Cyprus vs Greece

Cyprus is ahead on taxes, money & crypto. Greece is ahead on cost of living, housing, infrastructure. Full criterion-by-criterion data below.

Verified Jul 15, 2026

Cyprus Greece

Scoreboard

The key numbers head-to-head — the stronger side is marked. The overall score stays decoration; what matters is which facts fit you.

Greece leads on 5 of 7

	Cyprus	Greece
Cost of living (single, excl. rent)	$970/mo i CYSTAT Household Budget Survey 2023 (mean household consumption by COICOP), single-person basket curated Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method CYSTAT HBS 2023 gives mean annual consumption €43,263 per household (avg 2.6 persons, government-controlled area). A single-person, rent-excluded basket matching the criterion (food, transport, utilities, mobile+internet, modest leisure, personal care, out-of-pocket health) was built from the COICOP categories: food 6,254 + transport 5,004 + utilities (30% of the 11,884 housing category ≈ 3,565) + info&comm 1,468 + recreation 1,870 + half of restaurants (2,389) + personal care 2,075 + half of health (1,093) = ≈23,717/household/yr; ÷2.6 persons ×1.12 single-person economies-of-scale uplift = €851/mo; × ECB EUR/USD 1.1399 (2026-07-02) = ≈$970. Rent and imputed rent excluded. This is a curated estimate — CYSTAT does not publish a one-person-household table in the summary release, and housing utilities were split from rent using the ~30% ratio implied by Eurostat HICP weights for Cyprus.	★$766/mo i ELSTAT — Household Budget Survey 2023 Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2023 Verified Jul 15, 2026 Method ELSTAT HBS 2023: average annual expenditure per person = €8,358.24 = €696.52/month (monetary purchases, excludes imputed owner rent). Subtracted the actual-rent component (~€24.6/person) → €671.9/person excl. rent × 1.1399 = $766. Same low-reading per-capita HBS basis as peers. Notes Greek monetary household consumption is genuinely depressed (ELSTAT reports it ~20.5% below 2008), so the per-capita figure lands near Czechia despite Greece feeling pricier in tourist zones. Rent shown separately.
Rent: 1-bedroom (city avg)	$1,330/mo i Market asking-rent reports for Cyprus cities (Limassol, Nicosia), population-weighted Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jun 30, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Country average of the two covered cities' central 1-bedroom asking rents (early-2026 market reports): Limassol ≈ €1,500/mo, Nicosia ≈ €850/mo. Population-weighted over the two urban areas (Nicosia ≈ 350k, Limassol ≈ 250k) → ≈ €1,168/mo ≈ $1,330 at 1.1399 EUR/USD. Curated market estimate — Cyprus has no official asking-rent index (the Central Bank publishes a residential price index, not asking rents); Limassol seafront exceeds this materially. Re-verify against city-level portal reports.	★$604/mo i Spitogatos Property Index — Greece rental report Q4 2025 Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2025 Verified Jul 15, 2026 Method Spitogatos Q4 2025 metro-Athens average asking rent ~€10.2/m² × a ~52 m² one-bedroom → ~€530 → $604 at 1.1399. Asking prices, not transacted rents. Notes Wide spread: national average outside Attica ~€8.5/m² (~$485 for a 1-bed), while central/nomad-preferred Athens neighbourhoods and southern suburbs run €12–21/m² ($680–1,080+); islands spike seasonally. Rents rose sharply post-2021. The per-city rent matrices live on the city pages.
Freelancer tax burden	★26.5% i SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (Cyprus Tax Department PIT calculator + MLSI social insurance + GeSY financing) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jan 1, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Best (and only) eligible self-employed scheme cy-self-employed-pit at €60,000 revenue with 10% deductible expenses (profit €54,000): social insurance 16.6% × 54,000 = 8,964; GHS 4% × 54,000 = 2,160; both deducted from the PIT base → chargeable 42,876; PIT on the 2026 bands (tax-free to 22,000; 20% 22–32k = 2,000; 25% 32–42k = 2,500; 30% on 876 = 262.80) = 4,762.80. Total levies 15,886.80 ÷ 60,000 = 26.5%. Non-dom status and the 50% first-employment exemption do not reduce self-employment trading income. Note: if the Income Tax Law Art.14 1/5 (20%) cap on the deductibility of contributions is applied strictly, the burden rises to ~27.7%; the full-deduction figure (common practitioner treatment) is used here.	30.9% i SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (Law 5246/2025 income-tax scale + e-EFKA Class 1) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jan 1, 2026 Verified Jul 15, 2026 Method Standard freelancer scheme at €60,000, single (scheme gr-freelancer-standard): EFKA Class 1 = 3,006/yr (deductible); income tax on 56,994 via the 2026 scale (9/20/26/34/39%) = 15,528. Levies 18,534 → 30.9%. NOTE: a relocating new tax resident gets the 50% income-tax exemption (Article 5C, scheme gr-freelancer-newresident-50) for 7 years, cutting this to ≈13.5% — but the 30.9% standard figure is the unconditional, steady-state burden shown as the headline.
Homicide rate	0.93/100k i Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (ICCS0101, per 100k) Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes 2024 = 0.93 per 100,000 (latest year). Small-population volatility: the series swings year to year (2022: 0.77; 2023: 1.05; 2024: 0.93). Covers the government-controlled area.	★0.78/100k i Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (crim_off_cat, ICCS0101, unit P_HTHAB, geo=EL) Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 15, 2026 Notes Police-recorded intentional homicide, 2024 (0.78). Very low by global standards (world average ~5.8) and down over the series (1.29 in 2008 to 0.68–0.88 recently). One of the safer countries in the set.
Internet speed	17 Mbps i M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Cyprus Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2023 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Median of 343 daily country-level download medians (download_MED) for 2023 — the latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API (2024 has only ~86 days; 2025/2026 not yet published). Notes M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads well below Ookla-style figures — comparable only within this criterion. Cyprus fixed broadband is largely VDSL/FTTH; real retail speeds are much higher than this test-based median.	★37 Mbps i M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Greece Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2023 Verified Jul 15, 2026 Method Median of the 343 daily country-median download values for GR in 2023 = 37.3 Mbps (268,076 download tests; daily medians ranged 21.3–47.3). M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads below Ookla-style tests — comparable only within this criterion. 2023 is the latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API. Notes Greece's fixed broadband is improving as fibre rolls out; the single-stream M-Lab median is used only for cross-country comparability on one consistent method.
English proficiency	High i EF EPI 2025 (Cyprus rank 40, score 537 — 'Moderate' band) + official language/service-sector reality Research Data as of Nov 1, 2025 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Our band 'high'. English is very widely usable in daily life across Cyprus — a former British colony where English is common in business, tourism, banking, private healthcare and among the large expat community, and is widely taught. We place it one band above EF EPI's 2025 'Moderate' (score 537, dropped 21 points from 2024) because EF measures adult test-takers rather than the service-sector prevalence a resident actually encounters; government paperwork is primarily in Greek. Attribution: EF Education First.	High i EF EPI 2025 — Greece (score 592, rank 20/123, High band) Research Data as of Nov 1, 2025 Verified Jul 15, 2026 Notes Own band informed by EF EPI 2025 (attribution: EF Education First): Greece scores 592, rank 20/123 — top of the 'High' band, just below the 'Very High' threshold (~600); global average 488. English is widely functional in tourism, services and among younger Greeks, though the score slipped 10 points from the prior edition.
Private healthcare cost	$1,370/yr i Cyprus private medical insurers — comprehensive (inpatient + outpatient) plans, market midpoint; insurers quote on request Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Comprehensive plans covering BOTH inpatient and outpatient care for a healthy 35-year-old (e.g. top-tier plans from Eurolife/Medica, TruCare, Bupa Global local) run ≈ €80–150/month ≈ €960–1,800/yr; healthy-35 midpoint ≈ €1,200/yr ≈ $1,370 at 1.1399 EUR/USD. Chosen on the with-inpatient comprehensive basis to be comparable across countries. Premiums are quoted on request (insurers do not publish full tables), so this is a curated market midpoint, not an engine quote. Cheaper inpatient-only or outpatient-only plans exist (≈ €500–720/yr). Residents are also covered by the public GHS/GeSY.	★$1,368/yr i Curated from Greek private insurers' comprehensive-tier plans (e.g. Ethniki Insurance) — market survey Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 15, 2026 Verified Jul 15, 2026 Method Midpoint of local comprehensive (inpatient + outpatient) annual premiums for a healthy 35-year-old, €600–1,800 from major Greek insurers (mid-range €100–180/month) → ~€1,200/yr × 1.1399 = $1,368. Notes Public cover exists via EOPYY (funded through EFKA contributions), but waiting lists and gaps drive a large private market. Local plans run cheaper than international/expat plans ($2,000–4,000+/yr). Greek insurers raised premiums ~14% in 2025 — a rising curated midpoint, not a firm quote.

