Living on a Greek Island...This living on a Greek Island section is from the Simply Santorini website and offers information and advice on all you need to know about living on a Greek Island. The many plus points to living on a Greek Island include:
So how can you make your dream of living on Santorini, Mykonos, Crete, Corfu, Rhodes or any other of the Greek Islands a reality? We did it and if you are determined enough so could you. We – Alison and Graham – web authors of this site and our sister site of Completely Crete .Com are lucky enough to be living on the Greek Island of Crete.
We love living on Crete and have stayed on many other Greek Islands too. We love the romance of Santorini, the rugged beauty of Skopolos and Naxos, the style of Skiathos and Paros and the sophistication of Mykonos. We love the friendliness of Samos, Lesvos and Chios, the warmth of Rhodes, Kos and Kalimnos and the cosmopolitan feel of Corfu, Zakinthos and Kefalonia. We simply love the Greek Islands!
Things to consider if you're planning on living on a Greek Island.
Which Greek Island? There are 6,000 Greek islands and islets strewn all over the Aegean and Ionian Sea. Of these Greek islands just 227 are inhabited. See this Greek islands list: The Ionian Islands The Ionian Islands are found in the Ionian Sea and consist of the islands of Corfu, Ereikoussa, Ithaca, Kefalonia, Lefkada, Paxi, Antipaxi, Mathraki, Meganissi, Othoni, Strofades and Zakynthos. The Cyclades The Cyclades consists of 56 islands. The main islands are Amorgos, Anafi, Andros, Antiparos, Delos, Ios, Kea, Kimolos, Kythnos, Milos, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Santorini (Thira), Serifos, Sikinos, Sifnos, Syros, Tinos, Folegandros, along with the Minor Cyclades comprising of Donousa, Irakleia, Koufonisia and Schinoussa. The North Eastern Aegean Islands The main North Eastern Aegean Islands are Agios Efstratios, Thassos, Ikaria, Lesvos, Limnos, Inousses, Samos, Samothrace, Chios and Psara. The Sporades The Sporades main islands are Alonissos, Skiathos, Skopelos, Skyros The Argo-Saronic Islands The Argo-Saronic Islands are made up of the main islands of Angistri, Aegina, Poros, Salamina, Spetses and Hydra. The Dodecanese The main Dodecanese islands are Astypalaia, Kalymnos, Karpathos, Kasos, Kastelorizo, Kos, Lipsi, Leros, Nisyros, Patmos, Rhodes, Symi and Tilos. Crete Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and lies furthest south. Smaller islands close to Crete are Chrissi Island, Gavdos and Spinalonga (Kalydon). Of these the top twenty Greek islands of Aegina, Andros, Chios, Corfu, Crete, Kalymnos, Kefalonia, Kos, Lefkada, Lesvos, Limnos, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Rhodes, Samos, Santorini (Thira), Syros, Thassos and Zakynthos have populations over 10,000 each and have the required infrastructure for comfortable ex pat living i.e. choice of property for sale or for rent, broadband Internet connection, good health care facilities and all year round shops, restaurants and other services. Long Term or Short Term? You'll need to decide if you want to live all year round on a Greek island or perhaps just in the summer months. You'll need to think about whether you just want to take a year or two living on a Greek island or whether you want to live there the rest of your days. Do you want a permanent home or a second or holiday home? The hot and sunny gorgeous little beach resort with the fabulous fish tavernas and the friendly bar owners you love so much on a holiday vacation are a completely different place in the winter months. The weather can be harsh, cold and incredibly rainy. The tourist trade with many restaurants, shops and other services including air flights and ferry services are none existent or severely reduced in the winter months on all the Greek islands. Renting or Buying Property? Another thing to consider is that of buying a property on a Greek island or just renting somewhere. We strongly advise anyone to rent first rather than buy a property outright. This gives you the flexibility to 'try before you buy' and really think about where you want to live. Dealing with Greek Bureaucracy If you are planning on living on a Greek Island permanently, there are obviously many things to consider. Sometimes, the bureaucratic processes involved will put some people off, such as dealing with the utility companies, setting up bank accounts and transferring money to and from Greece. There's also the issues of Residency and tax matters, which does concern people. None of these are big problems though and all can be overcome, and it is true that the bureaucratic processes in other countries are just as bad. We find that the red tape is a small price to pay for living on a Greek Island.
How will you fund Living on Greek Island? Retirees Living on a Greek Island is a tempting prospect for anyone on a pension, or with a small income, because the cost of living is so much less than elsewhere. You can live cheaply and happily and stretch out a small income much further than in the UK, Australia, Canada or USA for example. Most things are cheaper: food, rents and property and utility costs making the move to live on a Greek island feasible.
Lucky you! You can fund your fabulous life easily on a Greek Island. Making a Living
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