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.
"Just Tell Me What It Costs." Fair Enough.
Every week someone asks a version of the same question: what does a kitchen renovation actually cost in Athens?
What’s the real number that isn’t a guess from a Pinterest board or a quote that includes generic builder grade materials?
Here is the problem. In Greece, "kitchen renovation" can mean three completely different projects depending on who you ask. A coat of paint on the tiles and updated hardware is a kitchen renovation to one contractor. Ripping out plumbing, relocating the stove, and replacing every cabinet is a kitchen renovation to another.
“Renovation” is a broad word in this country. Without a shared definition, you can’t compare quotes, and you definitely can’t plan a budget.
So let's fix that.
The Three Kitchens You Could Be Budgeting For
1. The Refresh Kitchen
Cabinets and layout stay. You update finishes: paint or reface cabinet fronts, swap hardware, change the backsplash, replace counters if needed, and upgrade lighting. Maybe you get some new appliances if you need them.
This is the fastest, least disruptive option, and it is where most of our Refresh projects land. Timeline runs in the same range as our published room timelines, roughly 6-8 weeks.
2. The Redesign Kitchen
The layout mostly stays, but you are changing more: all new cabinetry, new appliances, moving a sink, adding more storage, like what you are used to at home. This sits between our Redesign and Renovate tiers depending on scope.
3. The Full Remodel Kitchen
Walls move. Plumbing relocates. Electrical gets rerouted. The kitchen becomes a different room entirely, sometimes opened into the living space. This is full Remodel territory, and it carries the longest timeline of the four, typically the 3 to 6 month range we quote for full-home work.
While some companies may quote only 2 to 3 months, when permits and civil engineers start to get involved, you should realistically pad your timeline so you are not dissappointed later.
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 Number
Three things move a Greek kitchen budget more than anything else:
Plumbing and electrical relocation. Moving a sink three meters costs far more than people expect, because Greek buildings were not designed with future flexibility in mind, and your plumbing is usually behind a brick wall that requires channeling.
Cabinetry: custom carpentry vs. semi-custom & prefabricated. Custom carpentry, which we coordinate directly through vetted local trades, gives you exact-fit storage and more flexibility for unique design. It costs only a little more than semi-custom and it takes only slightly longer. While prefabricated kitchen cabinets are extremely budget friendly and economical, beware of cheap options made of standard MDF, particle board, thermofoils and thin wood veneers.
Import vs. local sourcing for appliances and fixtures. Imported appliances look beautiful in photos and take longer to arrive, with shipping adding some additional costs. Imported items from countries outside the EU adds customs fees. You may also need to include customs broker fees to make the process smoother. Local sourcing is faster and often more budget-friendly, but the selection is narrower - which is why working with local tradesmen can be so beneficial.
A fourth factor that surprises almost everyone: VAT. Most renovation services carry standard VAT, though VAT return or exemption may apply for non-EU residents or registered companies in specific cases. This alone can shift a budget by double digits, which is exactly why we walk every client through it before, not after, work begins.
Why a Renovation Quote Number Without Context Is Useless
A contractor who quotes you a flat number for "kitchen renovation" before seeing your floor plan, your building's plumbing layout, and your actual goals is just giving you an estimate and guessing. So are you, if you accept it. You are also asking for “surprise” additional costs or even, sometimes, questionable materials.
It’s also important for expats from the USA, Canada, and AU to realize that the standards we are usd to are simply not the same here. Regulations are different, and their logistic is different. In Greece “good enough” can mean cheap materials that will only last a few years and in some unfortunate cases, not at all what you were expecting.
This is the exact gap our Pre-Purchase Design Review and Design Clarity Session exist to close; a professional look at the real condition of the space before any number gets attached to it. It is also the difference between a kitchen that looks good for two years and one that holds up, and holds its value, for 15-20 years and more.
A Smarter Way to Approach your Renovation Budget
Instead of asking "what does a kitchen cost," ask yourself:
What is staying and what is changing?
Does plumbing or electrical need to move?
Are we sourcing locally or importing?
Is this kitchen for daily living, a rental, or resale?
That last question matters more than people think. A kitchen designed for your own daily life and a kitchen designed to perform on Airbnb need different decisions, even if they cost roughly the same.
Start With Clarity, Not a Guess
You don’t need a final number today. You need a real scope, an honest budget range tied to your specific kitchen, and a plan for sourcing and timeline that will not collapse the first time a contractor sees the plumbing.
That is what a Design Strategy Call is for, we’ll discuss your property, your goals, your timeline and real cost estimates for interior design led services so you don’t get basic builder grade work in your dream home.