Verdict

Each lens weighs only the facts that matter to that plan, and names the side it favours.

Contract or freelance in tech, billing clients abroad.

Greece fits better — 2 of 5

	Cyprus	Greece
Freelancer tax burden	★26.5% i SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (Cyprus Tax Department PIT calculator + MLSI social insurance + GeSY financing) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jan 1, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Best (and only) eligible self-employed scheme cy-self-employed-pit at €60,000 revenue with 10% deductible expenses (profit €54,000): social insurance 16.6% × 54,000 = 8,964; GHS 4% × 54,000 = 2,160; both deducted from the PIT base → chargeable 42,876; PIT on the 2026 bands (tax-free to 22,000; 20% 22–32k = 2,000; 25% 32–42k = 2,500; 30% on 876 = 262.80) = 4,762.80. Total levies 15,886.80 ÷ 60,000 = 26.5%. Non-dom status and the 50% first-employment exemption do not reduce self-employment trading income. Note: if the Income Tax Law Art.14 1/5 (20%) cap on the deductibility of contributions is applied strictly, the burden rises to ~27.7%; the full-deduction figure (common practitioner treatment) is used here.	30.9% i SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (Law 5246/2025 income-tax scale + e-EFKA Class 1) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jan 1, 2026 Verified Jul 15, 2026 Method Standard freelancer scheme at €60,000, single (scheme gr-freelancer-standard): EFKA Class 1 = 3,006/yr (deductible); income tax on 56,994 via the 2026 scale (9/20/26/34/39%) = 15,528. Levies 18,534 → 30.9%. NOTE: a relocating new tax resident gets the 50% income-tax exemption (Article 5C, scheme gr-freelancer-newresident-50) for 7 years, cutting this to ≈13.5% — but the 30.9% standard figure is the unconditional, steady-state burden shown as the headline.
Internet speed	17 Mbps i M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Cyprus Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2023 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Median of 343 daily country-level download medians (download_MED) for 2023 — the latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API (2024 has only ~86 days; 2025/2026 not yet published). Notes M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads well below Ookla-style figures — comparable only within this criterion. Cyprus fixed broadband is largely VDSL/FTTH; real retail speeds are much higher than this test-based median.	★37 Mbps i M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Greece Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2023 Verified Jul 15, 2026 Method Median of the 343 daily country-median download values for GR in 2023 = 37.3 Mbps (268,076 download tests; daily medians ranged 21.3–47.3). M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads below Ookla-style tests — comparable only within this criterion. 2023 is the latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API. Notes Greece's fixed broadband is improving as fibre rolls out; the single-stream M-Lab median is used only for cross-country comparability on one consistent method.
English proficiency	High i EF EPI 2025 (Cyprus rank 40, score 537 — 'Moderate' band) + official language/service-sector reality Research Data as of Nov 1, 2025 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Our band 'high'. English is very widely usable in daily life across Cyprus — a former British colony where English is common in business, tourism, banking, private healthcare and among the large expat community, and is widely taught. We place it one band above EF EPI's 2025 'Moderate' (score 537, dropped 21 points from 2024) because EF measures adult test-takers rather than the service-sector prevalence a resident actually encounters; government paperwork is primarily in Greek. Attribution: EF Education First.	High i EF EPI 2025 — Greece (score 592, rank 20/123, High band) Research Data as of Nov 1, 2025 Verified Jul 15, 2026 Notes Own band informed by EF EPI 2025 (attribution: EF Education First): Greece scores 592, rank 20/123 — top of the 'High' band, just below the 'Very High' threshold (~600); global average 488. English is widely functional in tourism, services and among younger Greeks, though the score slipped 10 points from the prior edition.
Cost of living (single, excl. rent)	$970/mo i CYSTAT Household Budget Survey 2023 (mean household consumption by COICOP), single-person basket curated Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method CYSTAT HBS 2023 gives mean annual consumption €43,263 per household (avg 2.6 persons, government-controlled area). A single-person, rent-excluded basket matching the criterion (food, transport, utilities, mobile+internet, modest leisure, personal care, out-of-pocket health) was built from the COICOP categories: food 6,254 + transport 5,004 + utilities (30% of the 11,884 housing category ≈ 3,565) + info&comm 1,468 + recreation 1,870 + half of restaurants (2,389) + personal care 2,075 + half of health (1,093) = ≈23,717/household/yr; ÷2.6 persons ×1.12 single-person economies-of-scale uplift = €851/mo; × ECB EUR/USD 1.1399 (2026-07-02) = ≈$970. Rent and imputed rent excluded. This is a curated estimate — CYSTAT does not publish a one-person-household table in the summary release, and housing utilities were split from rent using the ~30% ratio implied by Eurostat HICP weights for Cyprus.	★$766/mo i ELSTAT — Household Budget Survey 2023 Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2023 Verified Jul 15, 2026 Method ELSTAT HBS 2023: average annual expenditure per person = €8,358.24 = €696.52/month (monetary purchases, excludes imputed owner rent). Subtracted the actual-rent component (~€24.6/person) → €671.9/person excl. rent × 1.1399 = $766. Same low-reading per-capita HBS basis as peers. Notes Greek monetary household consumption is genuinely depressed (ELSTAT reports it ~20.5% below 2008), so the per-capita figure lands near Czechia despite Greece feeling pricier in tourist zones. Rent shown separately.
