that's not quite a fair comparison. Greece is a bunch of islands with rough terrain in much of the mainland.

A better comparison to southern California would be the Iberian peninsula. Spain and Portugal have pleasant weather and are well connected to the industrial heart of Europe.

Many want to live in these countries but most can't make a living there.

I've been to Greece and I think there are parts of Greece that I'd like to live in. Probably not practical if you need to work, but for retirement it seems like it could be very nice.