How Much Does a Kitchen Renovation Cost in Athens? A Real Price Guide for Expats
A typical Greek property kitchen before renovation.
Keep reading below to see the transformation.
Every expat or foreign investor buying property in Greece asks the same question eventually. Here is an honest answer, not a brochure version.
Every expat, executive or foreign investor buying property in Greece eventually asks the same question:
What does a good kitchen renovation in Athens actually cost?
Fair enough. You need a working number—not a Pinterest estimate, a suspiciously inexpensive package or a quotation that quietly excludes half the kitchen.
The honest answer is that a typical 10–15 m² Athens kitchen can range from approximately €10,000 to more than €70,000, depending on what is being retained, what is being rebuilt and the standard the property needs to achieve.
That range is wide because “kitchen renovation” does not describe one service. In Greece, it may mean painting existing cabinets. It may also mean demolishing the room, relocating plumbing and creating a completely bespoke, solid wood kitchen with premium marble and custom made lighting.
Those are not comparable projects.
First: What Kind of Property Is This Kitchen Serving?
Before discussing cabinetry or stone, we need to understand the commercial brief.
A private residence is designed around daily rituals, storage habits, cooking preferences and long-term comfort.
An executive relocation property needs to feel resolved quickly, work immediately and meet an international standard without requiring the new resident to manage months of local decisions.
A rental, serviced apartment or resale property needs durability, visual appeal, efficient installation and a budget proportionate to its expected revenue or sale value.
A kitchen designed for your own family and one designed to perform in an investment property may occupy the same number of square metres. They should not automatically receive the same budget or specification.
Three Kitchen Budgets You Could Be Planning
The following are broad 2026 planning ranges for a typical 10–15 m² kitchen in Athens.
They are not fixed quotations. They assume professional installation and include VAT where applicable. Interior-design fees, architects, engineers, permits and contingency reserves are separate.
1. The Refresh Kitchen: Approximately €10,000–€25,000
The existing layout and most cabinetry remain.
The work may include:
repairing, repainting or refacing cabinet fronts;
replacing handles and internal fittings;
upgrading worktops and backsplashes;
installing a new sink and faucet;
improving task and ambient lighting;
making limited plumbing or electrical corrections;
replacing selected appliances;
extending or adapting part of the existing cabinetry.
Indicative allocation:
Trades and construction: €3,000–€7,000
Cabinetry and fixed finishes: €4,000–€11,000
Appliances: €3,000–€7,000
A Refresh works when the original kitchen has solid bones. It is not an attempt to disguise failing cabinetry with paint and optimism.
A Real Studio de la Serna Refresh
In 2021, we completed a 23 m² semi-luxury villa kitchen while retaining its solid-wood cabinets.
The project included cabinet painting, an extended cabinet footprint, new plumbing, new lighting, a new stove and oven, a new faucet, masonry work and custom white concrete worktops with an integrated sink designed specifically for the property.
Project expenditure was under €15,000, excluding the design fee and including VAT.
That figure should not be treated as a 2026 quotation. The project benefited from retained solid-wood cabinetry, controlled structural changes and 2021 pricing. Greek residential construction-material prices have risen substantially since then.
The case-study is not that every kitchen can be recreated for under €15,000. The case proof is that retaining the right elements can protect the budget and design integrity.
2. The Redesign Kitchen: Approximately €15,000–€40,000
The room remains in broadly the same location, but the kitchen is substantially rebuilt.
The work may include:
all new cabinetry;
improved storage and internal organization;
new worktops and wall finishes;
revised lighting and electrical provision;
limited relocation of the sink or appliances and new plumbing;
integrated appliances;
custom joinery or a new island;
flooring repairs or replacement.
Indicative allocation:
Trades and construction: €5,000–€12,000
Cabinetry and fixed finishes: €9,000–€18,000
Appliances: €4,000–€10,000
This is where many private residences and executive homes land. The existing architecture may be workable, but the kitchen no longer supports modern living.
For luxury developers and investors, this tier can also be appropriate when the kitchen needs to influence the property’s perceived value without becoming overcapitalized.
3. The Full Remodel Kitchen: Approximately €20,000–€70,000+
The kitchen becomes a different room.
The work may include:
demolition and waste removal;
moving walls or opening the kitchen to the living area;
relocating plumbing and drainage;
rerouting electrical systems;
replacing floors and wall finishes;
custom cabinetry;
stone, solid-surface or specialist worktops;
architectural lighting;
upgraded appliances;
permits, engineering or wider construction coordination.
Indicative allocation:
Trades and construction: €12,000–€25,000
Cabinetry and fixed finishes: €12,000–€30,000
Appliances: €6,000–€15,000+
A small kitchen can still require expensive infrastructure. Square metres do not tell you how many walls must be opened, how far the drainage must travel or whether the electrical system can support modern appliances.
Why You Found a €5,900 Kitchen Online
Athens has companies advertising remarkably low kitchen packages.
These offers can be suitable for a basic rental, a highly standardized project or an owner who is comfortable choosing from a restricted menu. But they are not directly comparable to a design-led kitchen created for a specific property.
