Pensioner, Leonadis (he didn't want his family name published) feels lucky he owns his own home, because many retirees in Greece have to rent.

During the decade-long economic crisis, public and private pensions were consistently cut, and Leonadis says many elderly people still don't have enough money to cover rent, bills and food.

"We are asking for our pensions to increase. The pension shouldn't drop below 700 euros [$772] a month, so that you can survive," Leonadis says, as he enjoys a morning coffee and game of cards at a neighborhood café.

Pensioners' incomes have dropped by more than 30 percent since the 2008 global financial crisis started. Retirees also make up the largest group of taxpayers in the country, because Greece has an aging population and one of the lowest birth rates in Europe.

On Monday, Greece's new center-Right government released its first budget. It wants to reduce taxes and increase public spending, as long as it reaches its target of 2.8 percent growth next year.

The New Democracy government led by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will present its budget to the European Commission on Friday.

Economic relief such as this has been a long time coming – and for many, it's come too late.

Leonadis says Greece has become a country for the old.

Up to 400,000 young people have gone to Canada, Australia or other parts of Europe to look for work because there aren't enough jobs at home.

But some have come back. 

On a street where almost every shop is closed, we see one open business, a motorbike shop. Owner, Vassilis Gianopoulos, tried to move to the United States, he was there for a few months but failed to get a permanent visa.

"People want to leave the country if they can. I didn't make it. So I'm back again. Doing the thing that I know how to do," Gianopoulos says. "Every time I talk to someone he tells me he wants to leave."

He's hoping the new government will reduce business taxes. Gianopoulos says high taxes forced the other shops to close.

Despite more than a decade of severe financial austerity, there is a cautious sense of optimism on the streets. Life has been hard, but with New Democracy promising some relief, people hope the worst days are over.

Having successfully completed its third eurozone emergency loan program to tackle its debt crisis, Greece is looking to pay back the International Monetary Fund (IMF) early.

Not bad for a country that was part of the biggest bail-out in financial history, worth more than $300 billion.

In September, Greece announced it was lifting capital controls. This means people will be able to send money overseas again. The previous government introduced a limit on international transfers during the peak of the crisis to prevent a run on the banks.

Development minister, Adonis Georgiadis, says it shows the government is confident about the state of the economy.

"The reason that we lifted this restriction now is that under this government no one is worried about having their money in the bank. We lifted capital controls and bank deposits increased," Georgiadis said.

It's difficult to get a true sense of where life is heading for Greeks. The country still has the highest unemployment rate in the eurozone, double the zone's average. The new finance minister, Christos Staikouras, has warned there are "bombs with lighted fuses" lurking in the economy.

But the Athex, the main Greek stock index, has risen by more than 40 percent since January. And Prime Minister Mitsotakis has told a business meeting in Thessaloniki the country is no longer the "black sheep" of the European Union.

The only thing you can be sure about is that it is almost the end of Greece's warm weather and long summer days of drinking ice-cold coffee frappes at outdoor cafés. So pensioners and business people are waiting to see whether New Democracy will deliver its promises to voters.