Cost of living table

[mrred99]

thanks BabsM !!

Decisions, decisions !!! very hard....just want to make sure we can live comfortably..so just doing pros and cons at the moment. My daughter would need schooling and looks like 3500 euro a year so a big chunk ! also we have 2 dogs to bring..many rental does not accept dogs....AGGGGGGHHHHH...so difficult...really want to make it work....

[BabsM]

Good luck with the decision-making. If the forum can help further please don't hesitate to ask

[Veronica]

cyprusbill.com updates prices of essential items and services weekly. The information on there is very comprehensive.

[kimonas]

Cost of living is c. 23% less than the UK but rising. Trip to doctor 30-40EUR. Last pharmacy bill 90EUR. Last weekly shopping bill (for two adults with a taste for reasonable wine, fresh fruit, single malt etc) 160EUR. Last hotel bill for a weekend stay at a 3 star hotel on the beach in Pafos for 2, 180EUR.

Some excellent local restuarants are still remarkably cheap and good value, others are expensive and poor quality - like most places, in Cyprus it's possible to make life as expensive or as cheap as you want it. But do be prepared for low salaries. Ex-pats with professional backgrounds can make a very good living locally, but salaries are internationally not competative at all. If you're lucky enough to work for an offshore company and get an international salary life will be peachy. For those expecting to make their way on local wages without independent means of income (e.g. pensions etc) life can be hard and disappointing, and the turnover of expats returning after a tough wake-up call in Cyprus where they have had their dreams come crashing down around them is quite high. Lower your expectations, and live within your means and everything should go well if you are prepared to compromise in some areas of lifestyle. As many have said on this thread, money isn't everything...

[babyblues27]

Originally Posted by kimonas

Cost of living is c. 23% less than the UK but rising

Are you sure? I have not lived in the UK as an adult, but I have heard from other Ex-Pats that the UK is more affordable than Cyprus because the wages are better over there. I know you guys have income tax and NI, but your better wages compensate for that, right? For example, if the minimum wage in Cyprus was 800 CYP (bank tellers don't earn that much here) life would seem more affordable. Money is not everything, but it is necessary if you want to live comfortably. I was offered a job in an offshore company for a monthly salary of 500 CYP. I do not think that is enough to live comfortably in Cyprus. I would think there are other countries where you would have a higher standard of living. Cyprus is nice and sunny, but I don't think it has as many opportunities for younger working couples. You might find this article interesting.

[Veronica]

Originally Posted by babyblues27

Are you sure? I have not lived in the UK as an adult, but I have heard from other Ex-Pats that the UK is more affordable than Cyprus because the wages are better over there. I know you guys have income tax and NI, but your better wages compensate for that, right? For example, if the minimum wage in Cyprus was 800 CYP (bank tellers don't earn that much here) life would seem more affordable. Money is not everything, but it is necessary if you want to live comfortably. I was offered a job in an offshore company for a monthly salary of 500 CYP. I do not think that is enough to live comfortably in Cyprus. I would think there are other countries where you would have a higher standard of living. Cyprus is nice and sunny, but I don't think it has as many opportunities for younger working couples. You might find this article interesting.

My family in the UK are finding that the cost of living is increasing at such a rate of knots that it is becoming more and more difficult to make ends meet.
It is all very well looking at tables of wages throughout europe but you have to take many other considerations into account.
The cold climate and astronomical cost of heating a house means that many people now find it increasingly difficult to keep warm, and the last few years the summers have been so bad that heating in many parts of the Uk has been needed most of the year.
Whenever we go over to visit our families we cannot wait to get back to Cyprus, to the warm weather and relaxed lifestyle. Higher wages would never make up for the cold damp climate, the grey miserable faces and the increasingly high crime rate.
We watch the Uk news every day and almost on a daily basis another young person has been stabbed to death.
Give me Cyprus any day.