Retiring to Cyprus - Share with us your experience!

We retired to Malta 8 years ago at the age of 51 / 50 - we left Malta to continue our retirement here in Cyprus 2 years ago  = wow what a difference and a positive move for us - absolutely no regrets

at the age of 59 / 58 we love it here and are very impressed with it in comparison to Malta... some  very pleasant changes and experiences so far 

go on take the plunge

Thank you so much for sharing that. We have looked at property there already and there is one house we are very interested in. It is Paphos district we would want to move to. I believe that some of the earlier issues over property buying there are now resolved. How do you find health care? I know you have to pay for it. Would you say it is reasonably priced?  How about utilities? We have heard mixed stories about cost of electricity.

Malta is cheaper for electricity, it is expensive here but with a little planning from the outset and the right power saving gadgets its really nothing to worry about especially with the use of solar panels.... water however is far cheaper than Malta ..... some say its expensive here but we dont think  so - it is maybe overall only slightly more but the trade off in the quality of life you gain here in my opinion is worth it.

Electricity in our experiences runs at approx €0.185 per unit used - This is an overall figure allowing for standing charges, fuel adjustments vat etc etc and we run a large pool and live normally without a great use of AC.... so our bills stand at approx €50-65 per month = water usage allowing for pool usage and evaporation plus daily household usage stands at about €40-50 per three month

we only rent and will never ever buy.... we like the flexibilty of it as things change, dogs barking come and go and if they come we move... neighbours also change as do attitudes so we like to be able to move if it no longer suits us - buying wouldnt allow us to move quickly.... house prices have dropped but renting is so much more affordable here  in comparison to Maltas rent prices which have gone thru the roof. like 50% increases....

We live in Peyia and love the area, many of the issues over banking and title deeds are in  the main resolved but that doesnt mean you should not be so careful...... be careful always.

We ve been fortunate so far as not needed any hospital attendances so far although i did have an issue a year or so ago and went to the local private clinic, and spookily enough it was a flare up of a previous ailment that the Malta doctors took the easy option on and never ever cured it - but here they did the 5 blood tests etc and then did a further 2 very specific blood tests and prescribed some tablets for a month and its never occurred again  = they got it right  OK so it cost €35 for the initial consultation then two further follow ups were €12 each then €45 for the inital 5 blood tests, then  €80 for the 2 specific ones then a final €40 for the course of tablets but hey ho a year on all is good and its done.

I am told that the healthcare here is very very good but be careful if an accident occurs that the ambulance doesnt take you immediately to a private hospital - it happened to a friend of ours and in the panic couldnt control it - - - - -ended up with a bill of €40k - €10k of that for oxygen

also note the ambulances here are not manned by trained paramedics and can take a while to not only get to you but find you too

We did take the expensive version of bronze private healthcare via Abbyegate and ING initially for the first year but at over €1500, we found it too expensive for us - and we never ever used it  - so we made a judgement call and now we have the minimium cover for immigration purposes. Am not saying or condoning taking the cheaper option - just for us it suits us for now... and yes i know you have your health once and once its gone it rarely if ever comes back - and there is no replacement for good health what price do you put on it...........take your own circumstances and health position into account and make the right decision for yourselves

Good luck  = if you want or need further info let me know ok

hi toon, thanks very much for your comments, they are very helpful.

I have to say that both buying and renting are fraught with dangers. Renting has its own  problems or dangers - you may rent but you never really know what the owner is going to do-agents and owners lie-they may decide to sell from under your feet, and worse again not tell you until last minute ... thats just happened to us already but hey ho the rental market is quite fluid-having pets is not such a problem- almost everyone we know has a dog or a cat and they rent without an issue just offer a extra deposit to cover damage or cleaning - sorted - or rent unfurnished  - more and more are now being offered unfurnished - my best advice is to rent for a period 6-12 months minimum maybe even two years as you dont really know what its like to live here as opposed to holidaying here - there is a world of difference until you know for sure where you want  to be - we've been in this location two years now and still not 100% sure of our current location maybe 80-90% but not yet 100%....

Our geo location is not a big issue in my opinion despite the proximity to war zones  you are just as likely to be hit by these things in uk or indeed any other country as here - we lived in Malta during the problems in Tunisia Libya Egypt and honestly if you worried about this then you'd not do anything at all

For us the economy is not such an issue even though we are not on state pension just a couple of private pensions and astute financial investments incomes - we dont work (done our bit for 35-40 yrs thats enough)  and came here knowing exactly what the position was - the euro/pound is up and down like whores drawers but hey ho no matter where you are you are subject to changes and price increases, we have what we have and we live accordingly sometimes the euro is up sometimes its down.... but we have the sun, great food, great friends and entertainment, fresh air, little or no traffc issues  and a completely relaxed "no stress" way of life.

plenty to see and do for free too