cost of living in north cyprus

[stevenscott]

I'm trying to work out how much it will cost me each month to live in north cyprus. I can rent a villa for £500 and a car with tax insurance for £300, this leaves electric water fuel and food and drink. I do not need to visit the lovely uk or buy any new clothes so its just the things i have mentioned. I will eat out most evenings but will not be going for the crem da la crem menu, just a standard one course meal not many drinks, maybe fast food.
So I'm thinking about £1200 in total each month, so that's £100 a week for the other expenses. I have read a few threads saying you can live very well for £15.000 a year for two with a trip home once a year if your an ex pat. Can someone please confirm i have got my figures about right here and have not missed something, bearing in mind I'm on my own and I'm not forking out for two or for children.

Thanks

[nurseawful]

Our electricity bearing in mind we have a pool averages at 140tl per month, water in lapta is approx 57tl and 36tl the next month. Cafe meal of fish and chips will set you back 15-20tl. A beer 4-6tl, bottle of wine approx 20tl. Phone calls best made via Skype £20 per year keeps us going no problem. Yes I think you will live fairly well for £1200 and I am sure you will be able to rent a small villa for cheaper than £500 pcm.
Good Luck
Chris

[gemini39]

So if you get 9-10% on T/L Credit West come out good by comparison with other banks. That could help towards rent

Let me know who you decide to rent from as we will be in similar position later this year

We are looking at 2 bed house with garden , no pool £300-£350, course different areas vary in price

Good Luck

[ozonkoyboy]

Hi Steven
Yes we have done the same thing and our calculation includes two adults living here, eating out but only once or twice a week max,and we can do it comfortably on 2500TL (£800) approx / month
We are hoping top move out next year for good so we try to adhere to this when we come out and it has so far workedBut this does not take into account repairs, but if you rent then that should not be a problem
I would say £15K per year is ample

good luck

[stevenscott]

Thanks for your replies, very helpful, perhaps i could do it for 10.000 if I'm careful.

[carey]

I will be coming out to live in October and all of this information is very helpful. Thank you. carey

[zarafet]

Ozankoyboy you say you have been coming out and managing on £800 per month but does that take into account the winter months when you pay high electric and heating bills? Also petrol has become increasingly expensive. We live here and the winter months are not cheap. However, I do think Stevenscott that if you are on your own you do not need a £500 per month villa there are places around for rent from about £300 per month. Don't forget to factor in annual residency fees, including the medical if you are under 60 and obviously all medical costs will have to be covered by you. I think if you have £1200 per month just for you, unless you need major medical costs you will do just fine. I hope you enjoy it when you get here, eat local food rather than imported and it will be cheaper.

[mimi78]

I think you are on the right path concerning your monthly expenses. For the immediate future anyway. We have rented for six years now . However the cost of living here has increased a good deal in that time.

Also this is the first year we have needed medical care , and that can be very expensive . No complaints
about the standard offered , just a little reminder that you should have finances in reserve for emergencies.
As regards rentals we have used both Agency and Private landlords ( local Cypriots ). No problems with either
however the properties here are not quite the standards you may be used to in Uk. Expect the unexpected and you will be happy here. We are at least .

[ozonkoyboy]

Zarafet
I Agree with what you say to a point, but we come out in all seasons not just summer and have based our calcs on that , we have a 1200 litre gas tank which we have not filled up for 4 years we originally filled the tank up in the January when the fuel is more dense and you get a little more for your money (we still have 550 Lts left and we have a combo boiler for the central heating and water as well as a fixed gas fire & gas cooker so our electric is minimal)
As you say Electricity is one on the most expensive commodities with petrol a close second
Yes totally agree eat local when ever
The figures are based on our lifestyle and we are both in good health and as i said it did not cover any maintenance, building or motor

But every body is different I think Steven is just trying to get a feel so all replays tare a good thing

[Keithcaley]

My only reservation to all of the foregoing would be that you did specify that you would eat out most evenings, & 'not many drinks' - you could soon get well over 1000 TL a month just doing that. I know that you can get a wrap and a Ayran for under 10TL, but you'd soon get sick of it, and a nice steak at some places can cost 35 TL a knock, and one imported spirits + mixer can cost 8 TL.