Domestic delivery quality	Good i Cyprus Post (national operator) + ACS Courier / DHL (largest domestic carrier) official pages Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Classified from the national postal operator's and the largest private courier's official service/coverage data: Cyprus Post (~51 service points, EMS, tracking) plus ACS Courier (largest domestic courier, DHL's exclusive Cyprus parcel partner, cash-on-delivery, Saturday delivery) and DHL/UPS/FedEx cover the whole government-controlled area. Typically 1–3 day to-door delivery with tracking and common cash-on-delivery, but parcel-locker density is low compared with locker-first markets → 'good' rather than 'excellent'. Notes Small-island logistics; government-controlled area.	Good i Greek carrier networks (ELTA, ACS, BoxNow) — composite Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 15, 2026 Verified Jul 15, 2026 Method Dense mainland-city coverage: national couriers (ELTA post, ACS, Geniki Taxydromiki, Speedex) plus one of SE Europe's largest parcel-locker networks (BoxNow) and Skroutz Last Mile; cash-on-delivery ('αντικαταβολή') is mainstream. Athens/Thessaloniki are excellent, but ELTA's financial troubles and ferry-dependent island last-mile keep the national rating at 'good' rather than 'excellent'.

Relocating with a partner and school-age children.

Greece fits better — 2 of 3

	Cyprus	Greece
Homicide rate	0.93/100k i Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (ICCS0101, per 100k) Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes 2024 = 0.93 per 100,000 (latest year). Small-population volatility: the series swings year to year (2022: 0.77; 2023: 1.05; 2024: 0.93). Covers the government-controlled area.	★0.78/100k i Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (crim_off_cat, ICCS0101, unit P_HTHAB, geo=EL) Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 15, 2026 Notes Police-recorded intentional homicide, 2024 (0.78). Very low by global standards (world average ~5.8) and down over the series (1.29 in 2008 to 0.68–0.88 recently). One of the safer countries in the set.
Private healthcare cost	$1,370/yr i Cyprus private medical insurers — comprehensive (inpatient + outpatient) plans, market midpoint; insurers quote on request Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Comprehensive plans covering BOTH inpatient and outpatient care for a healthy 35-year-old (e.g. top-tier plans from Eurolife/Medica, TruCare, Bupa Global local) run ≈ €80–150/month ≈ €960–1,800/yr; healthy-35 midpoint ≈ €1,200/yr ≈ $1,370 at 1.1399 EUR/USD. Chosen on the with-inpatient comprehensive basis to be comparable across countries. Premiums are quoted on request (insurers do not publish full tables), so this is a curated market midpoint, not an engine quote. Cheaper inpatient-only or outpatient-only plans exist (≈ €500–720/yr). Residents are also covered by the public GHS/GeSY.	★$1,368/yr i Curated from Greek private insurers' comprehensive-tier plans (e.g. Ethniki Insurance) — market survey Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 15, 2026 Verified Jul 15, 2026 Method Midpoint of local comprehensive (inpatient + outpatient) annual premiums for a healthy 35-year-old, €600–1,800 from major Greek insurers (mid-range €100–180/month) → ~€1,200/yr × 1.1399 = $1,368. Notes Public cover exists via EOPYY (funded through EFKA contributions), but waiting lists and gaps drive a large private market. Local plans run cheaper than international/expat plans ($2,000–4,000+/yr). Greek insurers raised premiums ~14% in 2025 — a rising curated midpoint, not a firm quote.
English proficiency	High i EF EPI 2025 (Cyprus rank 40, score 537 — 'Moderate' band) + official language/service-sector reality Research Data as of Nov 1, 2025 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Our band 'high'. English is very widely usable in daily life across Cyprus — a former British colony where English is common in business, tourism, banking, private healthcare and among the large expat community, and is widely taught. We place it one band above EF EPI's 2025 'Moderate' (score 537, dropped 21 points from 2024) because EF measures adult test-takers rather than the service-sector prevalence a resident actually encounters; government paperwork is primarily in Greek. Attribution: EF Education First.	High i EF EPI 2025 — Greece (score 592, rank 20/123, High band) Research Data as of Nov 1, 2025 Verified Jul 15, 2026 Notes Own band informed by EF EPI 2025 (attribution: EF Education First): Greece scores 592, rank 20/123 — top of the 'High' band, just below the 'Very High' threshold (~600); global average 488. English is widely functional in tourism, services and among younger Greeks, though the score slipped 10 points from the prior edition.

