Hi, we're living the same dream as you and also need info on schooling and businesses. Maybe we could club together with information to make this dream a reality. Sharon.wright2@virgin.net

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Where are planning to live in Cyprus.
I live in Limassol, my daughter goes to nursery at the moment (approx. CYP 100 per month) but iun September she will go to Foley's school which is one of the more popular english speaking schools. Fees start from around CYP 2,000 upto CYP 4,000 the older the child, have a look at the website
http://www.foleysschool.com
The other english speaking schools in Limassol are
The Heritage
http://www.heritageschool.ac.cy/
Logos

Grammar School
http://www.grammarschool.com.cy/
There may be a couple more but I do not know the names

I have copied a response I did for a few people over the last couple of years, some of the info may be slightly dated.


Climate.
Much depends on where in Cyprus you reside. Humidity levels near the coast
can be high and unpleasant it becomes worse once it gets dark as any breeze that may have been around in the daytime dies down. Most people in the coastal areas have air condition units in all or parts of the house. We havethem in the bedrooms only.
In the mountain areas or the hills above Paphos the air is less humid and
you may not need to use your air conditioning very much. A simple fan moving the air around your room can keep you feeling comfortable. You do become used to the heat most of the time but even we get tired of it in August All of the shops and restaurants have Air con so no problem there. You do not want to walk too far in the summer months but if you do, wear a hat,
drink plenty of water and layer on the suncream.

Cost of Living
Basically we spend about CYP 100 per week on grocery shopping . This bill usually includes copious amount of wine and beer !!
I have detailed some points re cost of living that I have used for other people enquiring about Cyprus this should help.

What you will find cheaper than U.K.
Cars, fuel, road tax, maintenance and insurance.

Food (Especially fruit,vegetables, bread and meat).

Property taxes (Community charge) usually under
£100.00 per year, and your bins get emptied twice a week!

Smoking and drinking.

Bottled gas for heating and cooking.

Shoes. Optical care.

Town centre parking.

Eating out.
Telephone calls


What you will find similar in price to the U.K.
Electrical goods. Electricity. Postal charges.

What you may find more expensive than the U.K.
Satellite T.V. subscription (However, if you already have Sky T.V. in the
U.K. combined with the TV licence cost it works out cheaper) Cypriot T.V. is
free, and is fine for the English News and the odd film.
English newspapers and magazines and books. In Limassol there is a book
swap shop which all of the expats use, I not sure if they have such a thing
in Paphos.


Metered water because it is a precious commodity it is slightly dearer than
the U.K. You will use more than in the U.K because of garden watering and swimming pool maintenance.
Internet facilities

What you need to allow for in Cyprus that you may not require in the U.K.
Private medical and dental insurance. .A visit to the Doctor will usually
cost C£15.00 and you will get a 40 minute consultation. Prescriptions are
often cheaper than the U.K. The standard of health and dental care is
excellent, and puts the National Health Service to shame. However, the warm,
dry, sunny climate, combined with a healthy Mediterranean diet, clean air,
and a stress free life, will miraculously make you feel a lot better in
yourself. Aches, pains, depression and general gloominess just seem to melt
away in the relaxed and easily affordable lifestyle.


Flights back to the U.K. and International telephone charges have been reduced over recent months the savings are immense particularly with the telephone bills, it now costs around CYP 4 per hour to the UK..

Swiiming Pool
We do not have a pool, some properties have their own pool others have a
communal pool. Swimming pool maintenance, usually about C£50.00 per month.
However, do this yourself and you will only need about C£10.00 -C£15.00 per
month for the various chemicals and electricity to power the pumps and
filtration systems.


Best Area to reside

Most retired expats head for Paphos, there are currently 15,000 British
expats living in Paphos.
Others have purchased property in the lower mountain areas few minutes from
Limassol, Larnaca or Nicosia. For working expatriates, Limassol and Nicosia
are the commerce centres and consequently this working expat sector make up
the biggest part of foreigners in these areas.

Work
If you intend to work, there is a requirement for a work permit, this is a
different permit to the one that you would receive if you were a retiree. All of this will probably change in May when Cyprus joins the Eu but it is difficult to get clarification from the government on this.
the tax situation is also different. What type of work were you intending to
do? You can open a company here. Corporation tax is now 10%

My accountant would be pleased to help you obtain the appropriate residence
permit and help with incorporation of a company if this is your desire.



