Greece recorded some of the highest annual price increases in the European Union in December 2025, with sharp rises across food, housing, transport and consumer goods—adding to already steep cumulative increases since 2019.
According to Eurostat data, Greece ranks first in the EU in annual increases for several key categories, intensifying pressure on households amid a prolonged cost-of-living crisis.
Meat Prices Lead the Surge
- Meat (overall): Greece ranks 1st in the EU with a 13.2% annual increase. Since 2019, prices have surged by 49.17%.
- Yogurt: 1st in the EU with a 9% annual rise; up 24.75% compared to 2019.
- Beef: 2nd highest annual increase in the EU at 26.9%, with prices soaring 73.16% since 2019.
- Lamb and goat: 12.2% annual increase (3rd in the EU); up 63.45% over six years.
- Pork: 5.6% annual rise (3rd in the EU); up 37.29% since 2019.
Food Inflation Remains Persistent
- Fruit: 10.6% annual increase (4th in the EU); +35.94% since 2019.
- Baby food: 5.9% annually (4th); +30.85% over six years.
- Chocolate: 20% annual jump (5th); +58.49% since 2019.
- Fresh milk: 9.9% annual increase (5th); +31.14% since 2019.
- Coffee: 20.9% annual rise (7th); +47.87% over six years.
- Food overall: 3.6% annual increase (7th); +36.53% since 2019.
- Fish and seafood: 4.2% annual rise (9th); +27.74% since 2019.
- Butter: 3.7% annually (9th); +26.02% since 2019.
- Bread: 2.5% annual increase (10th); +36.52% since 2019.
Housing, Travel and Services Also Up
- Rents: 8.4% annual increase (5th in the EU); +27.45% since 2019.
- Housing, water, electricity, gas: 3.9% annually (11th); +25.39% since 2019.
- Airfares: 12.2% annual rise (3rd); prices have more than doubled since 2019 (+113.03%).
- Domestic holiday packages: 9% annual increase (5th); +50.59% since 2019.
- International holiday packages: 5.9% annually (10th); +38.21% since 2019.
- Restaurants and cafés: 7.3% annual rise (5th); +29.20% over six years.
Consumer Goods and Other Categories
- New cars: 2.7% annual increase (2nd in the EU); +29.19% since 2019.
- Clothing (overall): 2.3% annual rise (5th); +18.31% since 2019.
- Women’s clothing: +2.2% annually; +20.27% since 2019.
- Men’s clothing: +2.2% annually; +15.44% since 2019.
- Footwear: 0.5% annual increase (9th); +13.09% since 2019.
- Toys and celebration items: 2.5% annually (5th); +10.94% since 2019.
- Telecommunications & internet services: 4.4% annual increase (8th), though prices remain 12.28% lower than in 2019.
A Six-Year Accumulation of Increases
While some annual increases in 2025 may appear moderate compared to the peak inflation years, the cumulative effect since 2019 reveals a sustained and significant erosion of purchasing power. In several essential categories—particularly meat, dairy, travel and hospitality—Greek consumers are paying dramatically more than they did six years ago.
The data highlight that Greece continues to rank among the EU’s highest in price growth across multiple everyday goods and services, underscoring the ongoing strain on household budgets.