Long term rental on a Greek Island

search for a reasonable summer rental.

What does 'reasonable' mean to you?

How big a place do you want? (how many people are you looking to house?)

Do be mindful of the Schengen 90 day rule

Owners prefer to rent their properties for short-term stays, it's more profitable.

For the same level of comfort and size, accommodation prices can vary tenfold depending on the location in Greece. Therefore, you should specify where in Greece. On the mainland, in which region? In the mountains? By the sea? On an island? In which island group?

What type of accommodation? An apartment or a house?

Here are some examples of Greek websites where you can search. They will give you an idea of ​​prices:

https://www.xe.gr/en/property/s/property-to-rent

https://www.spitogatos.gr/en/rent

Looking for a studio or 1 bedroom for my husband and I for the summertime on an island with ferry service and access to buying food to make ourselves for most meals. We are simple, ideally somewhere where we can walk (we live at 9000ft and are very active people) or take public transportation or long term rental scooters/tiny car, and have access to beaches, nature, less touristy the better, but we don’t want to negatively impact locals access to housing either. We are aware of the visa limitations. Thank you for your thoughts.

Just looking at location, there are at least 150 Greek islands that could match what you're looking for.

They all have more or less regular year-round ferry service to meet the transportation and supply needs of their residents. Consequently, every island has grocery stores (sometimes several supermarkets), car or scooter rentals, and most basic everyday services for locals: pharmacies, schools, doctors, police, etc.

If you want an island that serves as a convenient base for visiting other nearby islands, there are a few good options in every single Greek island group, but since you mentioned looking for a "less touristy" island, you'll need to cross a few off your list for the summer season:

• The Cyclades: Skip the 5 most touristy islands (out of about 20): Santorini, Mykonos, Paros, Naxos, and Milos.

• The Dodecanese: Skip Rhodes and Kos.

• The Ionian Islands: Avoid Corfu, Kefalonia, and Zakynthos.

• The Saronic Gulf Islands: Rule out Hydra and Aegina.

• The Sporades: Forget about Skiathos and Skopelos.

• The North Aegean Islands: Lesbos is the most popular/crowded one here.

Finding a long-term rental during the summer is going to be tough on any of these islands. It’s already a major crisis for the tens of thousands of seasonal workers coming from the mainland for summer tourism jobs—they heavily struggle to find affordable housing themselves.

I purposely left out Crete. Even though it’s the most visited Greek island, it is so massive that you can easily find a spot completely tucked away from the tourist crowds.

The choice is yours!

To help guide your research, nothing beats the official Greek tourism website. Just click on "Places to go":

https://www.visitgreece.gr/

Personally, having really enjoyed the island of Kalymnos where we were last year, I would have loved to spend two months there for €800/month.
From Kalymnos, it's easy to reach the other Dodecanese islands by ferry.

https://www.spitogatos.gr/en/property/2112690767?gallery=true

Have you tried Airbnb?

You can get discounts for long term rentals.

Could be difficult to find something for summer especially if it's this summer.

Most places have already been booked.

If you are looking for islands that don't get over run by tourists even during summer but still have everything one would want in a Greek Island check out:

Lemnos

Kythira (https://pyrgoshouse.com/

Pyrgos House specializes in non-traditional accommodations mostly in rebuilt/modernized old homes that are totally updated and modern. I can highly recommend them as I used them for my accommodations.

If you consider Kythira email them directly and ask if they have anything available for what you are looking for. The owner of the website is wonderful and will do his best to help you.

Then there is always the Peloponnese where you'll find more options as it's a huge area and doesn't get the hype like the islands do.