kenneth
i can advise
I moved here a few months ago, and went in blind,
now:
your wage is unbelievably incredibly fantastic comapred to the highest earners in cyprus never mind anyone else
but beware, this is not to say that because wages are sh*te, cost of living is reasonable.
Because of Greed, and the fact that the market is small and competition is low, and most goods are put up for export.......the cost of the basics (milk, bread ,coca cola, butter, cheese, etc etc) are the same if not more expensive that back in the UK.
They seem to think that it is ok to charge Italian style prices for good in Cyprus, which bares no relation to the state of the market and economy. it is just plain stupid ,and people are struggling.
renting propery is around £200 per month for a one bedroom, £350-£400 for a 2 bed house with garden and extras...so not toooo bad but when you think there is a massive supply demand disparity, it is a bit much. There are tons of empty homes for sale and let, and not enough punters out there to justify the cost.
petrol: cheap. prob cheapest in europe. has come down in recent weeks as the bubbles kicked up so much of a fuss. lets see gordon brown be that generous with tax payers money.
it is around 52 cent a litre, so 60p. as you can see. very good.
booze and fags: perversely enough, these vices are grotesquely undertaxed and therefore cheap as chips. apart from cans and bottles of beer, which are piss take prices.
Shop at the following places.
Kokkinos in paralimni
Orphanides in Larnaca and Nicosia.
they are the cheapest, although as i have said, the prices are piss take and they have not figured out the concept of economies of scale. So when you see an 8 pack of beer for sale, dont presum it is cheaper to buy the 8 pack than 8 individual cans. bollocks. i thought that and soon realised the greek supermarket owners havent a bloody clue how to price sh1t up. its a joke. keep an eye on the price labels.
you will find you spend over a hundred pounds on a weekly to a ten dayer shop, and still have to keep topping up on the basics.
Beripteros (kiosks) are small newsagenty type shops that abound. they are a rip off. avoid where poss.
Bakeries....nice stuff, but dear. Zorbas is the best.
Clothes: cheap, not bad, but quality lacking. so keep to the marks and sparks if you want your stuff to last.
Cars: SCANDALOUS RIP OFF!!!!!
Please, dont even get me started.
ok - take the value of a car back in UK. Now times it by around 4 or 5. that is what you'll pay.
hope this helps