When one is thinking of moving to another country, the first thing you are going to search for is the cost of living in that country, in today’s article, we are going to tackle the question what is the cost of living in Crete? Out of all Greek Islands Crete in my opinion is the best place to move to if you are looking for that Greek Island living.

Because of its size, Crete offers you an ideal all-year-round living. As I mentioned in my previous article, Crete offers you more options in terms of different kinds of places to live. Beach, city, or village living. But what is the cost of living in Crete? Let’s get into the article

What Is The Cost Of Living In Crete?

Before we get started, I just want to remind you that this is just a guide, and in order for you to get a clear picture of the cost of living in Crete, you must consult an accountant who will give you professional financial advice, and a lawyer, who will give you legal advice.

Also, if you would rather watch the video version of this article, it’s available on my YouTube channel just search for pamestin kriti on YouTube.

OK, now that we have that out of the way, the information I am going to share with you today, is based on our expenditure(my husband and I) and also information gathered from our friends, as well as checking prices on different things here in Crete.

How Much Will Grocery Shopping Cost In Crete?

I am going to give you an idea of the prices of different items based on the current prices in Lidl supermarkets. The VAT for food items is 13% and for non-food items is 24%. Please keep in mind that if you shop for fruits and vegetables at mini-markets or farmer’s markets (Laiki) You will save quite a bit of money, Plus you will get fresh fruits and vegetables, and also get to support small businesses. The farmer’s market is a great way to socialize and buy fresh produce from the farmers.

The Farmer’s Market

You will need to ask around about the day and location in your area, in Chania the market is 4 times a week on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the market is held in different locations in Chania so you will have to choose the one closest to you. On Thursdays, the market is in Akti Kanari, by the seafront (summertime) In the winter the market moves to Patriarchou Graaimou, just a few streets inland to shield people from the cold winter breeze.

On Saturday the farmers market is near the Municipal Market of Chania.

The currency exchange Euro vs United States Dollar at the moment is 1 EUR = 1.21 United States Dollar and 1 euro= 1.55 Canadian Dollar. Please note that the exchange rate fluctuates so check the forex exchange at the time of reading this article so you can have a clear idea.

1.kg all-purpose baking flour 0.59 EUR

1.kg packet of sugar 0.65 EUR

A loaf of bread 680G 0.76 EUR

One head of lettuce salad 0.69 EUR

Cheddar cheese 250g 1.99 EUR

Potatoes 1kg 1.00 EUR

One liter of milk 0.82 EUR

12 rolls of toilet paper(4ply) 3.89 EUR

tinned mushrooms 250g 0.83 EUR

Strawberry Jam 450g (50% fruit content) 1.59 EUR

A tray of eggs (12 eggs) 1.79 EUR

Cigarette, Beer, And Wine Prices In Crete

The VAT as I mentioned earlier is at 24%

Can of beer 0.5L 0.85 EUR

Bottle of white wine 0.75L 2.99 EUR

Bottle of white rum 0.7L 11.99 EUR

A packet of Marlboro cigarette 4.50 EUR

A Bottle of Bacardi rum 0.7L 18.95 EUR

Baileys Irish Cream 0.7L 17.70 EUR

A Few Tips On Grocery Shopping In Crete

When shopping you must compare prices at different supermarkets, that way you will know which items to buy from which supermarkets, also some supermarkets have better quality products than others. For example, Synka supermarkets have fantastic cheeses. Sklavenitis supermarkets have great meat products and a big selection of frozen items.

Of course, you also have to keep an eye on weekly offers.

What Is The Cost Of Living In Create Car And Property

Let’s start with fuel a liter of petrol is currently at 1.60 EUR. As I mentioned in other articles, in most areas of Crete, you need a car. it does not have to be a big car, but it has to be sufficient to help you with your movement around the island.

The car insurance will depend on the size and make of the car you can visit this website creteservices.com to see different plans for different cars. When it comes to property tax an apartment of 60 squire meters with a shared pool is 240 EUR and a house 125 squire meters no pool 350 EUR.

But let’s take a closer look at property tax and how it works so we can get an idea of what you might be paying as property tax when you buy property here. Property tax will depend on the price of your property.

So for example, the rate is 0.10% for a property over 200,000EUR 0.15% for a property over 300,000EUR 0.25% for a property over 400,000, then 0.35% for a property over 500,000. It is then 1.10% for a property of 2 million EUR. Beyond 2 million Euros property tax will be at 1.15%.

Property Purchase Or Rental Prices In Crete

As we mentioned in previous articles, the property price will depend on the area, size, and style, I feel if I just quote a price, I will not be giving you comprehensive info on this so please visit dreamcatchers-crete.com to see different kinds of property on sale to get a clear picture on the prices.

Cost Of Living In Crete Electricity, Water Phone, And Internet

Prices are based on Cosmote, if you use other services providers it could cost more. A package which will include internet, Phone(landline) Cable TV comes to 60 EUR per month a mobile phone plan will cost 40 EUR per month. So all together you are looking at 100 EUR per month.

Electricity for normal use meaning you are not using it to heat the house in the winter it should be around 60 EUR per month remember in the summer it could cost more because of the use of AC to cool down the house. The water bill is supposed to come every 2 months but ours comes every four months and when we break it down it comes to about 15 Euros a month.

Conclusion

I have been speaking to people who live in mainland Greece and when we compared the cost of living in Crete to the cost of living in other parts of mainland Greece, some things are more costly here in Crete especially things that have to be shipped in. But when it comes to property and utility the cost is similar.

Well, I tried to give you as much information as I could. I am sure you still have questions so please leave them below and I will do my best to address them.

Thank you so much for your time.

Rose

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