Student accommodation a hard burden to bear
Despite the fact that 74 percent of householders are homeowners in Greece, the cost of accommodation, rent that is, is an intolerable burden on the family budget, especially if there is a child attending university in a different town. At the same time, high levels of unemployment among university graduates compel families to support their children financially for several years following their graduation. More specifically, to rent a small flat for a youngster studying in another town costs a Greek family an average of 2,000 euros a year, while the annual countrywide total reaches 191 million euros. Add to this the fact that the cost of rent for the main family home arrives at an annual countrywide total of 1.7 billion euros, and the picture looks quite bleak. While this figure may be significantly lower than in other European Union countries, the disparity in incomes closes the gap. In the year 2004, therefore, Greeks are called upon to spend a large part of their incomes on goods and services such as healthcare and education, which a real social security state – one that respects its citizens – should provide itself.
