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How much does it cost to travel Greece?
So you’re imaging your luxury Greek vacation, drink in hand, staring at the beach…. Then you remember you’re trying to save money. Is cheap Greece travel possible? I think it is!
Today we are going to be talking about how to travel Greece on a budget and how much you should expect your Greece travel expenses to be. I am going to be breaking down all of my travel expenses from my recent trip; so you can figure out how much an average trip to Greece is.
I’m going to help you find THE BEST Greek vacation deals so you can continue to travel on budget! If you want a free travel budget spreadsheet join my email list and gain access to my resource library! Alternatively, if you don’t want to give me your email, you can shop travel budgets from The Budget Empire!
Just because we’re on a budget doesn’t mean we don’t travel! Let’s budget travel to Greece!
Table of Contents
Greece Travel Costs | Breaking Down Every Expense For My Two Week Greek Vacation
This Greece Budget Breakdown covers two weeks in Greece for two people. This includes flights, accommodations, food and activities in three different Greek islands and Athens.
Additionally, learn how to save money while travelling and planning a trip or check out my Hawaii vacation costs budget breakdown.
Flights
$112.08 for one, $224.16 for two.
These costs represent three flights we took while traveling in Greece. I used points from my Capital One Venture Card to cover the cost of our flight from San Francisco to Greece. We also decided to fly to and from some of the islands from Athens, just to save time.
I highly recommend finding a travel credit card if you don’t have one already. Paying zero dollars to get to Athens thanks to my rewards points was amazing!
I personally have the Capital One Venture Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve (I also have the Marriott Bonvoy card that you can use to transfer points but that one is more geared for hotels). There are so many options for travel credit cards and I guarantee you can find one you like! Check out this article to help you decide.
Even though we used points to cover the costs of our airfare, it is possible to search for cheap flights! Services like Scott’s Cheap Flights send flight deals right to your inbox! I have an entire post teaching you how to get cheaper flights so check that out!
As a general rule of thumb, to score a cheap flight deal to Greece you want to avoid the peak travel season which is between June and August. Additionally, for the more popular islands this Greece peak travel season is now creeping into September.
Accommodations
$435.79 for one, $871.58 for two.
This sounds like a big number, but this represented 14 nights of travel! That comes out to an average of $31.13 per night! HOW CRAZY CHEAP IS THAT?
It kind of makes me laugh considering I spent almost that same amount for only one week in Hawaii…
Let me explain these prices. There is quite a large range of accommodations in Greece. As you can see from the two different Airbnb’s in Athens alone!
Read my entire post about cheap lodging!
Athens
$142.71 for one, $285.42 for two.
The first airbnb in Athens is in the heart of the historical district. Most of the main attractions in Athens are within walking distance. In addition, we had a view of the Acropolis and the airbnb was actually a two bedroom, so it could have been split between 4 people instead of two. However, the second Athens airbnb was on our way home from the islands. We opted for a stay much closer to the airport. Which explains the price difference.
First airbnb we stayed in linked here, second airbnb linked here!
You can very comfortably find an airbnb that fits up to four people, from $45 to $90 dollars with the majority around $60 to $70, keep in mind this does not include all the fees airbnb charges at the end! So make sure you are looking at the full prices.
Which I don’t know about you guys, but that is not expensive at all! Coming from the US I’m too used to everything being so expensive.
Milos
$139.77 for one, $279.53 for two.
Prices in Milos are higher than Athens. We opted to stay at a boutique hotel called Asterias Boutique Hotel that another fellow blogger recommended from their Milos travels. There was a slightly cheaper option with a mountain view but we selected a sea view room. (I’ll just hope in here to remind everyone to enjoy the vacation! Sometimes paying more for a sea view room is totally worth it!)
Additionally, this boutique hotel was significantly cheaper than all the airbnb options. From what I was seeing on Airbnb, for a sea view option, there was nothing cheaper than $320 dollars but the average was between $400 and $600, total for four days.