Optimising tax, banking and crypto rules.

Cyprus fits better — 2 of 3

	Cyprus	Greece
Crypto regulation	Legal regulated i Central Bank of Cyprus — MiCAR (Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, EU 2023/1114) Official source Data as of Jul 1, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Holding, trading and cashing out crypto are legal for individuals under standard EU rules. Cyprus applies MiCAR (supervised by CySEC and, for e-money/asset-referenced tokens, the Central Bank of Cyprus); the former national CASP register (CySEC) is being wound down — CASPs must be MiCA-authorised by 27 Feb 2026 and legacy registrations expire by 1 Jul 2026. Individual crypto gains are generally taxed under normal rules (badges-of-trade test); no crypto-specific individual tax break was found on official pages at verification.	Legal regulated i Law 5193/2025 (MiCA transposition) + AADE crypto tax guidance; supervised by the Hellenic Capital Market Commission (HCMC) and Bank of Greece Official source Data as of Apr 10, 2025 Verified Jul 15, 2026 Notes EU MiCA applies and was transposed by Law 5193/2025 (10 April 2025), with CASP licensing and EU passporting, supervised by HCMC and the Bank of Greece. Individual crypto capital gains are taxed at a flat 15% (from 1 Jan 2025), with a €500 annual tax-free threshold and 5-year loss carry-forward. Fully legal and now clearly regulated/taxed rather than a grey area.
Financial control level	★Low i Central Bank of Cyprus (euro-area member, no capital controls since 2015) + Cyprus in the EU single market Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Composite: Cyprus is a euro-area EU member — the euro is fully convertible with free movement of capital across the EU/EEA; the 2013 capital controls were fully lifted in April 2015 and none apply today. Non-residents can open bank accounts (subject to standard AML/KYC). No FBAR-style foreign-account self-declaration for residents; standard EU CRS automatic exchange applies via banks. Non-dom residents are exempt from Special Defence Contribution on dividends/interest, reducing the reporting burden on passive income. No cash-transaction limit as restrictive as some EU states. Classified 'low' state control over personal money flows.	Moderate i Bank of Greece (capital-controls abolition, 1 Sep 2019) + Greek Income Tax Code €500 cash-payment limit (AADE) Official source Data as of Dec 31, 2025 Verified Jul 15, 2026 Method Composite: EUR (eurozone), full EU free movement of capital; the 2015 crisis-era capital controls were fully lifted on 1 September 2019, so funds move abroad without restriction. Offsetting this: Greece has the STRICTEST cash-payment cap in the EU (€500 for consumer transactions; breaches fined at double the amount) plus routine AML/CASP reporting. The open capital account alone reads 'low', but the €500 everyday-cash restriction pulls the composite up to 'moderate'. Notes A 2025–26 proposal to cut the cap to €200 was withdrawn; the €500 limit remains.
Freelancer tax burden	★26.5% i SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (Cyprus Tax Department PIT calculator + MLSI social insurance + GeSY financing) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jan 1, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Best (and only) eligible self-employed scheme cy-self-employed-pit at €60,000 revenue with 10% deductible expenses (profit €54,000): social insurance 16.6% × 54,000 = 8,964; GHS 4% × 54,000 = 2,160; both deducted from the PIT base → chargeable 42,876; PIT on the 2026 bands (tax-free to 22,000; 20% 22–32k = 2,000; 25% 32–42k = 2,500; 30% on 876 = 262.80) = 4,762.80. Total levies 15,886.80 ÷ 60,000 = 26.5%. Non-dom status and the 50% first-employment exemption do not reduce self-employment trading income. Note: if the Income Tax Law Art.14 1/5 (20%) cap on the deductibility of contributions is applied strictly, the burden rises to ~27.7%; the full-deduction figure (common practitioner treatment) is used here.	30.9% i SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (Law 5246/2025 income-tax scale + e-EFKA Class 1) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jan 1, 2026 Verified Jul 15, 2026 Method Standard freelancer scheme at €60,000, single (scheme gr-freelancer-standard): EFKA Class 1 = 3,006/yr (deductible); income tax on 56,994 via the 2026 scale (9/20/26/34/39%) = 15,528. Levies 18,534 → 30.9%. NOTE: a relocating new tax resident gets the 50% income-tax exemption (Article 5C, scheme gr-freelancer-newresident-50) for 7 years, cutting this to ≈13.5% — but the 30.9% standard figure is the unconditional, steady-state burden shown as the headline.

Prioritising safety, air, and an easy daily life.

