Online platform rates Limassol Cyprus’ most expensive city

The monthly cost of living for a four-member family in Limassol is €4,141, making the coastal city the most expensive in Cyprus and roughly 11 per cent more than Nicosia, according to data gathered by online platform expatistan.com.

Founded in 2009 by software engineer Gerardo Robledillo, expatistan.com provides users information on cost-of-living expenses for a large number of cities all over the world, including Cyprus.

Based on the model used by Wikipedia, prices are added and updated by users of the platform, where it is also possible to compare cities based on the cost of living. At the moment, there are around 3,678,000 prices entered by 425,500 users in 2,211 different cities.

The platform calculates the cost of living by dividing expenses into six different categories, namely food, housing, clothes, transportation, personal care and entertainment.

The six categories are then divided into subcategories. For example, as regard to housing, the platform compares monthly rent prices for flats of different sizes, either furnished or unfurnished, or utility bills, such as heating, electricity, gas and internet.

As far as food is concerned, the difference in the cost of living among city is calculated based on the difference in the price for eating out, as well as for foodstuff in supermarkets.

According to the latest gathered data, the estimated average monthly cost for a four-member family in Cyprus in June 2022 was €4,193.

In Nicosia, the monthly cost of living is €3,197 for a four-member family, and €1,348 for an individual.

According to the platform’s data, the monthly rent for an 85 square metre apartment in a central area of the capital is €882.

In Limassol, the monthly cost of living for a four-member family is €4,141, whereas for an individual it is €2,380.

The difference in the cost of living compared to Nicosia is €944 for a four-member family and €1,032 for an individual, which amounts to approximately an average monthly salary in Cyprus.

According to the platform, the cost of living in Larnaca compared to Nicosia and Limassol is considerably lower.

For a four-member family, the monthly cost of living in Larnaca is €2,895, and for an individual it is €1,242.

Finally, for a four-member family in Paphos, the estimated monthly cost is €2,642, and the rent is estimated to be 23.2 per cent higher than in Nicosia.

The data is available at no extra cost at www.expatistan.com.