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Astypalaia on a budget: how to do it well
Short answer
Yes, if you go outside August and share costs: a realistic minimum is about €80 a day per person sharing a room — around €35 for a bed, €25 for food, €5 for sights and €15 for a shared car or scooter. Travelling alone, the room and transport costs bite harder.
A realistic daily budget
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing) | €35 | €65 | €140 |
| Food & drink | €25 | €45 | €80 |
| Sights & tickets | €5 | €20 | €40 |
| Local transport | €15 | €30 | €45 |
| Per person, per day | €80 | €160 | €305 |
Approximate 2026 prices, two people sharing a room. From our Astypalaia day-cost table.
Free things to do
- Walking up the stepped lanes of Chora to the Kastro of the Querini family
- The white church of Panagia Portaitissa below the castle
- Sunset at the row of windmills at the entrance to Chora
- Swimming at the town beaches of Pera Gialos and Livadi
- The Roman-era baths with floor mosaics outside Maltezana, seen from the path
- Steno beach at the narrowest point of the island
Cheap eats
- Cheese pie and koulouri from a Chora bakery — about €2–4
- Fava and a Greek salad to share at a taverna — about €6–10 each
- Grilled meat or octopus main — about €12–20
- Full taverna meal with house wine — about €18–30 per person
- Picnic of local chlori cheese, bread and fruit from a mini-market — under €10
Where to sleep for less
Budget travellers usually stay in rooms to let and studios in Livadi, at about €50–90 a night for a double, or in simpler rooms around Pera Gialos. There are no large hostels, so solo travellers pay close to the double rate. Book early for July and August.
Getting around cheaply
Share a small hire car (about €40–70 a day in summer) or take a scooter (about €20–35). Without wheels, base yourself in Chora or Pera Gialos and use the small bus service and the on-demand electric minibus for Livadi and Maltezana. Ferries from Piraeus are usually cheaper than the flight from Athens but take roughly 8–10 hours.
A sample budget day
- Morning: bakery breakfast in Chora (about €4), then the free walk up to the Kastro and Panagia Portaitissa
- Lunch: picnic on Livadi beach (about €8)
- Afternoon: swim at Pera Gialos, then a scooter ride to Steno (shared fuel and hire about €15)
- Evening: sunset at the windmills, then a taverna dinner of fava, salad and grilled meat with house wine (about €18)
- Total: about €80 including a shared room (about €35)
More ways to save
- Travel in June or September, when rooms and car hire are cheaper and the sea is still warm.
- Stay at least four nights; some studios give better rates for longer stays.
- Hire a car only for the days you go west or east, and walk between Chora, Pera Gialos and Livadi on the others.
- Choose one paid highlight — the boat trip — and keep the other days for free beaches.
- Order meze and grilled dishes to share rather than fish by the kilo.
- Book ferries early in summer; cheaper deck seats are fine for daytime crossings.
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Common questions
Can you visit Astypalaia on a budget?
Yes, outside August. Stay in Livadi, share a car or scooter, eat at tavernas and plan on about €80 a day per person.
Can I visit Astypalaia without a car?
Partly. Chora, Pera Gialos and Livadi are walkable, and a small bus and on-demand minibus serve the main villages, but the best dirt-road beaches need a car or a boat trip.
Is the ferry or the plane cheaper to Astypalaia?
The ferry from Piraeus is usually cheaper but takes roughly 8–10 hours. The flight from Athens takes about an hour.