Athens is currently witnessing impressive occupancy rates in its short-term rental market, with an average of 86.3 nights occupied per unit per year. Despite this high demand, the revenue generated from these rentals remains disappointingly low, with an average annual income of just 8,796 euros per accommodation. This discrepancy highlights a troubling aspect of the rental market, as landlords struggle to achieve financial viability amidst rising operational costs and competition.

In terms of the number of accommodations, Athens has a total of 13,274 active listings, which places it in the lower half of the rankings when compared to major tourist cities like London and Paris, which host 96,182 and 95,461 listings respectively. Interestingly, while Athens exhibits an average density of listings compared to its peer cities, the ratio of listings to residents is quite high, with about 20 listings for every 1,000 residents. This statistic exceeds those of other large cities such as London (12.7), Barcelona (12.0), and Rome (14.7), signaling that Athens is approaching critical levels associated with hypertourism that is already evident in more established tourist hotspots.

These findings, reported in the Prosperty survey during the Short Stay Athens Conference 2026, suggest that Athens operates as a high-volume, low-yield market. This situation places significant pressure on landlords to maximize their income from short-term rentals to sustain their investments. The implications of this dynamic could lead to further challenges in balancing the needs of local residents with the demands of tourism, as well as addressing possible regulatory responses to manage rental markets in highly touristed urban environments.