Greece fits better — 2 of 2

	Cyprus	Greece
Homicide rate	0.93/100k i Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (ICCS0101, per 100k) Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes 2024 = 0.93 per 100,000 (latest year). Small-population volatility: the series swings year to year (2022: 0.77; 2023: 1.05; 2024: 0.93). Covers the government-controlled area.	★0.78/100k i Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (crim_off_cat, ICCS0101, unit P_HTHAB, geo=EL) Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 15, 2026 Notes Police-recorded intentional homicide, 2024 (0.78). Very low by global standards (world average ~5.8) and down over the series (1.29 in 2008 to 0.68–0.88 recently). One of the safer countries in the set.
Cost of living (single, excl. rent)	$970/mo i CYSTAT Household Budget Survey 2023 (mean household consumption by COICOP), single-person basket curated Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method CYSTAT HBS 2023 gives mean annual consumption €43,263 per household (avg 2.6 persons, government-controlled area). A single-person, rent-excluded basket matching the criterion (food, transport, utilities, mobile+internet, modest leisure, personal care, out-of-pocket health) was built from the COICOP categories: food 6,254 + transport 5,004 + utilities (30% of the 11,884 housing category ≈ 3,565) + info&comm 1,468 + recreation 1,870 + half of restaurants (2,389) + personal care 2,075 + half of health (1,093) = ≈23,717/household/yr; ÷2.6 persons ×1.12 single-person economies-of-scale uplift = €851/mo; × ECB EUR/USD 1.1399 (2026-07-02) = ≈$970. Rent and imputed rent excluded. This is a curated estimate — CYSTAT does not publish a one-person-household table in the summary release, and housing utilities were split from rent using the ~30% ratio implied by Eurostat HICP weights for Cyprus.	★$766/mo i ELSTAT — Household Budget Survey 2023 Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2023 Verified Jul 15, 2026 Method ELSTAT HBS 2023: average annual expenditure per person = €8,358.24 = €696.52/month (monetary purchases, excludes imputed owner rent). Subtracted the actual-rent component (~€24.6/person) → €671.9/person excl. rent × 1.1399 = $766. Same low-reading per-capita HBS basis as peers. Notes Greek monetary household consumption is genuinely depressed (ELSTAT reports it ~20.5% below 2008), so the per-capita figure lands near Czechia despite Greece feeling pricier in tourist zones. Rent shown separately.

Details

Taxes

CriterionCyprusGreece

Freelancer tax burden% effective burden at €60k/year self-employed profile26.55.730.94.8

What this measures

Effective total burden (income tax + mandatory social and health contributions) for a solo IT freelancer with €60,000/year revenue and 10% deductible expenses, using the most favourable eligible scheme in the country's tax-schemes data. Computed by the SettleMetric tax engine; recorded as a curated value with the winning scheme id in method.

Lower is better· % effective burden at €60k/year self-employed profile· re-verified every 365 days

Cyprus

SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (Cyprus Tax Department PIT calculator + MLSI social insurance + GeSY financing)

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of: Jan 1, 2026
Verified: Jul 4, 2026
Method: Best (and only) eligible self-employed scheme cy-self-employed-pit at €60,000 revenue with 10% deductible expenses (profit €54,000): social insurance 16.6% × 54,000 = 8,964; GHS 4% × 54,000 = 2,160; both deducted from the PIT base → chargeable 42,876; PIT on the 2026 bands (tax-free to 22,000; 20% 22–32k = 2,000; 25% 32–42k = 2,500; 30% on 876 = 262.80) = 4,762.80. Total levies 15,886.80 ÷ 60,000 = 26.5%. Non-dom status and the 50% first-employment exemption do not reduce self-employment trading income. Note: if the Income Tax Law Art.14 1/5 (20%) cap on the deductibility of contributions is applied strictly, the burden rises to ~27.7%; the full-deduction figure (common practitioner treatment) is used here.

Greece

SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (Law 5246/2025 income-tax scale + e-EFKA Class 1)

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of: Jan 1, 2026
Verified: Jul 15, 2026
Method: Standard freelancer scheme at €60,000, single (scheme gr-freelancer-standard): EFKA Class 1 = 3,006/yr (deductible); income tax on 56,994 via the 2026 scale (9/20/26/34/39%) = 15,528. Levies 18,534 → 30.9%. NOTE: a relocating new tax resident gets the 50% income-tax exemption (Article 5C, scheme gr-freelancer-newresident-50) for 7 years, cutting this to ≈13.5% — but the 30.9% standard figure is the unconditional, steady-state burden shown as the headline.

Legalization

CriterionCyprusGreece

Remote-work legalization easeDedicated nomad visa10.0Dedicated nomad visa10.0

What this measures

Best available legalization route for a location-independent earner with a median (non-EU, non-US) passport, classified from this country's legalization-paths data: dedicated digital-nomad visa; general freelance/self-employment permit; realistic long-stay path (e.g. renewable temporary residence); only short visa-free/tourist stays; effectively none.

Rated by category· re-verified every 180 days

Cyprus

Cyprus Migration Department (Civil Registry & Migration) — Digital nomads and family members

Official source

Data as of: Jul 4, 2026
Verified: Jul 4, 2026
Notes: Cyprus operates a dedicated Digital Nomad Visa (Council of Ministers scheme): third-country nationals working remotely for foreign employers or clients, minimum net monthly income €3,500, 1-year residence renewable up to 3 years, family included, quota 500 permits. The official gov.cy Migration Department page is the source; it sits behind an Azure WAF that blocked automated fetch, so the €3,500 / 3-year / 500-quota figures were cross-checked against multiple secondary sources reproducing that page — re-verify the live figures from a browser next cycle.

Greece

Hellenic Republic MFA — Digital Nomad Visa (Law 4825/2021)

Official source

Data as of: Jan 1, 2026
Verified: Jul 15, 2026
Notes: Greece runs a dedicated digital-nomad visa (Law 4825/2021): a 12-month visa then a 2-year residence permit for non-EU remote workers earning ≥ €3,500/month net from abroad. Paired with the 50% new-resident income-tax exemption it is one of the EU's most marketed relocation deals for mid-income freelancers, though the income bar is higher than in Albania or Bulgaria. EU citizens simply register.

Cost of living

CriterionCyprusGreece

Cost of living (single, excl. rent)USD/month, single person, excluding rent9707.77668.7

What this measures

Monthly cost of a defined single-person basket (food, transport, utilities, mobile+internet, modest leisure) excluding rent, curated from national statistics office price data and large local retailers' published prices, converted to USD at the ECB rate recorded in fx-rates. The method field of each value itemizes the basket inputs.

