Unusual facts about life in Cyprus

Cyprus, the island of sun, love and happy life deserves attention and admiration. Many people dream of Mediterranean life and Cyprus is a very comfortable place to live, work and relax. It is a unique and multifaceted European country, and life in Cyprus has its own peculiarities, which the travel guides won’t tell you about. In this post we will tell you what it is really like, to live and work in Cyprus.

Life in Cyprus: general interesting facts

Cyprus can boast a long list of advantages, from a good geographical location to security and low crime rates. Here are some of these advantages in more detail.

• Cypriots love their food! They go out to their favourite restaurants and taverns at least once or twice a week. However, they don’t abuse alcohol. The most popular drinks are wine, light cocktails and frappe.
• The island has one of the lowest crime rates in the world.
• Government offices work according to a special schedule, usually only until 13-14 pm. Therefore, if you have any business in a government institution, plan your visit in the morning. Moreover, it's better not to plan your shopping on Sunday, as most shops will be closed.
• Since Cyprus is a very small island, the locals have their own idea about distances. For example, many Cypriots believe that Nicosia and Pafos are very far apart, so they don’t want to make “long” trips between the cities. We should clarify, however, that the distance Pafos and Nicosia is only 150 km. Therefore, when buying a property in Pafos, you don’t need to worry about being too far from the capital.
• Cypriots wear rather warm clothes in winter, while tourists stroll around in lighter attire - which is not surprising, as it is often + 17 / + 19 degrees outside. Thus, in January you can easily distinguish locals from tourists.
• Most Cypriots are Orthodox. The church is respected here and has a significant impact on the social and political life of the country.
• Residents of Cyprus know how to relax, someone may even call them lazy. The attitude to work of many Cypriots can be described with a proverb “Work is not a bear, won’t go anywhere”. Life and work in Cyprus have a leisurely pace. And this is a very important advantage of living in Cyprus - no more stress and rush!

Life in Cyprus: pros and cons

Life in Cyprus, the pros and cons of which we will now consider, can actually be very different. It all depends on what your interests are and what comfort and convenience mean to you. However, there are some general advantages and disadvantages of living on the island. Among the bonuses:

• Comfortable climate. The mild Mediterranean climate is very good for health. There are no sharp changes in temperature on the island, and the winter is short and warm - it practically does not get below +15. By the way, at such temperatures viruses don’t survive for long.
• Developed infrastructure. Cyprus is a tourist island, so it has a well-developed tourist infrastructure. There are many top-level SPA resorts and hotels, as well as plenty of options and opportunities for cultural activities - theatres, concerts, festivals and other events. As for the everyday amenities, the numerous shops, shopping centres, schools, kindergartens and everything else you might need for modern life is within easy reach.
• Good quality affordable properties. Your dream of having a house by the sea can come true here. The island's residential real estate is striking in its diversity. Modern studios, multi-level apartments, luxury villas and cosy penthouses in Cyprus – and this is by far not a complete list of available options.
• Hospitable and friendly locals. Cypriots are good-natured and open-hearted people, so it is easy to find friends to have a good time with.

Of course, these are just some of the numerous advantages of living in Cyprus - there are many more, from the little things of everyday life to the general comfort of living on the island. Hard to cover all of them in one article, so we tried to reveal the most important of them. But apart from the advantages, living and working in Cyprus has its disadvantages as well, for instance:

• Flocks of tourists. The island is a popular holiday destination for tourists from all over the world. While this is an indisputable advantage for the country's economy, for the local population a huge number of tourists can bring some discomfort. During high season restaurants, shops and city streets are noisy and crowded. However, not everyone considers this as a disadvantage, and the noise level can be significantly reduced by choosing real estate away from the tourist areas.
• Expensive medicine. Medicine in Cyprus is paid and not cheap, including health insurance. However, to be fair, it is worth noting that medical institutions are high level and the medical staff qualifications meet European standards.
• Poorly developed urban transport. For a comfortable stay and movement around the island, it is best to have your own transport, as city buses run scarcely. Driving here is on the left, so it might take time to adapt if you are from the right-sided country. It is recommended to rent a car, even for a short holiday, let alone a long-term stay. In this blog post, we explain the nuances and technicalities of renting a car in Cyprus.
• Local language is difficult to learn. The official language in Cyprus is Greek and it is quite difficult to learn. But even if you are going to live in Cyprus permanently, you do not need to learn Greek at all - most of the population speaks English. There are English schools, kindergartens, shop, cafes and other institutions on the island, so not being able to speak Greek will not cause any discomfort.

As you can see from our pros and cons, life in Cyprus still has more significant advantages, while all the known disadvantages of living on the island are relative. That is why so many people dream of living on the island.