Cyprus-Forum.com

[souroul]

there's some basis to the above but many points are exaggerated. theres no water/electricity problem, it was very short lived following the blast, ( about a month)

[kurupetos]

there's some basis to the above but many points are exaggerated. theres no water/electricity problem, it was very short lived following the blast, ( about a month)

There are long power shortages in the US after a hurricane.

[Sotos]

I'm from the US and have lived in Limassol for just over 22 years. You really should consider carefully what you're getting yourself into. The cost of living here is at least double what it is in the States, of course depending on where you are in the US. Could be as much as three times! People are, in general, not so friendly and getting anything done is nearly impossible. The infrastructure is a mess and the cost of living goes up and up. The government just blew up it's own power station so the price of electricity has gone even higher. (It was the highest in Europe already) Not only that but because of the lack of electricity the water supply is in serious trouble, again...... As a foreigner you will be treated as a second class citizen. If you need a car be prepared to pay three times what you would in the States for one. Also the gas is about $7.00 a gallon and milk is over $8.00 per gallon. I spend a thousand Euros a month on private lessons for the kids, about 800 on food, add in the car tax, insurance, electric bills, phone bills, sewer charges, garbage collection fees, etc., etc. and it cost me around Euro 5000 to survive in paradise. My kids are a bit older though. They speak fluent Greek, but the education system is so bad here that you have to educate your kids after school. i.e. pay the same teachers who babysit during the day to actually teach them something in the afternoon. Unless of course you want to pay between 10,000 and 15,000 for private school. The one good thing Cyprus had going for it was that it was a safe place to live. With the influx of undesirables that's not the case anymore. I've recently installed CCTV and security systems throughout my property. My advice to my kids is to study Stateside and never look back. My oldest is in Boston already earning almost as much as I do fresh out of college. I would have been long gone were it not for my stubborn Cypriot wife. If you have bags of cash it can be a decent place to live, but Euro 3500 won't go far. And if you're looking to buy a house, stay in the US and with the same money buy three. Rent two and use the income to pay for the third. If you're up for some real adventure and prepared to face ridiculous challenges then go for it. Good Luck.

Products are usually more expensive in Cyprus but many services are cheaper. Overall the cost of living in Cyprus is certainly not double ... it can be half, depending on with what place in the USA you are comparing it with and what your lifestyle is. Europe in general is in on average more expensive than the USA for many things though. Most people in Cyprus are friendly, if your impression is different that is probably due to your own behavior ... if you are not friendly with others then you will not get a friendly response. The cuts in electricity lasted for less than a month and there were never any water cuts due to this nor there will be any. As a foreigner you are not a second class citizen ... you are not a citizen at all. Cars are more expensive here but gas is among the cheapest in EU. Public schools in Cyprus are better than public schools in the USA on average. About houses the cost depends on with where in the US you are comparing with ... the middle of nowhere in North Dakota or Manhattan? Property in Cyprus is nowhere as cheap as the first and nowhere as expensive as the second. On average the population density in Cyprus is almost 3 times more than that in the USA so it is expected that on average land will be more expensive here. Also, most cheap houses in the USA are small wooden ones. A good quality custom made house in Cyprus uses methods and materials that in the USA are usually only used in commercial buildings.

[supporttheunderdog]

[quote="alemoro]

Why Cyprus?
And if u just think to have a minimu cultural life here...well..better to buy lot of books, stay at home and read....Nothing t do here...cypriot seems they are not interested at all in culture...[/quote]

What sad b*st*rd Alemoro is: Cyprus is not the Cultural desert he makes out: fair enough with a population of about 800,000, total, and the bigest city with about 236,000, one is not going to get the range of entertainments that are on tap in other cities with several million inhabitants, but there are events, eg those organised by, for example the Phraos Arts trust, or the opera at Paphos, Shakespear at Curium, various visting artists, dance troops, ballets, etc., to keep one entertained throughout the year.

[CBBB]

[quote="alemoro]

Why Cyprus?
And if u just think to have a minimu cultural life here...well..better to buy lot of books, stay at home and read....Nothing t do here...cypriot seems they are not interested at all in culture...[/quote]

What sad b*st*rd Alemoro is: Cyprus is not the Cultural desert he makes out: fair enough with a population of about 800,000, total, and the bigest city with about 236,000, one is not going to get the range of entertainments that are on tap in other cities with several million inhabitants, but there are events, eg those organised by, for example the Phraos Arts trust, or the opera at Paphos, Shakespear at Curium, various visting artists, dance troops, ballets, etc., to keep one entertained throughout the year.[/quote]

And lots of culturally enlightening pubs that provide intelligent conversation and serve KEO!