Greek here. That 500 base salary doesn’t exist. While the nominal salary is quite low due to the huge unemployment issue, for computer programmers it is way beyond that. You’re looking at least at €1k monthly for an entry-level programmer. The real problem in Greece right now, as others have mentioned in this thread, is the insurance cost which accounts for 70% of the net salary someone receives. So if you want to pay €2k for a salary, the real cost for the corporation is about €3.5k. Which makes it really hard to employ experienced people unless you’re willing to have under-the-table agreements.