Cost comparison · FR vs GR
Cost of buying property: France vs Greece
Buying costs differ sharply between France and Greece. Below, the one-off purchase costs and the annual costs of ownership for each — pivoted from the same researched basis as our calculators, side by side, so you can compare like for like.
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All-in one-off cost — side by side
France
≈ 7–8% of price (older property, all-in one-off)
All-in one-off cost — side by side
Greece
≈ 7–10% of price (all-in one-off, incl. fees)
France
All-in estimate
≈ 7–8% of price (older property, all-in one-off)
One-off costs — France
Mostly droits de mutation (transfer duty ~5.80%), plus the notaire's regulated émoluments and disbursements.
New-builds carry reduced transfer duty (~0.715%); VAT is in the price.
Regulated scale: 3.870% / 1.596% / 1.064% / 0.799% by price band, +20% TVA. Included in frais de notaire.
Often included in the displayed price (FAI — frais d'agence inclus); confirm who pays.
Annual costs — France
Annual owner's property tax, set locally; has risen sharply in many communes.
Abolished on main homes; still applies to second homes, with local surcharges in tense zones.
Real-estate wealth tax on net property assets above €1.3m (worldwide for French residents).
Greece
All-in estimate
≈ 7–10% of price (all-in one-off, incl. fees)
One-off costs — Greece
On the assessed value of resale property. New-build 24% VAT remains suspended through 2026, so 3.09% generally applies.
Executes the deed; regulated scale plus VAT.
Lawyer runs title checks at the land registry / cadastre (Κτηματολόγιο) — essential, title quality varies.
Typically paid by the buyer in Greece.
Registration of the deed.
Annual costs — Greece
Annual, on taxable value; discounts for insured homes.
Progressive on long-term rental income.
Required for non-EU non-residents for tax correspondence.
Costs are only half the decision. Get fair-price analysis, legal flags and rental ROI for a specific address.
Run the full dossier on a property →Frequently asked
Is it cheaper to buy property in France or Greece?
Typical all-in one-off costs are ≈ 7–8% of price (older property, all-in one-off) in France and ≈ 7–10% of price (all-in one-off, incl. fees) in Greece. Compare the full breakdowns above and use each country's calculator for a price-specific figure before deciding.
What are frais de notaire in France?
They are the bundle of costs paid at completion: mostly transfer duties (droits de mutation, ~5.80% on older property) and the notaire's regulated fee (émoluments), plus disbursements. They total roughly 7–8% on an older property and only ~2–3% on a new-build — despite the name, most of it is tax, not the notaire's pay.
How much does it cost to buy property in Greece?
Transfer tax is low at just 3.09% on resale property, but notary, legal, agent and registry fees push the all-in cost to roughly 7–10% of the price. New-build VAT (24%) remains suspended through 2026, so 3.09% generally applies in practice.