Lower is better· USD/month, single person, excluding rent· re-verified every 365 days

Cyprus

CYSTAT Household Budget Survey 2023 (mean household consumption by COICOP), single-person basket curated

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of: Jul 4, 2026
Verified: Jul 4, 2026
Method: CYSTAT HBS 2023 gives mean annual consumption €43,263 per household (avg 2.6 persons, government-controlled area). A single-person, rent-excluded basket matching the criterion (food, transport, utilities, mobile+internet, modest leisure, personal care, out-of-pocket health) was built from the COICOP categories: food 6,254 + transport 5,004 + utilities (30% of the 11,884 housing category ≈ 3,565) + info&comm 1,468 + recreation 1,870 + half of restaurants (2,389) + personal care 2,075 + half of health (1,093) = ≈23,717/household/yr; ÷2.6 persons ×1.12 single-person economies-of-scale uplift = €851/mo; × ECB EUR/USD 1.1399 (2026-07-02) = ≈$970. Rent and imputed rent excluded. This is a curated estimate — CYSTAT does not publish a one-person-household table in the summary release, and housing utilities were split from rent using the ~30% ratio implied by Eurostat HICP weights for Cyprus.

Greece

ELSTAT — Household Budget Survey 2023

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of: Dec 31, 2023
Verified: Jul 15, 2026
Method: ELSTAT HBS 2023: average annual expenditure per person = €8,358.24 = €696.52/month (monetary purchases, excludes imputed owner rent). Subtracted the actual-rent component (~€24.6/person) → €671.9/person excl. rent × 1.1399 = $766. Same low-reading per-capita HBS basis as peers.
Notes: Greek monetary household consumption is genuinely depressed (ELSTAT reports it ~20.5% below 2008), so the per-capita figure lands near Czechia despite Greece feeling pricier in tourist zones. Rent shown separately.

Monthly spending by category (excl. rent)

Category	Cyprus i CYSTAT Household Budget Survey 2023, single-person basket curated Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method CYSTAT HBS 2023 mean household spending by COICOP category, per-capita (÷2.6) with a 1.12 single-person uplift, converted at 1.1399 EUR/USD (ECB 2026-07-02). Housing shown as the utilities slice only (~30% of the housing category); rent and imputed rent excluded. Categories sum to ≈$972, matching the ~$970 cost-of-living aggregate. National average (government-controlled area); Limassol runs higher.	Greece i ELSTAT — Household Budget Survey 2023, Table 1 (COICOP shares) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2023 Verified Jul 15, 2026 Method ELSTAT HBS 2023 Table 1 per-household monthly amounts, with €59.5 rent removed from the Housing line, each divided by household size 2.42 and converted at 1.1399. Items sum to ≈$766. Housing here is utilities/energy/water/maintenance only (rent excluded); Greek energy costs are relatively high, keeping that line large.
Transport	$205	$104
Food & non-alcoholic drinks	$256	—
Food & non-alcoholic beverages	—	$164
Utilities (electricity, gas, water)	$146	—
Recreation & culture	$77	$35
Health (out-of-pocket)	$45	$61
Restaurants & eating out	$98	—
Restaurants, cafes & hotels	—	$90
Personal care & misc	$85	—
Utilities, energy, water & home upkeep (excl. rent)	—	$84
Miscellaneous goods & services	—	$67
Communications (mobile + internet)	$60	—
Clothing & footwear	—	$37
Household durables & equipment	—	$35
Communications	—	$34
Education	—	$27
Alcohol & tobacco	—	$27
Total (excl. rent)	$972/mo	$765/mo

Housing

Rent by apartment type

Asking rent, central price with outside-centre in parentheses ($/mo).

Apartment	Cyprus i SettleMetric — population-weighted average of covered cities (Limassol, Nicosia) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 3, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Population-weighted mean of the rent-breakdown matrices of Limassol, Nicosia; each cell averages the cities that report it. See each city page for its exact local matrix.	Greece i SettleMetric — population-weighted average of covered cities (Athens, Thessaloniki) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Mar 31, 2026 Verified Jul 15, 2026 Method Population-weighted mean of the rent-breakdown matrices of Athens, Thessaloniki; each cell averages the cities that report it. See each city page for its exact local matrix.
Studio	$782 ($693)	$381 ($309)
1-bedroom	$1,169 ($987)	$507 ($412)
2-bedroom	$1,701 ($1,369)	$762 ($618)
3-bedroom	$2,292 ($1,828)	$1,079 ($875)

Safety

CriterionCyprusGreece

Homicide rateintentional homicides per 100,000/year0.99.10.89.4

What this measures

Intentional homicide victims per 100,000 population, latest available year. Country level: UNODC national series. City level: official municipal/police statistics where published; otherwise null (country value shown as country-level).

Lower is better· intentional homicides per 100,000/year· re-verified every 730 days

Cyprus

Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (ICCS0101, per 100k)

Open data

Data as of: Dec 31, 2024
Verified: Jul 4, 2026
Notes: 2024 = 0.93 per 100,000 (latest year). Small-population volatility: the series swings year to year (2022: 0.77; 2023: 1.05; 2024: 0.93). Covers the government-controlled area.

Greece

Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (crim_off_cat, ICCS0101, unit P_HTHAB, geo=EL)

Open data

Data as of: Dec 31, 2024
Verified: Jul 15, 2026
Notes: Police-recorded intentional homicide, 2024 (0.78). Very low by global standards (world average ~5.8) and down over the series (1.29 in 2008 to 0.68–0.88 recently). One of the safer countries in the set.

Healthcare

CriterionCyprusGreece

Private healthcare costUSD/year, comprehensive private insurance premium, healthy 35-year-old1,3707.61,3687.6

What this measures

Median of at least three publicly quoted annual premiums for comprehensive private medical insurance (outpatient + inpatient, ~$100k coverage, small deductible) for a healthy 35-year-old resident foreigner, from local and international insurers. Method field lists the insurers quoted.