Socialising
My husband is German and works in the shipping sector here, I too worked for
a mutual fund company and a bank here in Cyprus before I set my own company
up so we both met many people through our work. Our friends are a mixture of
nationalities, British, German, Cypriot, Dutch,American and probably others
that I cannot think of at the moment. It is very easy to make friends here,
once you meet one lot of people they will introduce you to another lot and
so it goes on. There are plenty of clubs and associations here as well as
the usual Rotary, Round Table etc.
There is a fitness club or Gym on every street corner which is how a few
people meet up. There are a few good golf courses here, although this is
only what I have heard as I do not play golf myself.
I think that providing that the British people who come here show respect
for their fellow neighbours and environment and try to adopt some of the
local traditions then the Cypriot people are happy. They are in the main a
wonderful bunch and usually only too willing to help in anyway they can.

This is a true story. Copied from an article I read, so apologies to the writer for using it.
An English couple were travelling up to the Troodos mountains on a Sunday,
and came upon what they thought was a taverna with a large table. There were
seats available, so they decided that they would join the table and have a
meal. They ordered drinks and were promptly served. They then ordered what
everyone else appeared to be eating and were invited to help themselves and
eat as much as they wanted. They enjoyed a most pleasant meal and a lively
conversation with the Cypriots eating at the table. When the meal ended they
asked for the bill only to find out they had been eating at a private house,
and had joined the extended family for Sunday lunch. The Cypriots had made
them most welcome, had been honoured by their company, and would not hear of
accepting money. Could that happen in the U.K.?



We really love living here. As we both work, most days are the same as any
other in any other country apart from waking up to blue skies nearly all
year round and being able to have a b-b-q whenever we want. Also being
able to head for the beach without it being a major excursion. Just the
outdoor life in general is something that you think of as a real treat in
Northern Europe but is every day life here.
I have listed a few other points that may be of interest

Cars
Purchase Price: A duty free car will be about 60% of U.K. cost.
Duty free cars are being phased out as I write this article


Servicing: Excellent and totally honest mechanics. 50% of U.K. costs

Fuel: Less than 50% of U.K. cost although has gone up a couple of times recently. Today iot cost me CYP 14 to fill my little Toyota Yaris.

Road Tax: About C£25.00 per annum for Toyota Yaris, CYP 125.00 for Mitsubishi Eurocab (4WD)

Insurance: Approximately 50% cheaper than the U.K.


A real treat is having your car cleaned
You park your car and go and have a drink in the reception. Your car is pressure
washed, leathered dry, the inside is thoroughly vacuumed,
the upholstery is sprayed with a pleasant antiseptic, and the inside windows
cleaned. Finally a spray of silicone on the tyres to make them black and
glossy, and your car is ready. Costs CYP4.00. Usually give a CYP1.00 tip.

I am sure there are so many other aspects of Cyprus that aren't covered here
but please let me know if you have any other queries, If I can help I will
if not I am bound to know a man who can!

When I am in the sea just floating on my back with the sun beating down
feeling ever so relaxed I remember that I only live 5 minutes away and that
I can do this as often as I wish. That is when I feel like the luckiest
person in the world. Mind you we spent the weekend in the mountains last weekend it was minus 4!!! But very picturesque with all the snow and pine trees.

Vivian

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Message to Vivian.

Thank you for so much very useful information. Your posting was probably more useful than many sites I have found on Cyprus!

Wonder if I could 'pick your brains' on a couple of things?

I'm hoping to move out to Paphos, with my mother, around September time. But having trouble finding some info - particularly on pensions, employment and dogs!!

Do you know anything about the change in quarantine laws in Cyprus? I have heard that the 6 month home quarantine is no longer required when importing dogs to Cyprus. although haven't found anything official yet.

My mother is 53yrs, and is hoping to find work of some kind. Do you know whether she will be able to make NI contributions back in the uk, in order to keep up with her pension contributions?

Finally, I am a qualified primary school teacher. Do you know whether there is much demand for primary teachers in Cyprus, or is finding employment going to be difficult?

Thank you in advance for any help you may be able to give me.

Carleen

carleen.collins@virgin.net

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Carleen
I with my wife and family are about to sell up and move to Cyprus after thinking about it long and hard over a two year period.
Like you we are planning to take our pet dog with us and I can advise you as follows.
Official quarantine regulations involve a house bound quarantine period of 6 months after arrival in Cyprus. If you write to the Cyprus High Commission, 93 Park Street, London, W1E 7ET, explaining that you want to take your pet out there, they will provide you with all the documentation you need, including a license application to import your pet

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Hi Carleen
Re bringing your dog. Have a look at the website below it is a local animal charity that will do all of the paperwork for you, alternatively if you cantact your local MAFF office they should be able to assist. Basically if the dog has a pet passport there is no quarantine requirement.
http://www.cyprusanimalwelfare.org/petsvc.htm
Re: Voluntary contributions for your mother.
Yes she can make voluntary contributions, she needs to contact her local pensions office and they will give her a form to complete plus a direct debit mandate to set up a DD to pay the monthly contributions.

