Living in Poland, Portugal, Greece and Spain: cost of living, housing and residency rules for Australians

Apartments in Poland sold for an average of 8,970 złoty per square metre in 2024, with a median of 8,257 złoty, according to Statistics Poland (GUS)⁷. In Warsaw, the average price was 15,850 złoty per square metre, compared with 13,738 złoty in Kraków.

Apartment prices in Poland were 6.3 per cent higher in the June quarter 2026 than a year earlier, with increases of 6.5 per cent for new apartments and 6.1 per cent for existing apartments⁸.

Resale apartments in Warsaw had an average sale price of 16,723 złoty per square metre in the June quarter of 2026, according to a survey by Poland's central bank, Narodowy Bank Polski (NBP), covering March to May⁹. That is about A$6,220 at the September 2026 average exchange rate. New apartments in Warsaw averaged 16,783 złoty per square metre, or about A$6,240¹⁰.

Housing rents in Poland rose 3.6 per cent in the year to August 2026, according to Eurostat's measure of consumer price changes¹¹. No official average rent figure for Poland was available.

Housing costs accounted for 34.6 per cent of disposable household income in Greece in 2025, compared with 18.9 per cent across the European Union, according to Eurostat's income and living conditions survey¹⁵. The share was 16.3 per cent in Portugal, 16.0 per cent in Spain and 15.8 per cent in Poland.

The housing cost overburden rate measures the percentage of people living in households that spend more than 40 per cent of their disposable income on housing.

Greece recorded the highest housing cost overburden rate among the four countries in 2025, at 26.4 per cent of the population, compared with 7.2 per cent in Spain, 6.3 per cent in Portugal and 4.1 per cent in Poland¹⁶.

Apartment prices in Greece rose 5.5 per cent in the year to the June quarter of 2026, according to provisional Bank of Greece data¹⁷. Apartment prices rose 5.0 per cent in Athens and 4.7 per cent in Thessaloniki over the same period.

Apartment prices in Greece were 14.2 per cent above their 2007 level in the June quarter 2026, with the apartment price index at 114.2¹⁸. Apartment prices increased by an average of 9.1 per cent in 2024 and 8.3 per cent in 2025¹⁷.

Rents for dwellings in Greece were 5.9 per cent higher in September 2026 than a year earlier, according to the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) consumer price index¹⁹.

Poland recorded the lowest estimated cost of living among the four countries in August 2026, at A$53 for a basket of household goods and services costing A$100 in Australia, according to estimates from the OECD²⁵. The same basket was estimated to cost A$67 in Spain and A$63 in both Portugal and Greece.

In 2021, Australia's price difference with each of the four countries was larger for housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels than for food and non-alcoholic beverages, restaurants and hotels, or overall household consumption, according to the World Bank International Comparison Program (ICP)²⁶. Australia's price level for housing and utilities was 257.5, compared with the world average of 100, while the figures were 148.5 in Spain, 116.6 in Portugal, 101.5 in Greece and 55.1 in Poland.

Eurostat's preliminary 2025 figures for housing and utility costs were 52.2 in Poland, 76.6 in Greece, 81.1 in Portugal and 98.1 in Spain, compared with the European Union average of 100²⁷.

Portugal's house price index was 3.01 times its 2015 level in the June quarter of 2026, compared with 2.29 times in Poland, 2.01 times in Spain and 1.69 times across the European Union²⁸.

Consumer prices in Australia rose 4.0 per cent in the 12 months to August 2026, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)²⁹. Over the same period, consumer prices measured using Eurostat's harmonised index rose 4.6 per cent in Spain, 3.7 per cent in Greece, 3.6 per cent in Portugal and 3.5 per cent in Poland³⁰.

The ABS consumer price index and Eurostat's harmonised index are calculated using different methods, so the inflation rates are not directly comparable.

Household spending in Australia is covered in CheckRate's cost of living in Australia.

Australian citizens can stay in Poland, Portugal, Greece and Spain without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, a limit that applies across the whole Schengen area, according to Smartraveller⁴⁷. Stays longer than 90 days require a national visa or residence permit from the country concerned.

None of the four countries is on Smartraveller's list of Schengen countries with special visa-waiver agreements that may allow Australian citizens to stay longer than 90 days⁴⁷.

The European Union's Entry/Exit System, which electronically records when travellers from outside the EU enter and leave, has been fully operational since 10 April 2026⁴⁸. The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), a pre-travel authorisation that will cost €20, is not yet in operation and has no announced start date⁴⁹.

Each country has different visa and residency requirements for longer stays:

Portugal issues residency visas for retirees, people who receive income without working, and remote workers, according to its Ministry of Foreign Affairs⁵⁰. A remote worker must show average monthly income over the previous three months of at least four times the minimum monthly wage, or €3,680 in 2026⁵¹. The minimum income requirement for retirees starts at €920 a month, the minimum wage, for the first adult⁵².

Spain's non-lucrative residence visa, which does not allow work, requires a monthly income of at least €2,400, equivalent to 400 per cent of the IPREM income indicator, plus €600 for each dependent family member⁵³. Spain's international teleworker visa requires monthly income of 200 per cent of the monthly minimum wage of €1,221, equal to €2,442 in 2026⁵⁴.

Greece grants a three-year residence permit for financially independent people, which does not allow employment, to applicants with income of at least €3,500 a month⁵⁵. Greece's digital nomad visa has the same monthly income requirement. Both thresholds increase by 20 per cent for a spouse and 15 per cent for each child.

Poland grants temporary residence permits for between three months and three years, but its listed permit categories do not include retirement or income from savings and investments⁵⁶. Poland's temporary residence category for other circumstances covers specific cases, such as people taking up or continuing studies or vocational training, and requires a stable and regular source of income sufficient to cover living costs.

Australia also has reciprocal Work and Holiday arrangements with all four countries, according to the Department of Home Affairs⁵⁷. Spain offers 3,400 places a year to Australian citizens aged 18 to 30⁵⁸, while Portugal grants up to 500 visas a year to Australian citizens aged 18 to 31⁵⁹.