# Living in Limassol for < 2000€ a month?



## TonyI (Aug 9, 2012)

Hello all again!

I have been looking to move out to Limassol, I have a potential employment opportunity out there which is probably going to net in around 2000€ after taxes. 

I did some research and basically came up with the following numbers for a budget:

Monthly expenses

Furnished one bedroom apartment 600 €
Utilities 175 €
Food 500 € 
Internet 50 €
Cell phone 50 €
Gasoline (16 km/day, 7 days/wk) 182 €
Misc expenses incl. entertainment 500 €

Annual expenses

Clothes 500 €
Medical expenses not covered by insurance 500 €
Road tax 125 €
Auto insurance 400 €
Auto maintenance 1000 €
Trip home to see the folks 1500 €

One time expenses

Used car in decent condition 5000 €
Flight in 1000 €

Assumptions

Gasoline 1.60 € a liter
Gas mileage 25 miles per gallon

Basically, all of this falls out to a budget of 2393 € a month, not including the one time expenses which if stretched out over the course of a year would amount to 2893 €. Am I being realistic, too extravagant, or too conservative here? Any comments would be appreciated!


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## PeteandSylv (Sep 24, 2008)

Posts with an "employment opportunity" out here crop up regularly yet no-one seems to want to say exactly what their "opportunity" is.

I have a feeling that I'm not alone in regarding these "opportunities" with some suspicion.

Are they real jobs, commission only sales jobs or something more sinister?

Are the posts a subtle way to get to contact people behind which there is a hidden agenda?

Do fill us in.

Pete


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## TonyI (Aug 9, 2012)

This is a legit job with a legit firm, I know people who have worked there. It's with a financial services company and the pay has a bonus. I researched approximate salary ranges from a consulting firm and it lines up. 

I looked at the per-capita GDP of Cyprus (purchasing power parity) and it comes to about that salary. That would suggest the mean populace would live off of such a budget, though if there is a big inequality of rich and poor that can skew the results significantly.


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## Miss Daisy (Jan 24, 2011)

You will do just fine on 2000 Euros a month. You won't be saving much,but you will live quite well.

I track all my expenses and can tell you what I spend on the items you listed. I don't live in Limassol, so I'm not sure about the rent you estimated but it seems a bit high for a one-bedroom apartment. I would guess more like 450 Euros. Also, your utilities seem high too. For a two bedroom villa, I pay around 1600 Euros a year for utilities including internet and landline. I use pay-as-you-go for my mobile and spend maybe 40 Euros a year for that.

You grocery estimate seems quite high, but it does depend on what you eat (and how many cats you are feeding - I am feeding 3). 250 Euros a month for groceries is more than enough (if you don't feed the cats).

You might want to consider a motorscooter or motorcycle if you are only driving 16km to work. They are quite economical.

You didn't include health insurance, which you will have to have. Costs range from 100 Euros (the minimum to satisfy immigration) up to 1500 Euros a year.


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## Guest (Aug 15, 2012)

Miss Daisy said:


> You will do just fine on 2000 Euros a month. You won't be saving much,but you will live quite well.
> 
> I track all my expenses and can tell you what I spend on the items you listed. I don't live in Limassol, so I'm not sure about the rent you estimated but it seems a bit high for a one-bedroom apartment. I would guess more like 450 Euros. Also, your utilities seem high too. For a two bedroom villa, I pay around 1600 Euros a year for utilities including internet and landline. I use pay-as-you-go for my mobile and spend maybe 40 Euros a year for that.
> 
> ...


Just wondering, why do he need health insurance if he work and pay social security?


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

If he is paying social insurance he dosn't HAVE TO have private insurance. However many still choose to have insurance as the state medical care is not brilliant.


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## Guest (Aug 15, 2012)

No that was my point. He does not have to, and if calculating Minimum costs per month it is not a must

Anders


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## Miss Daisy (Jan 24, 2011)

If his job provides him with health insurance, then he will not have to pay for private insurance. I was just pointing out that cost should he have to buy his own private health insurance.


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## Guest (Aug 15, 2012)

His job must keep him with healthinsurance by. If its a legitimit one.


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## Purplecat (May 2, 2012)

Hi Tony. I don't understand why you've included your one time expenses:

Used car in decent condition 5000 €
Flight in 1000 €

You can't spread those over your monthly bill unless you're putting them on a credit card which you haven't factored in. Also, are you really intending to go to work 7 days a week:

Gasoline (16 km/day, 7 days/wk) 182 €

If you are, you're limited free time will mean that:

Misc expenses incl. entertainment 500 €

will probably be much lower.


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## TonyI (Aug 9, 2012)

Thank you all for such interesting responses, esp. Miss Daisy (I don't have to worry about a feline line item so I guess your numbers sound good 

I would definitely only agree to a job that had medical insurance - I wouldn't think of doing it any other way esp. as a newbie foreigner who is not a EU citizen. 

As far as expenses of getting a car are concerned, that is important for me because I'm calculating a one year 'breakeven' so to speak. So its not technically the same recurrent costs year over year.

Concerning gasoline, I like to drive about and I'd imagine I'll be using my weekends to do some driving about. Its not much, but enough to spread over a time. The work would be 5 days a week. 

I guess that once you've lived in the area for a while you probably get better at being frugal and know how to cut costs.


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