Cyprus-Forum.com

[Tim Drayton]

Cyprus is a lot cheaper than the UK ...

Are you sure you are talking about 2014, mate? Yes, fifteen or twenty years ago, that was true. I think that has changed.

[Flying Horse]

Currently, petrol is pretty much the same as the UK at the pump.

We've gotten used to paying through the nose here

[Paphitis]

Cyprus is a lot cheaper than the UK ...

Are you sure you are talking about 2014, mate? Yes, fifteen or twenty years ago, that was true. I think that has changed.

I always look at the Cypriot reality and compare it to my own and come to the viewpoint that Cyprus is much cheaper than what I am use to. But again, as I said in my post to FH, my opinion is scewed because I am not living there. Obviously, a Brit, German or Australian will find Cyprus very cheap when you earn your money in those countries but when you earn in Cyprus then maybe not so.

[Tim Drayton]

Cyprus is a lot cheaper than the UK ...

Are you sure you are talking about 2014, mate? Yes, fifteen or twenty years ago, that was true. I think that has changed.

I always look at the Cypriot reality and compare it to my own and come to the viewpoint that Cyprus is much cheaper than what I am use to. But again, as I said in my post to FH, my opinion is scewed because I am not living there. Obviously, a Brit, German or Australian will find Cyprus very cheap when you earn your money in those countries but when you earn in Cyprus then maybe not so.

Well, British tourists find Cyprus to be an expensive destination nowadays. I am simply talking about the comparative cost in cash terms, not relative to earnings, and I don't think there is lot of difference any more. The following:

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/co ... ry2=Cyprus

suggests that consumer prices here are 20% lower than in the UK. It all depends on how reliable it is and what items you put on the list. Of course the pound Sterling has gained a bit against the euro over the past 18 months or so, and prices here have at least stopped going up so much since the crisis, so Cyprus may gradually be becoming a bit cheaper again. Obviously there are things that are much cheaper here, and the equation is going to vary from person to person, depending on what they spend their money on. The general view, though, is that there is no longer much difference in the cost of living here compared to the UK, and I mean a comparison in simple cash terms, not relative to average earnings.

[Paphitis]

Tim,

Cyprus is extremely expensive in tourist zones as is the case in many other countries.

But if you know the language and know where to go, then it's not so bad.

I dunno, but I pay 4000 pa in Council Rates alone for one property. That's just one example of dozens of crappy taxes, and levies for just about everything.

Water Board is about a quarter and this new property tax is a pittance compared to the property taxes in my reality. A real pittance! Those bills make me laugh but the bills you get in Australia, and Britain I presume are just not very funny at all!

[Tim Drayton]

Tim,

Cyprus is extremely expensive in tourist zones as is the case in many other countries.

But if you know the language and know where to go, then it's not so bad.

I dunno, but I pay 4000 pa in Council Rates alone for one property. That's just one example of dozens of crappy taxes, and levies for just about everything.

Water Board is about a quarter and this new property tax is a pittance compared to the property taxes in my reality. A real pittance! Those bills make me laugh but the bills you get in Australia, and Britain I presume are just not very funny at all!

Yeah, you can pick and choose different things to prove your point. But the situation with local authority taxes also shows how fast prices are rising here. Back in 2005, as a property owner, I paid 50 Cyprus pounds to the municipality by way of compulsory charge (billed as "refuse tax"). That was equivalent to about 85 euro, and we got three refuse collections per week. In 2010 they came up with a "property tax" that you have to pay to the municipality (not to be confused with the property tax payable to the government that was introduced in 2012). This year I have had to pay my municipality 130 euro in "refuse tax" and 65.25 euro in "property tax". That makes for nearly a 230% increase in nine years. And the number of weekly refuse collections is down to two. OK. I was living in a London borough in 2001 and the amount I was paying there to the local authority was scary, and I think they only emptied your bins once a fortnight! The amount that I am paying in social insurance contributions - and these are mandatory if you are self employed - is also going up at a frightening rate. With the Cyprus state bankrupt I really wonder if there will be any end to the speed at which taxes are increasing.

Anyway, as CBBB rightly says, you have to wonder what the chances of somebody who presumably doesn't speak Greek has of getting a job in Paphos, where the economy is very dependent on tourism, now that winter is approaching. I wouldn't rate them highly, unless that person has some sort of very special skill that is in short supply.

[Flying Horse]

Anyway, as CBBB rightly says, you have to wonder what the chances of somebody who presumably doesn't speak Greek has of getting a job in Paphos, where the economy is very dependent on tourism, now that winter is approaching. I wouldn't rate them highly, unless that person has some sort of very special skill that is in short supply.

Good job the main breadwinner is fluent then

[Tim Drayton]

Anyway, as CBBB rightly says, you have to wonder what the chances of somebody who presumably doesn't speak Greek has of getting a job in Paphos, where the economy is very dependent on tourism, now that winter is approaching. I wouldn't rate them highly, unless that person has some sort of very special skill that is in short supply.

Good job the main breadwinner is fluent then

Good job indeed. There was a horrific article in the Cyprus Sunday Mail a few weeks ago about the unbelievably low pay Cypriots were working for in the Paphos hospitality industry this summer, though, and not even those jobs will be available off-season.

[Sotos]

I wish to draw on your experience and knowledge of all things Cyprus for a family moving from the UK.
Firstly, I'd like to know if any of you can give me the direction of a shipping removals company to transport a families worldly goods.

I'd then like to know what the basic(average) monthly outgoings such as rental of a 3 bed villa, Particularly in Paphos would be. Also such things as education cost, health care, electricity bills, taxes, how to go about acquiring work permits, yellow slips?

Everything and anything I need to know about. It doesn't need to be exact, but something that can be worked on for affordability etc.

Many thanks in advance.

Short answer: It depends! I mean ... 3 bed villa? Where? A brand new villa right on the beach or the center of town ... or some old house in a remote Paphos village. The price could be €350 or €3500 Same for something like health care (how healthy are you?) Things like fuel and electricity prices can be found online (I will search for you if you can't find them). Education... free for public, you pay for private. Taxes ... 19% VAT ... most of everything else it depends on your particular circumstances (how much money you make, what you own, where you live etc)