Lastly, the boutique hotel had an option to bring us breakfast to our private balcony every morning and as soon as I read that I was sold. Who doesn’t want breakfast delivered to them every morning?! More on this in the food section!
Santorini
$102.47 for one, $204.94 for two.
Santorini is not cheap. Hotels in Santorini are not cheap. Even with travel hacking I found it difficult to find a good deal. The price of our Santorini hotel is by far the highest per night.
What are the cheapest hotels in Santorini, Greece? How I found my hotel deal.
We booked our hotel with a hotwire “hot deal” option. If you’re not sure what this is, I explain in full detail in my “how to find cheap lodging” post, but here is a quick recap of what we did.
Hotwire (and Priceline) have what they call hot deals. Hot deals means the hotel is incredibly discounted however you don’t know what hotel you are booking until after you book! Yes that sounds super sketchy but it’s not! Here is a screenshot of the deal we got! 30% off!
The reason our price is a bit more expensive is because we decided to get the sea side view instead of the mountain view, which again, costs more.
Not only did we get a good deal, we also used Rakuten to get EVEN MORE savings!
At the time, Hotwire had a 3% cash back option through Rakuten. I activated my Rakuten rewards and was able to get 3% paid back to me because of it. 3% doesn’t seem like a lot but hey, that’s $6.34 that I can spend on ice cream instead! If you have no idea what Rakuten is or what I’m talking about, check out this post explaining everything!
So how much should you expect to spend on a hotel in Santorini?
The cheapest airbnbs in Santorini are minimum $100 per night. As far as hotels, the average (from the cheap options) were around $125 – $160. Which can add up really fast if you’re staying on the island for a while. Again these are the CHEAPEST option. So they will most likely not be in the ideal location or have the best view.
If you’re really worried about traveling on budget, my advice would be to skip Santorini all together. Yes it is very hyped up on instagram, but you can find the same incredible views, clear blue water and dining by the sea experiences on other more affordable islands.
If you’re trying to budget travel in Greece, Santorini really doesn’t fit into that category.
Crete
$50.85 for one, $101.69 for two.
Note: I had a $250 airbnb credit which was applied to the Crete airbnb! So this price is 250 dollars lower, the actual price without the gift card was 351.69 total.
Crete was the cheapest island we visited.
Most hotels seemed to be just about $100 dollars however airbnbs averaged between $60 and $90 dollars, including sea view airbnbs. I have linked the airbnb where I stayed because I loved it so much!
Accommodations in Greece Overview
Cheap lodging in Greece is very easy to find. Not as cheap as Southeast Asia, but definitely affordable.
The biggest advice I can give when finding cheap accommodations is to never go with the first option, scope it out. As you can see from my travels, we chose a lot of different options here. A boutique hotel, several airbnbs and a luxury 4-star resort!
Additionally, if you have the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card, cashing in your 3 FREE nights sign up bonus reward for a hotel in Santorini might be worth it! I unfortunately did not yet have this credit card when we booked.
We haven’t even mentioned hostels yet!
When traveling in a group, staying in a hostel can be one of the better choices! You can stay in dorm style rooms starting from $13 dollars but averaging between $20-$30 per night! Several hostels also offer private rooms if you want the hostel environment without a dorm style room.
If you’re not sure where to get started, here are some options for Athens, obviously prices vary depending on what time of year you go.
Iconic Athens Hostel – $19 a night – 6 Bed Mixed Dorm
Mosaikon – $23 a night – 8 Bed Mixed Dorm
Athens Hub Hostel – $26 a night – 8 Bed Mixed Dorm
Lastly, I thought I’d throw in the view from our room for all these accommodations!
Transportation
$451.18 for one, $902.36 for two.
The cost for transportation shocked me.
I had originally budgeted 450 dollars for transportation…. As you can see from the screenshot below, we paid almost DOUBLE that amount. The difference is made up by unexpected taxi costs (about $230 just for taxis) and last minute deciding to rent a car in Santorini.
