Posted by Expensive and cheap islands
The approximately 70 inhabited Greek islands are all very different. Each island has its own character. There are expensive and inexpensive islands. This applies above all to accommodation, but also to restaurants, taverns and even supermarkets.
The most expensive island is probably Mykonos. Finding a room in Mykonos Town for under 70 or 80 euros per night in high season is not easy. In many restaurants, dinner can easily cost 30 euros or more.
Mykonos Town
Even in the small supermarkets, the prices are sometimes shockingly high. 5 slices of vacuum-packed ham in the refrigerated section can cost 7 euros. But some of the prices on Mykonos are justified. Firstly, Mykonos is a posh island. There are a lot of wealthy tourists. The average quality of the hotels and taverns is higher than elsewhere. Many restaurants on Mykonos serve the best French or Greek food of international top quality.
Tip: Hotels in Greece should be booked online. Prices are usually much cheaper and easier to compare. The best place to book is Booking.com.
In recent years, Paros and Naxos have developed into islands where you can stay very cheaply. Even in the season, double rooms are often available for under 40 euros. This is especially true for the island’s capitals, Parikia and Naxos Town. The taverns and bars on both islands have medium prices. Paros and Naxos are more geared towards backpackers. They do not have an international airport and are therefore less visited by package tourists. However, the airport on Paros was significantly enlarged in 2016. Larger jets from abroad can now land on the longer runway. This could increase the demand for hotels on Paros and room prices could rise.
Still no hotel for your holiday in Greece?There are many thousands of hotels on the islands of Greece. In our opinion, the best overview is available on Booking.com. Here you can sort the accommodations by price or only display accommodations on a specific island. Hotels can be booked quickly and easily on Booking.com, and there are also many holiday apartments. |
Other relatively inexpensive Cyclades islands with relatively young, less affluent holidaymakers include Ios and Amorgos. Almost all holidaymakers arrive here by ferry. Ios is the party island of Greece. We rate the prices on Ios as average. Outside of the peak season, overnight stays on Ios are inexpensive.
Santorini is expensive, at least in the center of the capital Thira. Here you can easily pay 50 euros for a good dinner, and hotel rooms with a view of the crater cost well over 100 euros in season. In the other places on Santorini, prices are rather average. Just a few years ago, you could stay in a dormitory at the Anna Hostel in Perissa for under 10 euros. Prices vary greatly in Santorini.
Crete is the largest island in Greece and has a medium price level. Prices are somewhat expensive in Elounda (where the island’s 5-star hotels are) and in the neighboring town of Agios Nikolaos. In the mega holiday resorts of Malia and Hersonissos, you can almost always find a room for under 40 euros (online at Booking.com), except from mid-July to mid-September. Prices of around 30 euros are also possible for a simple room with a bathroom in the low season. The places on the south coast such as Lendas, Plakias, Sougia or Paleochora are also very popular with holidaymakers on a tight budget. In recent years, however, they have become very crowded in August and September, and the prices of guesthouses have risen accordingly during this time. But if you come in May or October, for example, you can still find a room for 35 to 40 euros.
Rhodes is an island in the south-east of Greece with many sights and a very mild climate. The capital in particular is beautiful. The prices can be described as above average, especially in the old town.
Wall in Rhodes
In tourist resorts such as Faliraki, prices are average, but room prices are very seasonal. Other islands in eastern Greece such as Kos, Samos or Lesbos have average prices for Greece.
The island of Corfu in the north-west of the country, opposite Italy, is more expensive. The island is considered one of the richest areas of Greece. Accordingly, prices and quality are somewhat higher on average. This also applies to the other large holiday island of the Ionian Islands, Zakynthos. On the less touristy islands in this group such as Kefalonia or Lefkas, prices are more average.