Re: Work as Primary School Teacher
There are many unemployed Cypriot teachers so am not sure if you would secure work in the government schools, you would however have a better chance with the privately owned ones. Also there are many kindergartens here that have children in until age 5.5 years.
In addition many parents like their children to have extra tuition!! So there may be some work in this area. I would contact the schools in Paphos, I have a list somewhere when I find it I will email you.

Let me know if I can be of any further help
Regards
Vivian

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Hi Sharon,
I do not know if you have found a business yet but I know of someone who is selling their Kidsworld franchise.
It is a place where kids can climb and play in ball pits etc. with cafe facilities and sun garden. It does a roaring trade for birthday parties and mums & toddlers plus generally when either the weather is not too good or too hot for the kids to be outside.
She wants about CYP 50k for it I have some figures if you want them.
Regards
Vivian

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I read with interest your information about Cyprus. My husband, 6 year old daughter and I are hoping to move to Limassol but can't seem to find information on how to go about this. My husband is ex-army and I currently work for a County Council in administration but have a shipping background. Any information / advice on how to take the first steps would be fantastic. If you would prefer to email our email address is jarkoe@aol,co,uk

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Hi vivian
My husband and i along with our 4 year old boy and 15 month old twins are thinking about moving to cyprus. There are a houndred and one things we need to know, and we didn't know where to start untill i found this site.
Just for starters! the average wage?
My husband works for T.N.T international who we know have a depot in Nicocia.
Where would be a good place to live ? providing good pre-schooling/ schooling for twins and our son. In a commmunity setting, maybe round other young ex-pats, close to all the usual things.
if you could help us in any way or know any other young family's in the same boat we'd be greatfull

thanks Tracie

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LIKE MANY OTHERS ON THE SITE, MY FAMILY OF 4 ARE LOOKING TO RELOCATE TO CYPRUS. MY BIGGEST CONCERN IS EMPLOYMENT AS I KNOW THAT ALL ENGLISH SCHOOLS ARE PRIVATE.
I AM A MANAGER OF A BUILDERS MERCHANT IN THE UK AND WOULD LIKE TO GET INVOLVED IN A SIMILAR ROLE IN CYPRUS, WOULD ANYONE HAVE ANY CONTACTS OR ADVICE ON HOW TO SEARCH FOR EMPLOYMENT?

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My wife and i and 3 kids would love to live and work in cyprus iam 43 years old and a self employed builder any help and advice would be much appreciated.

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Thank you Vivian for the very informative dialogue about living in Cyprus. Took a few worries away. My husband and I are arriving in Limossol the first week in Sept 04. My husband works for the UN and is Kabul for a time. To make the commute shorter between Kabul and England we are hoping to set up home in Cyprus. Neither of us have been there before. This may seem a silly question but I would like to know if there are good craft supply shops there. Fortunately, I do not have to work but would like to offer art and craft classes to both kids and adults. I am a textile artist and will be setting up my own studio to continue to work from. As my husband is away every six weeks I am on my own so having a social network is important to me. Would love to connect with you after we have arrived.

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Hi Blueskies,

There are a few artist stores around and I have friends who paint so I am sure you will find paint, oils, brushes, canvas etc, however I am not sure about other materials. Perhaps if you email me with an idea of what you would be looking for I can ask around.
Email: vivian@financialplanningforexpats.com

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Hi Vivian
I thought your posting was very good and the most informative that i have seen and will be very helpful if i do decide to relocate to Cyprus. In fact i have printed it out to keep.
I do have a couple of questions if anyone can answer them. Namely I am trying to wait until my ankle biters have left home (about 5 years) but I intend to buy something out there before then. The question is about employment, if I dont manage to get rid of them. The boy should (hopefully) leave Uni with a reasonable economics degree. What is the employment prospects out the for the younger element. Employment for me is not an issue as i work on ships and my wife is a chiropodist.
The other thing is I understand that us older types live in and around Paphos would this be a good place to try.
Has Cyprus gone over to the Euro yet. If you can believe it, I havent even touched one yet.

Sam

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Hi All

Like many others who visit this great country i have fallen in love not only with the place but also with the people. I 1st visited 01/05/04 for aweeks holiday and loved it so much i had to return in August for 2 more weeks. the second holiday gave me the oportunity to visit many other places in cyprus and realise old blighty really is old and a wee bit dull. I havent been back in the UK for a week yet and already have an ache to return and have enrolled on a Greek course (which starts next week and i cant wait). i would be greatful for any advice with regards to relocation to Cyprus (buying/renting property), working and pet relocation - passports. i am a single female and my little family constis of a cat and a dog so this is qute a big step to take alone so any help will be great.