Athens Transportation
$60.17 for one, $120.34 for two. This was all taxis.
In Athens, it is not cheap to go from the airport to the city center. Taxis have a fixed rate of 38 euros (or 44 US dollars) to go from the airport to the city center. This means you’re already spending 90 dollars just to get to your accommodations…..
The easiest way to avoid this is to take the metro or the bus, however, bare in mind, this will take much more time and this isn’t as convenient (especially if you’ve been traveling all day).
From there, you shouldn’t have to incur many more transportation expenses if your accommodations are walking distance from all the main attractions in Athens.
Ferry in Greek Islands
$153.18 for one, $306.36 for two.
If you’re going to Greece, odds are you’ll be doing some island hopping! Who doesn’t want to vacation on Greek islands? But can you do Greek island hopping on a budget?
If you’re not flying into an island, the other option is to take a ferry! I used two websites to compare the cost of ferries from island to island, these are FerryHopper and Greeka. Prices can vary depending on which island you’re going to. But the general consensus is…. Taking a ferry on the Greek islands is expensive.
Ferry from Milos to Santorini was $70.59 for one.
Ferry from Santorini to Crete was $82.59 for one.
I would recommend flying to an island from Athens, because that tends to be cheaper depending on what island you’re visiting. The price to get to Santorini is about 30 dollars if you fly and about 43 dollars to ferry, however that is the cheapest ferry and it takes 11 hours to arrive. The fastest ferry would cost $80 and still take 5 hours.
As you saw above, my Crete-Athens flight was only 33 dollars, which is way less than both of these ferries. From there you can take ferries from island to island. You typically can’t fly from island to island without going back to Athens. Having an annoying layover like that doesn’t seem worth the price.
Taking a ferry for Greek islands is not going to be cheap but it’s really the only way to get around. I’d make sure to budget a decent amount if you’re planning on visiting a lot of islands.
Car / ATV Rentals on the Islands
$183.27 for one, 366.54 for two.
I HIGHLY recommend having a vehicle while on the islands. Not only are taxis EXTREMELY expensive, there are hardly any. So wait times are high and it will cost you a lot. More popular islands like Santorini have a bus system. But the schedules normally run late and they’re crammed with people.
Having a vehicle or some sort allows you to get around the island and explore all you want, without a hassle. If you’re going to a small island like Milos, Ios, Paros or Mykonos you should be fine just renting an ATV.
However, on larger islands like Crete, Corfu, Rhodes or Naxos you might be more comfortable in a car.
Important things to note: make sure your car is available to you the second you get on the island. We made the mistake of arriving at the port then having to take a 20 dollar taxi to the airport and pick up our car there. Do not do this!! Make sure your car is waiting for you at the port!
Car in Crete for 4 days $67 for one, $124 for two + $17 gas
Car in Santorini for 2 days: $83 for one, $165.18 + $12 gas
ATV in Milos for 4 days $48 for one, $95 for two.
Car Rentals:
Like everything else, look around to see what your different options are! I ended up finding the cheapest car deal from Skyscanner! Which you wouldn’t think of when looking for a car! Additionally, if you’re coming from the US, automatic cars are more expensive than manual cars. Make sure you’re filtering by automatic cars in your searches.
ATVs:
Don’t be afraid to go local. All the “bigger” rental companies with more established websites listed their ATVs for $40 – $50 dollars a day. I found this deal by emailing different small companies asking what their rates were.
I ended up choosing Appolonas Sunshine (when on Milos) because, not only did they have the lowest rate (starting from $25 a day), they also delivered the ATV to our hotel! Meaning no worrying about picking it up or carrying your suitcase on it from the airport or port!
Keep in mind this means you will need to take a taxi to and from your hotel!
Activities
$80.04 for one, $160.07 for two.
Depending on your interests you’ll probably need to budget a bit more here.
