when prices fell by 0.3%, before increasing again by 3% in 2024. Most EU countries recorded growth across the entire period, with Italy and Cyprus as the only exceptions. Hungary saw the largest increase at 231%, followed by Estonia at 228% and Lithuania at 179%.

Rents rose across Europe

Rent levels across the EU rose by 25% between 2010 and 2024, increasing in every member state except Greece.

Eurostat data shows that Greece recorded a 16% decline in rents over the period. The sharpest increases were recorded in Estonia at 208%, Lithuania at 177%, Ireland at 108%, and Hungary at 107%.

Inflation adds another layer of pressure

Inflation has also shaped the housing environment across Europe. Eurostat reports that inflation across the EU reached 39% between 2010 and 2024.

Hungary recorded the highest inflation at 86%, followed by Estonia at 76% and Romania at 71%. Greece recorded one of the lowest inflation rates at 20%, alongside Cyprus at 23% and Ireland at 24%.

How Greece’s housing costs are reshaping everyday life at home

Taken together, the figures suggest Greece faces a difficult housing paradox. Homeownership remains high, yet the cost of maintaining a home has become a heavy burden.

With heating insecurity affecting one in five residents and housing costs consuming a larger share of income than anywhere else in the EU, Greece continues to face one of Europe’s most severe housing pressure points, with living standards increasingly tied to whether households can afford the basics.