➔ To book ferries within Greece, we recommend the reputable website Ferryscanner.com
It is almost always a good idea to book accommodation online before you arrive. This is almost always cheaper and clearer than on the island after you arrive. In our opinion, the best website is Booking.com. You should be very careful when booking hotels online. The location of the accommodation, the facilities and the reviews from other guests are important, among other things. Some hotel facilities such as free WiFi, swimming pool, breakfast, hotel bar, 24-hour reception, etc. are important for some holidaymakers, but unimportant for others.
It is very interesting to visit a smaller island. Such islands are usually rather poor and therefore not too expensive. However, you should bear in mind that everything has to be brought to the islands and competition between shops is not very high. Typically, food is a bit more expensive on islands with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants. However, this usually does not apply to services such as taverns or accommodation. The few foods that come from the island are cheap (cheese, fruit, vegetables, sometimes meat and fish). In general, local products in Greece are often noticeably cheap.
In Athens, prices are generally not too high. In many countries in Europe, the price level in the capital is higher than in the rest of the country. This is especially true for large capitals such as Paris, Moscow or London. However, this is not the case in Athens. Prices in Athens have actually fallen in recent years due to the major crisis. This is particularly noticeable in simple restaurants and guesthouses. A takeaway coffee is again available for 1.50 euros. I myself know a cafe in the port of Piraeus where a frape now costs 2.50 euros, a few years ago it was 3.90 euros. The price development is similar in Thessaloniki, Patras and other major cities. Greece has been experiencing slight deflation for years (as of 2021). The lower prices are much more noticeable in the major cities than in tourist areas such as on many islands. Tourists still have money in their pockets, Greeks much less. Real incomes have fallen nationwide over the past 10 years.
Current note: Since 2022, there has been noticeable inflation again in Greece, as everywhere else in Europe.
Prices on the Greek islands in general
Simple rooms are usually much cheaper than in Germany. Almost all private rooms and guesthouse rooms have a bathroom with a simple shower and toilet and a refrigerator. If it is not high season and the place is not crowded, you can get a room like this for between 30 and 50 euros. Prices depend on the time of year, the furnishings and the location. Right on the beach it is sometimes, but not always, a little more expensive. With air conditioning, a room costs around 5 to 10 euros more than without “air conditioning”, as they often say in Greece. In small guesthouses and private rooms you can bargain. Almost all Greeks who work in tourism speak English. Again, it is cheaper and better on the Internet at Booking.com. Hardly anyone is looking for accommodation on the dream island anymore. Some hotels on the Internet offer a free pick-up service for their guests from the ferry port or airport. This is common on some of the Cyclades islands, such as Santorini, Naxos, Paros or Ios.
Eating out is also a bit cheaper in Greece than in most western countries. Fast food, on the other hand, is about as expensive as it is here.
Tavern on Nacos
If we travel to a place we don’t know, we go to a tavern where there are lots of locals. You can often find low prices, good quality, authentic food and large portions here. In taverns and bars where there is a lot going on, it is also easier to make contact. On smaller, less touristy islands in Greece, this is particularly easy.
Supermarkets in Greece are a bit more expensive than in Germany. This applies to many things, but not all. Local fruit such as grapes, feta cheese, simple bread or oranges are delicious and inexpensive. Imported products are expensive, and especially things that almost only tourists buy. A frozen pizza that costs 2 euros here can easily cost 6 euros on an island in Greece. Sunscreen can also be extremely expensive (10 euros and significantly more). If you have to save money, you should shop at Lidl on the big islands and on the mainland. It is best to bring sunscreen from Germany. It is also available at Lidl in Greece. Local wine is very cheap in the shop, beer costs a little more than here. The prices of spirits have risen significantly in Greece in recent years. The only things that are actually cheap are ouzo on all the islands and raki especially on Crete.
Buses connect the individual places on the islands. The prices for tickets are usually low. Typically, a ticket for a distance of 30 km costs less than 5 euros.
Renting a car can often be very cheap out of season. We have already rented cars on Crete, Naxos and other islands in the off-season for 25 euros a day. Petrol is a little more expensive than here. Especially on the small islands, a liter can cost another 10 cents more than on the mainland. However, the distances on all the islands, except Crete, are not particularly great.
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