If you’ve settled on Greece as your dream destination for a holiday home overseas or are even considering emigrating, you’re probably now looking at areas in more detail.

Greece is about the size of England or New York state, with over 3,000 islands in the Mediterranean waters. Greece delivers on every front for those seeking a new life abroad. Today, we will be taking a look at Crete, the largest and most populous Greek island. Can you see yourself living in Crete?

Lifestyle in Crete

Crete is an active and lively island with year-round activities to keep you busy – perfect for retirees. People from the island primarily identify as Cretan and secondly as Greek. Cretans are known for their tough attitude and proud heritage. This dates to World War II when the Germans were not able to effectively ‘take’ the island and some sources cite the Cretan resistance being pivotal in the eventual victory of the allies.

Greek locals are known for their welcoming nature and friendly attitude so if you’re a social one, you’ll fit right in living in Crete! Life in Crete is quite laidback, and you get to enjoy all the benefits of island life. This includes beautiful beaches, a laidback lifestyle and year-round sun.

Crete weather

Crete has a temperate Mediterranean climate with an average yearly temperature of 22°C. Temperatures vary significantly between the coastal zone and mountainous areas of the island due to its position.

Winters are usually mild and rainy, with lows of 15°C in January and February, while summers are hot and dry. Temperatures reach highs of 29.5°C in July and August which see next-to-no rain at all.

International buyers flock to Crete as it typically enjoys over 8 hours of sunshine a day, which goes up to 12 the summer months.

Excellent cuisine

It’s said that Crete is one of the few Greek islands that can support itself without tourism. That’s why those living in Crete were able to get by during the Covid-19 outbreak. The mountainous and coastal island is lively most of the year due to local agriculture and industry.

Food in Crete is built on several basic elements: olive oil, herbs, fish and seafood, goat or lamb meat and vegetables. The techniques used in Cretan cooking are relatively simple and easy to adopt. It’s the variety of local produce that characterizes each dish.

Some of the most popular local meals include..

• Meze or Mezede (Greek version of Spanish tapas)
• Dakos or Isdakos (twice-baked barley bread with tomatoes, olive oil, tomatoes and Greek cheese)
• Saganaki (deep fried cheese slices)
• Dolmathakia or dolmades (Stuffed vine leaves, sometimes made with courgette and chopped vegetables)
• Greek salad
• Kefedes (lamb meatballs with mint, cheese and tzatziki)
• Slouvlaki
• Moussaka

Basically, vegetarians won’t have a hard time living in Crete as a lot of Cretan cuisine centres around fresh vegetables from local farmers. However, if you do have a palate for meat, you won’t be disappointed as there’s lots of hearty and healthy dishes to discover.

Cost of living in Greece

The Overseas Cost of Living Index from PropertyGuides, 2023, revealed that it’s considerably cheaper to live in Greece than the UK. This comes even with the current global cost-of-living crisis. The index covers all types of things you’d need when living in Crete, from toiletries to essential services.

Here are a few things that the survey revealed:

• Travel costs are the lowest in Greece and Cyprus
• Hobbies and leisure activities are the cheapest in Greece
• Decorating supplies are 15% more expensive in Greece
• Electricity in Greece is considerably cheaper than the UK and Italy

Overall, out of the seven countries surveyed, Greece came out as second cheapest to live in overall.

For a more in-depth look at the Cost of Living Index, head to PropertyGuides today.

Browse homes in Crete today on Rightmove Overseas