Lower is better· USD/year, comprehensive private insurance premium, healthy 35-year-old· re-verified every 365 days

Cyprus

Cyprus private medical insurers — comprehensive (inpatient + outpatient) plans, market midpoint; insurers quote on request

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of: Jul 4, 2026
Verified: Jul 4, 2026
Method: Comprehensive plans covering BOTH inpatient and outpatient care for a healthy 35-year-old (e.g. top-tier plans from Eurolife/Medica, TruCare, Bupa Global local) run ≈ €80–150/month ≈ €960–1,800/yr; healthy-35 midpoint ≈ €1,200/yr ≈ $1,370 at 1.1399 EUR/USD. Chosen on the with-inpatient comprehensive basis to be comparable across countries. Premiums are quoted on request (insurers do not publish full tables), so this is a curated market midpoint, not an engine quote. Cheaper inpatient-only or outpatient-only plans exist (≈ €500–720/yr). Residents are also covered by the public GHS/GeSY.

Greece

Curated from Greek private insurers' comprehensive-tier plans (e.g. Ethniki Insurance) — market survey

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of: Jul 15, 2026
Verified: Jul 15, 2026
Method: Midpoint of local comprehensive (inpatient + outpatient) annual premiums for a healthy 35-year-old, €600–1,800 from major Greek insurers (mid-range €100–180/month) → ~€1,200/yr × 1.1399 = $1,368.
Notes: Public cover exists via EOPYY (funded through EFKA contributions), but waiting lists and gaps drive a large private market. Local plans run cheaper than international/expat plans ($2,000–4,000+/yr). Greek insurers raised premiums ~14% in 2025 — a rising curated midpoint, not a firm quote.

Money & crypto

CriterionCyprusGreece

Crypto regulationLegal regulated8.0Legal regulated8.0

What this measures

Own classification of the legal status of holding, trading and cashing out cryptocurrency for individuals: legal-friendly (legal with clear, favourable rules or explicit tax exemptions), legal-regulated (legal under standard licensing/AML and taxation), restricted (partial bans: payments or banking access prohibited), banned (holding/trading prohibited). Classified from national regulators' and central banks' official positions.

Rated by category· re-verified every 180 days

Cyprus

Central Bank of Cyprus — MiCAR (Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, EU 2023/1114)

Official source

Data as of: Jul 1, 2026
Verified: Jul 4, 2026
Notes: Holding, trading and cashing out crypto are legal for individuals under standard EU rules. Cyprus applies MiCAR (supervised by CySEC and, for e-money/asset-referenced tokens, the Central Bank of Cyprus); the former national CASP register (CySEC) is being wound down — CASPs must be MiCA-authorised by 27 Feb 2026 and legacy registrations expire by 1 Jul 2026. Individual crypto gains are generally taxed under normal rules (badges-of-trade test); no crypto-specific individual tax break was found on official pages at verification.

Greece

Law 5193/2025 (MiCA transposition) + AADE crypto tax guidance; supervised by the Hellenic Capital Market Commission (HCMC) and Bank of Greece

Official source

Data as of: Apr 10, 2025
Verified: Jul 15, 2026
Notes: EU MiCA applies and was transposed by Law 5193/2025 (10 April 2025), with CASP licensing and EU passporting, supervised by HCMC and the Bank of Greece. Individual crypto capital gains are taxed at a flat 15% (from 1 Jan 2025), with a €500 annual tax-free threshold and 5-year loss carry-forward. Fully legal and now clearly regulated/taxed rather than a grey area.

Financial control levelLow10.0Moderate7.0

What this measures

Own composite of state control over personal money flows: currency/capital controls (IMF AREAER), restrictions on foreign accounts and transfers, mandatory income declaration scope for residents, cash payment limits, banking access for foreigners. Low = free movement of personal funds and easy non-resident banking; very-high = strict capital controls and pervasive reporting. Method field on each value lists the inputs used.

Rated by category· re-verified every 365 days

Cyprus

Central Bank of Cyprus (euro-area member, no capital controls since 2015) + Cyprus in the EU single market

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of: Jul 4, 2026
Verified: Jul 4, 2026
Method: Composite: Cyprus is a euro-area EU member — the euro is fully convertible with free movement of capital across the EU/EEA; the 2013 capital controls were fully lifted in April 2015 and none apply today. Non-residents can open bank accounts (subject to standard AML/KYC). No FBAR-style foreign-account self-declaration for residents; standard EU CRS automatic exchange applies via banks. Non-dom residents are exempt from Special Defence Contribution on dividends/interest, reducing the reporting burden on passive income. No cash-transaction limit as restrictive as some EU states. Classified 'low' state control over personal money flows.

Greece

Bank of Greece (capital-controls abolition, 1 Sep 2019) + Greek Income Tax Code €500 cash-payment limit (AADE)

Official source

Data as of: Dec 31, 2025
Verified: Jul 15, 2026
Method: Composite: EUR (eurozone), full EU free movement of capital; the 2015 crisis-era capital controls were fully lifted on 1 September 2019, so funds move abroad without restriction. Offsetting this: Greece has the STRICTEST cash-payment cap in the EU (€500 for consumer transactions; breaches fined at double the amount) plus routine AML/CASP reporting. The open capital account alone reads 'low', but the €500 everyday-cash restriction pulls the composite up to 'moderate'.
Notes: A 2025–26 proposal to cut the cap to €200 was withdrawn; the €500 limit remains.

Infrastructure

CriterionCyprusGreece

Domestic delivery qualityGood7.0Good7.0

What this measures

Quality of in-country parcel delivery. excellent = nationwide next-day widely available, dense parcel-locker network, real-time tracking standard; good = 1–3 day delivery, lockers in major cities; basic = reliable but slow (3–7 days), mostly to-door or post-office pickup; poor = unreliable delivery, street addresses often unusable, informal workarounds common. Classified from official service/coverage data of the national postal operator and the two largest private carriers; inputs itemized in each value's method field.

