Building in Greece? Read the full quote as construction costs rise

Before choosing a builder, put competing quotations against the same project description. The most useful comparison is what each price buys, how long it remains valid and which items still need a separate allowance.

What the official cost index measures

ELSTAT’s 23 October release shows Greece’s construction cost input index up 4.8% year on year and 1.4% quarter on quarter in Q3 2026. It tracks material and labour inputs for new residential buildings; it does not measure home sale prices or price your individual project.

Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) · 2026-10-23

Give each contractor the same brief

Use the same drawings, specifications and area measurement when requesting prices. Ask each contractor to identify departures from that brief. A lower total is difficult to interpret if it assumes different windows, finishes or work outside the building.

Request an explicit list of included and excluded items. Ask about site preparation, delivery, connections, professional fees and taxes where relevant, and record the answer beside the quote. These are questions to resolve for the project, not assumptions that every quotation contains the same charges.

Separate firm prices from allowances

Mark the lines that are fixed, provisional or excluded. For a provisional amount, ask what it covers and how the final charge will be established. If a price per square metre is offered, confirm both the area definition and the work included.

A quote excluding windows cannot be compared fairly with one including them until the missing scope is priced. Resolve that difference before deciding that one contractor offers better value.

Read the dates and change terms

Ask when the quotation expires, which costs may be revised and how substitutions or additional work will be approved. Review unclear terms with the appropriate professional before agreeing.

Build the project budget with your engineer or cost adviser using its actual conditions and outstanding uncertainties. The national index is a reason to examine the quote carefully; it is not a percentage to add automatically to every budget or a forecast of the next invoice.

Prepared 29 October 2026 from ELSTAT’s 23 October official release. Annual and quarterly comparisons refer to the construction cost input index, not the separate work-categories index. The quotation checklist is editorial guidance; project prices and contractual obligations require their own assessment.

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