New areas of Attica are steadily coming into the spotlight for foreign property buyers, as high prices in the traditional “prime” areas of the southern suburbs and the search for larger homes close to the sea are now significantly expanding the geography of demand. Lagonisi, Saronida and Anavyssos are gaining ground, while further east, Lavrio is beginning to appear more frequently in searches, according to real estate market professionals.
This trend is not disconnected from what is happening more broadly in the holiday home market. According to market professionals, the profile of foreign buyers shows that the search for property in Greece is increasingly linked to personal use and less exclusively to investment or obtaining a residence permit. Some 44.4% of those interested are looking for a holiday home, while another 30.8% want to settle permanently in Greece. By contrast, 17.8% are buying primarily for investment purposes, while only 7% have the Golden Visa as their main motivation.
In practice, around three out of four foreign buyers link their property purchase to personal use, either as a holiday home or as a permanent residence. This shift is particularly significant for Attica, as a buyer who wants to live in Greece or spend a significant part of the year there has different requirements from someone considering a property exclusively as an investment.
The sea is pushing demand further south
Glyfada, Voula, Vouliagmeni and Varkiza remain the most recognizable markets of the Athens Riviera. However, according to professionals active in the southern suburbs, part of foreign demand is now willing to move considerably further south, provided it can find a larger property, greater privacy and direct access to the sea.
For a Greek buyer, distance from the city center and daily commuting time are usually key factors. For many foreigners, however, the equation is different. Since they do not need to travel to the city center every day, they are more willing to consider Lagonisi, Saronida or Anavyssos.
The type of property plays a decisive role. When the search concerns a high-end apartment, Glyfada, Voula and Varkiza remain among the top choices. When, however, the buyer wants a detached house, land, outdoor spaces and the sea, interest moves further south.
Broader market data confirm this preference for larger standalone homes. Some 68.2% of foreign buyers are looking for a villa and only 17.2% for an apartment, while 71.7% prefer a newly built or move-in-ready property, without the need for extensive renovation work.
The €340,000 threshold is changing the options
Another factor explaining the expansion of the geography of demand is available capital. The profile of the foreign buyer does not necessarily match that of an investor with millions of euros available for a property in Vouliagmeni or Glyfada.
According to data from Elxis, for a large proportion of foreign buyers, the available budget ranges between €320,000 and €340,000. At these levels, the search for a villa or a larger home makes a shift towards areas where property values remain lower than in the core of the Athens Riviera inevitable.
The same trend is also recorded outside Attica. Crete accounts for 42.9% of the interest among foreign buyers recorded in the survey, the Peloponnese for 22.9% and the Ionian Islands for 12.7%. Overall, almost eight out of ten are heading towards these three geographical areas.
The common element is clear. Sea, larger spaces and the possibility of buying a home at a lower price compared with the more expensive markets of the Riviera and the Cyclades.
From holiday homes to permanent residence
The shift towards Lagonisi, Saronida and Anavyssos also coincides with the gradual change in the character of these areas. For decades, they were primarily holiday home destinations. Today, they are acquiring stronger characteristics of permanent residence.
This development becomes even more interesting when combined with the fact that almost one in three foreign buyers, a percentage of 30.8%, is now looking for a property with the aim of permanently settling in Greece. A significant part of this category consists of retirees from abroad.
For these buyers, proximity to a business center carries considerably less weight. Instead, quality of life, the sea, outdoor spaces and the size of the property matter more.
The special tax regime also contributes to attracting retirees, as those who meet the stipulated conditions can transfer their tax residence to Greece and be taxed at a rate of 7% on income earned abroad, for a period of up to 15 years.
Lavrio enters the game
The most interesting development, however, is that the trend does not stop at Saronida and Anavyssos. Kalyvia, Keratea and particularly Lavrio are showing greater activity, creating the conditions for a new area of interest in southeastern Attica.
Lavrio has a combination of characteristics that sets it apart. It has the sea and a port, is close to holiday destinations and at the same time offers relatively easy access to the airport.
For a foreign buyer who uses their home for several months of the year or plans to settle permanently in Greece, connectivity to the airport may be more important than distance from the center of Athens. This is why market professionals estimate that Lavrio has room to attract a larger share of foreign demand in the coming years.
An apartment in Glyfada is one thing, a villa in Saronida another
In reality, two different markets are taking shape along the same coastal front. One concerns high-end apartments in Glyfada, Voula, Vouliagmeni and Varkiza. The second concerns detached houses and villas, where Lagonisi, Saronida and Anavyssos can offer larger spaces and plots of land at different price levels.
In the more expensive segment of the market, the differences are now significant. Available data for luxury homes place the median value in Vouliagmeni at €3.3 million and the price at €12,200 per square meter. In Glyfada, the price is around €8,100 per square meter, with a median property value of €1.5 million, while in Voula it stands at €8,000 per square meter and €1.6 million respectively.
These prices explain why a buyer with a budget of €300,000, €400,000 or €500,000 who wants a detached house near the sea inevitably expands the radius of their search.
Ellinikon and Glyfada in a different battle
In the upper end of the market, Ellinikon adds another strong competitive hub. According to real estate market professionals, properties in Ellinikon start at around €8,000 per square meter, while a newly built high-end property in Glyfada can reach as much as €10,000 to €12,000.
The comparison, however, is not limited to cost per square meter. In Ellinikon, foreign buyers see an organized environment of new developments and infrastructure. In Glyfada, by contrast, a state-of-the-art building may stand next to much older apartment blocks.
It is no coincidence that interest in Ellinikon appears to have increased by 39.3% in the high-end segment of the market. An even stronger increase is recorded in Vouliagmeni, at 46.3%.
Who are the foreign buyers
International demand is not uniform. The market continues to see Turkish and Israeli buyers interested in properties in Athens, Piraeus and, to a lesser extent, the southern suburbs, with some of them considering properties that can qualify for the €250,000 Golden Visa threshold through a change of use.
There is also a strong presence of Greeks from the diaspora in the United States, Canada, Australia and South Africa. Particularly from Australia, Elxis data show that interest, mainly from Greek expatriates, has doubled compared with last year. Overall, however, in 2026 the largest sources of demand in the survey are the United States, the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom, followed by Belgium and France.
There is also a presence from countries in the Middle East and the Gulf. In several cases, these buyers initially choose to rent a property, in order to get to know the area and then proceed with the purchase.
