Young adults in Greece are leaving their parents' homes at an average age of 31, the second-highest figure in the European Union after Croatia, according to Eurostat data for 2025 — a trend driven largely by housing costs that continue to outpace wages.
The average age rose to 30.9 from 30.7 in 2024, compared with an EU-wide average of 26.3. Eurostat typically links earlier departures to stronger youth employment, and Greece's youth employment rate reached 56.2% in 2025, still below the EU average.
But housing affordability appears to be the dominant factor.
A one-bedroom apartment in Athens now costs the equivalent of 70.2% of the average monthly wage, while a two-bedroom unit requires 93.6%.
A separate Eurofound study found 79% of young people in Greece spend more than 40% of their income on housing — the highest share recorded among EU countries.
With rents climbing 10.1% in 2025, many young Greeks are choosing to remain in the family home longer or turn increasingly to shared housing arrangements, reflecting a broader affordability crisis reshaping how young Europeans in southern member states transition into independent adulthood.