Thanks
Bron

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hi vivian ive just sat here with my partner reading your article explaininthe life in cyprus.i am a british cypriot living here in the uk with my partner and 2 small boys.i would love to come to cyprus but there are alot ofthings that are on my mind such as for example my partner is a plumber would he find work easily there?wha about nursery for the kids is it expensive?ive currently got family living in cyprus but they keep putting things on a negative for example work is hard to find and the cost of living is expensive.to be honest its getting very depressing here in the uk and like you said in your article only by waking up seeing that blue sky its just a change to the whole atmosphere.so basically if we was to come we would start from scratch.does the goverment help ?hope to hear from you i really enjoyed your article my name is maria.

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Hi, I too took the step and retired early to Cyprus after holidaying here a couple of times. I too am a single person and came over with my four cats. I live just outside Larnaca on a new complex which is growing daily. I have now made lots of friends despite being single and my cats have settled in really well, especially with all the ferral cats. I brought my cats out with Pet Export which you can find on the internet. They were most helpful, but the difficult bit is getting them out of Larnaca airport, you have to be seen by a vet, then go to the Customs Officer and they each need more money for the privilege of signing the papers over. I did wish to find paid employment but it is mainly seasonal and I did not want a full time job especially during the summer months as I am a beach bum, so do not wish to miss the sunny days. I have however taken up voluntary work and shall be starting my training soon, and I think this will help me to make even more friends. It is a big step to take when you are on your own, but it is worth it in the end, for 3 weeks I just sat here and thought what have I done, but then just got on with it. I am however still looking for
ore friends in my area, so if anyone else is reading this, then please contact me through these pages and I will try to reply. I don't think I can suggest a particular area to you to live as the whole island is great, Paphos is more expensive than say here in Larnaca, but maybe more pretty and has more history there. Limassol, where I also have friends, is centre for either end of the island, so it is up to you to decide. As for renting or buying, I have bought my 2 bedroom house, but most people I know have rented as it is cheap to rent. It depends on what capital you bring out with you, if you have a property to sell in UK and feel that you could afford to live off that money for the rest of your life, then that maybe good for you. I have 2 small pensions which are adequate at present and then in 2 years I get my state pension so financially I will be OK. You do need savings behind you though if you do buy a property just for falling back on if you need anything drastic out here. Medical insurance is high but you can get the right forms from National Insurance Newcastle to give you free prescriptions and health care here, you just have to wait until someone tells you about it, like I have had to. No one in authority will tell you!!! You must check with the National Insurance Office to see whether you may have to pay voluntary contributions towards getting a full state pension when the time comes. I am fortunate in that I have the full amount of years which is 39 for women, so I do not pay an voluntary contributions. Before I brought my cats out here I had to make sure they were up to date with all their innoculations, then had rabies jabs, microchipped them all, and then when you leave UK you have to have their pet passports which you get from your vet and he completes it and gives them a jab for fleas and worms and the certificate of health for flying which must be only 48 hours before they fly out. There is no quarantine period now that Cyprus is in the EU, you just collect the pet at the airport and they are then free to go out. British Airways is the only airline to take live animals which then makes your flight expensive, but look on the internet and you can get the price down with them as I did. If you need any other information let me know and I will try to answer it.
Jackie

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Can you have a decent standard of living in Cyprus on 1,000 Euros a month for a 2 BR apartment, a car w/ related expenses, food, medical care, a maid 1X a week, cats, smoking and some left over for travel? thank you.

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NO.

here are some costs per month. Based on one person.

Property tax......10/20 euro
Food...............200 euro ( Inc cat food)
Health ins.........70 euro (age 50 ish)approx
Car ins.............40/50 euro (small car...full NCB)
Electric............40 euro
property insurance. 50/60 euro includes contents
VET 20 euro
Petrol 40 euro low mileage
Social ? 100 euro do u smoke or drink?
Car road tax 20 euro small car
clothes 20 euro buy s/h
telephone 30 euro No internet connection
tel/internet 40/50 euro
Smokes 120 euro one pack per day
water 10 euro one person family
rent of flat 400 euro minimum (deduct if u buy flat)
Car servicing/tyres 20 euro
maid/cleaner 60 euro 2 hrs per week
rep/renewal 60 euro who knows what goes wrong.


Personally I think you would struggle but you could always suppliment your income with a small job on the side...and dont declare it.....few people do.

If you go on to Cyprus tax rates you have no tax liability as the personal allowance is C£10,000

Good luck.....hope you make it to this lovelt island.

H

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