Rated by category· re-verified every 730 days

Cyprus

Cyprus Post (national operator) + ACS Courier / DHL (largest domestic carrier) official pages

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of: Jul 4, 2026
Verified: Jul 4, 2026
Method: Classified from the national postal operator's and the largest private courier's official service/coverage data: Cyprus Post (~51 service points, EMS, tracking) plus ACS Courier (largest domestic courier, DHL's exclusive Cyprus parcel partner, cash-on-delivery, Saturday delivery) and DHL/UPS/FedEx cover the whole government-controlled area. Typically 1–3 day to-door delivery with tracking and common cash-on-delivery, but parcel-locker density is low compared with locker-first markets → 'good' rather than 'excellent'.
Notes: Small-island logistics; government-controlled area.

Greece

Greek carrier networks (ELTA, ACS, BoxNow) — composite

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of: Jul 15, 2026
Verified: Jul 15, 2026
Method: Dense mainland-city coverage: national couriers (ELTA post, ACS, Geniki Taxydromiki, Speedex) plus one of SE Europe's largest parcel-locker networks (BoxNow) and Skroutz Last Mile; cash-on-delivery ('αντικαταβολή') is mainstream. Athens/Thessaloniki are excellent, but ELTA's financial troubles and ferry-dependent island last-mile keep the national rating at 'good' rather than 'excellent'.

International delivery easeMinor friction7.0Seamless10.0

What this measures

Ease of receiving goods from abroad. seamless = major international carriers deliver door-to-door, meaningful duty-free de-minimis threshold, customs clearance predictable in days; minor-friction = carriers present but low de-minimis, extra paperwork or routine delays; significant-friction = frequent customs holds, high brokerage fees, some marketplaces refuse to ship; unreliable = parcels regularly lost or blocked, informal import channels dominate. De-minimis thresholds and clearance rules from the national customs authority (official source, cite the regulation); carrier presence from carriers' official pages.

Rated by category· re-verified every 365 days

Cyprus

European Commission — removal of the €150 customs duty exemption / temporary €3 flat fee (applies EU-wide incl. Cyprus)

Official source

Data as of: Jul 1, 2026
Verified: Jul 4, 2026
Notes: Intra-EU shipping is frictionless (single market; DHL/ACS/UPS/FedEx all operate). Non-EU imports: the €150 duty-free threshold was removed on 2026-07-01, with a temporary €3/item flat duty on ≤€150 consignments until 2028; VAT (19%) applies from checkout via IOSS or on import. As an island, Cyprus has slightly longer transit and occasional customs handling, but clearance is predictable — 'minor-friction'.

Greece

EU single market / customs union membership (Greece) + integrator coverage

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of: Jul 15, 2026
Verified: Jul 15, 2026
Method: Qualitative rating from EU membership: as an EU/Schengen customs-union member, intra-EU parcels move without customs or border VAT, so the bulk of European e-commerce is frictionless, and all major integrators (DHL, FedEx, UPS, ACS/Aramex) operate → 'seamless'. Minor caveats (not enough to downgrade): Greece is geographically peripheral (a day or two longer than core-EU hubs), non-EU imports clear customs normally, and island delivery adds domestic delay.
Notes: Intra-EU frictionless; the geographic periphery and islands add some transit time but not customs friction.

Internet speedMbps, median fixed download16.80.837.33.4

What this measures

Median fixed-broadband download speed over the trailing 6 months from M-Lab NDT open data (CC0), aggregated at country or city level. Not comparable with Ookla figures (different test methodology) — do not mix sources within this criterion.

Higher is better· Mbps, median fixed download· re-verified every 365 days

Cyprus

M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Cyprus

Open data

Data as of: Dec 31, 2023
Verified: Jul 4, 2026
Method: Median of 343 daily country-level download medians (download_MED) for 2023 — the latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API (2024 has only ~86 days; 2025/2026 not yet published).
Notes: M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads well below Ookla-style figures — comparable only within this criterion. Cyprus fixed broadband is largely VDSL/FTTH; real retail speeds are much higher than this test-based median.

Greece

M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Greece

Open data

Data as of: Dec 31, 2023
Verified: Jul 15, 2026
Method: Median of the 343 daily country-median download values for GR in 2023 = 37.3 Mbps (268,076 download tests; daily medians ranged 21.3–47.3). M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads below Ookla-style tests — comparable only within this criterion. 2023 is the latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API.
Notes: Greece's fixed broadband is improving as fibre rolls out; the single-stream M-Lab median is used only for cross-country comparability on one consistent method.

Language

CriterionCyprusGreece

English proficiencyHigh7.0High7.0

What this measures

Own banding of how far English gets a resident in daily life (government offices, healthcare, housing, services). Informed by EF EPI band (research source, cited with attribution, not republished) plus official language status and service-sector realities. Values are our bands, not EF scores.

Rated by category· re-verified every 730 days

Cyprus

EF EPI 2025 (Cyprus rank 40, score 537 — 'Moderate' band) + official language/service-sector reality

Research

Data as of: Nov 1, 2025
Verified: Jul 4, 2026
Notes: Our band 'high'. English is very widely usable in daily life across Cyprus — a former British colony where English is common in business, tourism, banking, private healthcare and among the large expat community, and is widely taught. We place it one band above EF EPI's 2025 'Moderate' (score 537, dropped 21 points from 2024) because EF measures adult test-takers rather than the service-sector prevalence a resident actually encounters; government paperwork is primarily in Greek. Attribution: EF Education First.

Greece

EF EPI 2025 — Greece (score 592, rank 20/123, High band)

Research

Data as of: Nov 1, 2025
Verified: Jul 15, 2026
Notes: Own band informed by EF EPI 2025 (attribution: EF Education First): Greece scores 592, rank 20/123 — top of the 'High' band, just below the 'Very High' threshold (~600); global average 488. English is widely functional in tourism, services and among younger Greeks, though the score slipped 10 points from the prior edition.

Deep dives: taxes in Cyprus ·taxes in Greece ·net-income calculator