If you buy local, seasonal produce and cook it at home, then food is reasonably priced, and you will be able to afford the odd 'splurge' - although you'll still need to take out a mortgage to buy a kilo of lamb

[stevenscott]

I was meant to move there in january but some business has not gone to plan, and I'm worried i cant afford it. In the uk i can get a large chicken kebab, fairy healthy for £5 i usually take a bottle of water with me from home. I tried all that shopping at tescos it does not seem to be much cheaper, i mean soon as you buy a portion of mince meat, jar of sauce, mushrooms and onions your over a fiver anyway, maybe if your shopping for two or more it may work out.

£400 rent
£300 rent a car, insurance tax included
£400 food including eating out as cheap as possible a lot
£50 water
£100 electric average
£100 fuel

About £1500 then, it seems to go up every time i look at it, someone told me a while back about £500 a week for the good life, i thought that sounded steep but maybe that's the reality. I'm fairly young so i'll be out in the bars a lot, driving about a lot as well.

[zarafet]

Ozankoyboy you say you have the same tank of gas for 4 years and come in all seasons, I have to say as someone who lives here and has gas central heating, we use 1 of the large tanks of gas per annum. Coming for odd weeks and living here really aren't the same thing and the winters can get incredibly cold as the houses are not insulated and feel damp. This year was even worse as it has lasted longer and has had a hell of a lot of rain and even we had snow one day!!! There is a difference between putting up with the cold etc for a short period of time on holiday and living with it permanently. Having said that, I still think he could get by on his own quite well for £1200 per month if he goes for a cheaper apartment rather than the £500 villa. Sorry to disagree but trying to give a realistic picture as everything here gets more expensive almost by the week! Still love this island though.

[Marions]

Being positive here, I reckon you can live on that amount - we do, and less. Electric bills in the winter hurt; we have a can of gas a week (cuts down on electric as we have no cenreal heating; don't use air con in the summer, so I just sit on the roof and enjoy the breeze! Eat our fairly regularly, but local stuff and only one course,but I do go to a lot of coffee bars.

On the negative, when we first came things were much cheaper, food now gone up, petrol sky high, but we compromise, . Back in U.K we could hardly afford to stay home with the heating costs etc, so am not complaining. Much of the stuff we eat is quadruple what it was when we came 10 years ago, and our income has not quadrupled, but, we would have been faced with the same challenge in U.K. And I am sure for those who have done their homework, they realise what is what financially. So, don't think you will have a problem. and of course, things change from day to day everywhere in the worl,d, so whatever decision you make now could be challenged at a later date.
medical costs can be scarey, but so far I am not ill. It is 'imself who occasionally pays for the doctor! Was 20tl when we came, and it is now 80tl (another quadruple) . Paying rent would be a killer to us, so that means we have £400 disposable income that others do not.
It is all choices really. Hope you make the right ones for you.

[BLUE BUTTERFLY]

Hi, I think you should seriously consider 'downgrading' to less expensive accommodation. I have seen some very nice places for 250/300stg. Apart from the saving on rent a smaller place will cost less to heat.

You could quite easily eat out cheaply, turkish meals are based on seasonal fresh produce, cheap, but tasty and filling, don't follow the expat 'sheep' who will only go to certain restaurants because everyone else does and pay 20/30 tl for one course.

If you are prepared to mix with the 'locals' try some of the restaurants around the tin pan alley area, and a very good popular one at the back of the high street.

As an example you could have a large bowl of very tasty home made soup for 6tl, a mains of izgara kofte [meatballs] with chips, rice and salad,12tl and kunefe, a very nice dessert, if you have room for it, which I doubt,7tl. Always included is a big plate of fresh chopped salad and unlimited fresh local bread.