A package price may rely on:
a fixed number of linear metres;
standard melamine cabinetry;
limited door and worktop options;
unchanged plumbing and electrical locations;
basic hardware;
no appliances;
no bespoke detailing;
no design development;
no meaningful project coordination;
VAT being added later.
The package itself is not the problem. The problem is assuming it includes the same thinking, materials and service as a bespoke project.
It doesn’t.
Construction, Appliances and Design Fees Are Different Budgets
One of the most common budget misunderstandings happens before the first drawing.
A client says, “My budget is €30,000.”
But does that mean:
€30,000 for construction and cabinetry?
€30,000 including appliances?
€30,000 including VAT?
€30,000 including the designer, engineer and permits?
€30,000 for absolutely everything?
Most clients naturally think in all-in numbers. The project team often thinks in separate contracts and categories.
That gap must be resolved.
At Studio de la Serna, interior-design fees are separate and scope-based. They reflect the level of design development, technical detailing, sourcing, custom work and coordination required.
Construction, cabinetry, appliances and professional fees should be shown separately before the project begins. Otherwise, a budget that looked generous can lose a third of its purchasing power before the kitchen has been ordered.
Same kitchen after a Refresh.
We expanded the foot print, repainted the solid wood cabinets, replaced hardware, some plumbing and taps, plus added much needed updates to lighting, including adding task lighting to work spaces.
The star of this kitchen was the custom wet/dry sink and countertops from solid, white concrete for a lasting, heritage, upgrade.
What Actually Drives the Cost?
Plumbing and electrical relocation
Moving a sink or cooker is rarely a simple line item in an older Athens building. Plumbing may be buried behind masonry, drainage requires the correct fall and the electrical system may need upgrading for induction cooking or several high-load appliances.
Cabinetry quality
Cabinetry is usually the largest fixed investment.
Prefabricated units can control costs. Bespoke cabinetry provides better use of difficult corners, ceiling heights and non-standard walls—common conditions in Greek properties.
The decision should be based on the property, intended use and required lifespan, not the assumption that custom is always excessive or prefabricated is always economical.
Worktop and countertop material
Laminate, engineered stone, natural stone, porcelain, stainless steel and custom concrete each carry different fabrication, installation and maintenance requirements.
The material price is only part of the number. Cut-outs, edge profiles, wall irregularities, access and specialist installation matter too.
If you want learn more about the different kinds of materials read our blog: Why Material Selections Change a Kitchen Budget
Appliances
Appliances should be budgeted independently.
A practical rental package and an executive or private residential specification are different purchasing exercises. Refrigeration, ovens, extraction, induction, dishwashing and wine storage can quickly move the budget.
Imported appliances may also involve longer lead times, limited servicing arrangements and additional delivery or customs costs.
Access and existing conditions
Upper-floor access, narrow staircases, limited lifts, restricted working hours and waste-removal requirements all affect the final price.
Athens buildings enjoy revealing their personalities after demolition. A contingency reserve of approximately 10–15% is not pessimism. It is adult supervision.
A Note About VAT in Greece
Renovation work, materials and appliances supplied for a property in Greece generally carry Greek VAT. The standard VAT rate is currently 24%.
Living outside Greece, holding a non-EU passport or owning the property through a foreign company does not automatically make renovation work VAT-exempt.
A VAT-registered business may be able to recover eligible input VAT depending on the ownership structure, taxable activity and intended use of the property. That determination belongs with a qualified Greek accountant.
Always ask whether a quotation includes VAT. “Plus VAT” can move the final budget by nearly one quarter.
What Realtors and Developers Should Establish Before Marketing the Property
A kitchen budget should be connected to the commercial objective.
Before recommending an upgrade, establish:
the target buyer or tenant;
expected sale price or rental rate;
whether the property is being sold furnished;
the standard of competing properties;
the required completion date;
which improvements will be visible in photography;
which improvements will reduce maintenance and objections;
where the property risks becoming over-improved.
The most expensive kitchen is not automatically the most profitable. The right kitchen supports the asking price, shortens hesitation and makes the property easier to choose.
For Executives Moving to Greece
If you are relocating for work, the largest cost may not be the cabinetry. It may be your time.
A design-led process reduces showroom visits, fragmented supplier conversations and decisions made without understanding the whole room.
The goal is not to make you an expert in Greek worktops, plumbing routes and appliance servicing. The goal is to give you a kitchen that works from the day you arrive.
Start With Scope, Not Shopping
Before requesting quotations, define:
what is staying;
what is changing;
whether the layout must move;
the purpose of the property;
the required material standard;
the appliance level;
the professional services required;
whether the stated budget is project-only or genuinely all-in.
A contractor cannot price an undefined kitchen accurately. Neither can a designer, developer or owner.
The useful question is not simply:
“What does a kitchen cost?”
It is:
“What should this kitchen do, what must change to achieve it and what is the complete budget required?”
That is where a real project begins.
Studio de la Serna provides English-led kitchen design, renovation planning, sourcing and local coordination for expats, executives, diaspora families and foreign investors in Greece.
Book a Design Strategy Call to define the scope, investment level and right next step before money starts moving.
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