My one suggestion would be waiting until you arrive to book a boat tour. Everything I was seeing online was about 90 to 100 dollars, however we were able to find one for 35 dollars without much difficulty. However, if you’re only there for a few days it might be more difficult to find something last minute.
Most hotels will have pamphlets and I’m sure airbnb hosts will have suggestions!
Food
$660.35 for one, $1,321 for two.
There is no way to sugarcoat this. We spent a shiton on food. But you don’t have to do this! I think it’s feasible to cut 200 dollars EACH from this food budget.
How the Food Budget Got Out of Control
Well basically we weren’t trying to monitor the food budget. If you follow me on instagram (@savingwithsofi) you know I indulged in an 11 dollar milkshake. However, the following things made it so our food budget accounted for 38% of our travel expenses.
One. Both lunch and dinner were “big meals”. Aka we were paying about the same price for both our lunch and dinner. Typically you should expect lunch to be a bit cheaper.
Two. For almost every meal, we ordered appetizers, alcohol and dessert, or some combination of those. You can significantly decrease your cost by skipping alcohol and dessert, but don’t skip appetizers, that was too delicious.
Three: We were going out for coffee or milkshakes pretty regularly.
Four: At one of our hotels, we opted into receiving a breakfast delivery right to our room. I just want to note, this one was 100% worth it, not having to get dressed and go into town for food was priceless.
How YOUR Food Budget Could Be Less Expensive
One: Go to a supermarket and pick up some coffee and breakfast items! If you’re on a very strict budget you could even pick up lunch and cook a simple meal in your accommodations! However, even though this is a great hack to save on food, don’t miss out on Greeces incredible food options!
Two: Skip the alcohol. As mentioned before, alcohol is expensive.
Three: Walk a couple blocks away from the main tourist trap restaurant locations. Although the view might not be as nice, the food will be significantly cheaper!
Four: Choose one meal to ball out on and make the other one cheaper.
More Stats and Graphs
Yes you read that right. We paid more in Santorni than in both Crete and Athens even though we were there for half the time….
Final Thoughts
Is $1,740.02 a lot of money? Yes.
However, is $1,740.02 a lot of money for a two week European vacation? No. Can we all just take a vacation on Greek islands now please?
Overall, I’m fairly happy with the amount we spend on this trip! I think we could have easily gotten our spending down to $1,400 or $1,500 had we planned our transportation a bit better (aka not paying for so many taxis) and tried a bit harder on our food budget.
I think it is COMPLETELY feasible for you to plan a two week cheap Greece travel trip for $1,500. If you use credit card points for your flight and do some digging for your accommodations, the rest is easy!
Hopefully this post can show that it is possible to travel Greece on a budget! Adjusting your spending habits and saving more for your priorities is incredibly worth the rewards and peace of mind!
Additionally, I should mention all of these expenses I paid from my Travel Fund. My Travel Fund is a Sinking Fund to which I contribute every month so my travels don’t feel like out of pocket expenses. Read this post to learn more about what a Sinking Fund is!
Lastly, don’t forget to snag your FREE travel budget from my resource library by joining my email list (it’s also available for purchase if you don’t want to give me your email)! Learn how to make a travel budget for your trip!
What do you think? Is it possible to budget travel in Greece?
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Great blog you have here but I was curious about if you knew of any message boards that cover the same topics discussed here? I’d really love to be a part of online community where I can get feed-back from other knowledgeable people that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Appreciate it!
Hello! So glad you liked the blog post! Honestly I don’t know of any online communities (besides on instagram) that talk about budget travel or cheaper travel. However I do know that there are facebook groups for specific destinations. For example, when I went to Hawaii I joined a FB group that talked about travel to the island I was visiting and I found that very helpful! I’d try looking up groups for the specific destination you want! Or for more general information I’d for sure find some instagram content creators who focus on travel! (I’m @savingwithsofi 😉