Inside Greece’s Housing Affordability Paradoxes

Selected Issues Papers, July 27, 2026

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Housing affordability is a key challenge in Greece despite high homeownership rates and a relatively large housing stock.
The paper investigates drivers of this apparent paradox using regional housing market data and household-level EU-SILC microdata.
Affordability pressures are attributed to demand dynamics, recurring costs, supply constraints, and mismatches between stock characteristics and household needs.

Affordability pressures resulted from strong and increasingly concentrated demand.
High recurring housing costs are an important contributor to affordability pressures.
Persistent supply constraints limit the ability of the housing stock to respond to demand.
Mismatches exist between the housing stock characteristics and household needs, exacerbating affordability issues.

Analysis uses regional housing market data and household-level EU-SILC microdata to identify market patterns and household vulnerabilities.
Demand: strong overall demand that is increasingly concentrated geographically or by segment.
Costs: recurring housing cost burdens that weigh on household finances.
Supply: persistent constraints in housing supply that restrict availability of suitable units.
Mismatches: disparities between available housing unit characteristics and the needs of households, reducing effective access.

Improve the efficient use of existing housing stock to better match supply with household needs.
Reduce the risk premium for short-term rental to alleviate distortions and improve housing availability for residents.
Implement better targeted demand support measures to cushion vulnerable households without exacerbating price pressures.

Inside Greece’s Housing Affordability Paradoxes, By Tarak Jardak, Summer (Yutian) Cai, July 27, 2026

1. Greece Housing Affordability Paradoxes
- 1. Greece Housing Affordability Paradoxes (Markdown version)
- 1. Greece Housing Affordability Paradoxes (PDF)