Try the big market on wednesdays where you can stock up on fresh fruit and vegetables, and local cheeses at reasonable prices.

Apart from the fuel and electricity it is still quite cheap to live here, if you are prepared to 'go native' be adventurous and embrace the culture and not just stick to the same old 'watering holes].

[oneplustwo]

£400 per month for food & drink? So less than 40TL per day. A bottle of beer is going to cost you 6TL outside, so work out how much you are going to drink in an evening and work back. Also would like to know who hires cars out fully comp for £10 per day. I have been paying £13 for mine and after a month albeit a very new car, just bought a car as the bill was mounting up, and the prices will go up in high season. Agree, with others cut down on your rental costs. You could probably get a 1 bed for about £250 and leave yourself more money for beer. Also you don't mention if you smoke? UK brands (Rothmans) 8TL (£3) (Bensons) 8.5TL and local 5-6TL I think.

[andrew4232]

if moving on a budget its wise to try and get all costs as once your here your in the pool as it were !

[stevenscott]

Thanks for your reply's, i will go where ever i get value for money, i would like to spend money in cypriot places a lot of the time anyway. I don't smoke and don't have a sweet teeth. I have a quote from green car rentals i think.

[Twaddle]

I am surprised that you are contemplating renting a car if you are going to be resident. £300 a month equals £3600 a year which is an awful lot. The cars from Green Garage are ok but if you are renting one of their cheaper models, you are probably going to end up with an old Renault spring which will be nothing to write home about. There are loads of older cars around for sale and although second-hand cars are stupidly expensive, you might be better off biting the bullet and buying. I spent years renting cars and finally realised that I could save money by buying. I bought an old Suzuki Swift for £2600 which is outrageously expensive for an old banger but the insurance is only 250TL and the annual tax is only 54TL. Local garages are quite cheap for servicing and thus after a year you should already be better off and still have a car that has a residual value should you decide to sell it.

[gemini39]

I had a quote this year for a one year rental from http://www.aonerentacar.com for£2,500 inclusive

[gemini39]

Sorry that email address for car rental is http://www.aone-cyprusrentacar.com

[ozonkoyboy]

OK Zarafet , I admit defeat
You win LOL

[zarafet]

Sorry Ozankoyboy, didn't mean it to be a contest, it's just a fact of life out here. If you haven't bought gas for 4 years you are in for a shock though when you do need to refill, it's shot up since then. Glad our winter this year has finally (fingers crossed) gone, it's been far too long and wet and cold.

[cherryblossom]

You lucky things. It's still wet and cold here in Blighty, we had hale stones this week! Flying out 27th May, cant wait to dig out the shades

[Mel7348]

Bit the bullet and bought a new Renault Cleo, think it was 6,000 or 7,000 GBP got good discount for cash. Have had no major repair bills. The reason I'm bit hazey on the price I bought it 11 yrs ago. I may be wrong on this but I think the older the car the less tax you pay and MOT is every 3 yrs. It has already been mentioned when it comes to selling will have held its value much more than the UK.

[stellasstar1]

You don't mention all the other incidental expenses, like doctors, dentist, televsion, gardening things, residency fee each year, petrol etc. etc. and yes I agree with others, that is a huge amount to pay for rental and at that price, you will no doubt have a pool, so there is that expense as well. It's great here, but you need to be realistic about the cost of living, as these things seem to mount up every month.

[deputydawg]

Steven, I cannot add to all the very sound advice above other than to urge you to take into account annual inflation of perhaps 15% or more which has been hinted at by the mention of price rises. Many things over the years have been increased at a stroke by up to as much as 400% ! To feel secure you need to, at the least, have a small capital sum to deal with the unexpected and find a way to increase your income year on year if you enjoy the experience and want to maintain it long term. Employment is not easy to achieve here and there must be few pension rises or capital ventures which currently will yield enough to cover inflation. I do hope you achieve your aim and if you enjoy it as much as I have for over 8 years you will wish you could have taken the plunge earlier.