# Moving to Cyprus 09 - looking for advice!



## annmcp (Oct 18, 2008)

Hi Folks, I am planning a move to Cyprus with my family (husband, 3 kids and my grandson) next sept/oct and I need some advice.

Firstly can anybody tell me what the average Monthly wages for a nurse are? and also for my husband who is a chargehand construction worker experienced in groundworks, drainage, slab and monoblock laying, machine operator (360) or alternatively holds a driving licience?

Secondly who are the best people to go to for a long term rental of a 4 bedroomed villa?

Thirdly, any information on schooling?

Any advice on living and working in cyprus would be very much appreciated as I need to ensure that I can afford to live in cyprus before I make the Move.


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## monte korfi (Sep 14, 2008)

I suggest you rent for six months by which time you will find out the snags of living in Cyprus! You may not be eligible for free medical care which is dependant on age and income. If you need a doctor to visit you have to pay or go to the A&E at the hospital and wait with everyone else. You dont buy any property unless it has its title deeds and you make sure the holder transfers them into your name by holding back at least half of the purchase price, no title deeds you dont own it even if you have paid in full for it. Use a solicitor outside of the area you are buying in as most local ones are in the developer's pockets. After 5 years we are upping sticks and going back to the UK which we never thought we would do but Cyprus is not for us as my husband cannot drive any more and if I am ill we are stuck as home help does not exist here. As an afterthought if you are having a heart attack dont rely on the ambulance drivers as they are just ex lorry drivers, no first aid training and the nurse in the ambulance is not allowed to treat the patient! You live and learn out here. Best of luck to you......


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## annmcp (Oct 18, 2008)

Thanks for that Monte! Would you happen to know the average monthly cost of renting a 4 bedroom with access to a pool in the paphos area?


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

monte korfi said:


> I suggest you rent for six months by which time you will find out the snags of living in Cyprus! You may not be eligible for free medical care which is dependant on age and income. If you need a doctor to visit you have to pay or go to the A&E at the hospital and wait with everyone else. You dont buy any property unless it has its title deeds and you make sure the holder transfers them into your name by holding back at least half of the purchase price, no title deeds you dont own it even if you have paid in full for it. Use a solicitor outside of the area you are buying in as most local ones are in the developer's pockets. After 5 years we are upping sticks and going back to the UK which we never thought we would do but Cyprus is not for us as my husband cannot drive any more and if I am ill we are stuck as home help does not exist here. As an afterthought if you are having a heart attack dont rely on the ambulance drivers as they are just ex lorry drivers, no first aid training and the nurse in the ambulance is not allowed to treat the patient! You live and learn out here. Best of luck to you......


Very few properties that are under 5 years old have title deeds but there is a document called specific performance which is issued by the land registry which is a stop gap until the title deeds are issued. This gives you right of ownership of any property you purchase and ensures the developer cannot take out a mortgage on the property, thereby safeguarding your ownership.


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

annmcp said:


> Thanks for that Monte! Would you happen to know the average monthly cost of renting a 4 bedroom with access to a pool in the paphos area?



4 bedroom would be villas as there are very few 4 bedroom apartments (if any) available.
For a 4 bedroom villa you need to allow at least €1,200 per month.

Veronica


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## annmcp (Oct 18, 2008)

Thanks Veronica! Could you also tell me if a nurse and a construction worker could make a good enough living in Cyprus to support a family of 6? We are not looking for mega bucks, just to be able to feed, clothe and pay the bills with a wee bit left over.


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

annmcp said:


> Thanks Veronica! Could you also tell me if a nurse and a construction worker could make a good enough living in Cyprus to support a family of 6? We are not looking for mega bucks, just to be able to feed, clothe and pay the bills with a wee bit left over.


If only yourself and your husband are going to be working it will be a big struggle.
Many couples with no dependants struggle here due to the low wages and if you are paying rent for a property big enough for a family of 6 there wont be much left over for day to day living.
Please do not come over with the idea that it will be easy because it wont.
Make sure you have a contingency plan for if things dont work out for you and enough money put to one side for you to relocate back to the Uk if needed.

Regards Veronica


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## monte korfi (Sep 14, 2008)

Veronica is giving you very sound advice here, you are a foreigner in a foreign country and there are many rules and regulations here that do not apply to the UK. We burnt our bridges thinking we were here for good but Cyprus is not the country to be in if you succumb to diabetes, which we both have hence we are going back for proper medical care. Most of our friends also fly back for medical treatment having never taken up the care offered here, in fact 3 on this small estate are in the UK now for hip, knee and diabetes care. Most people, even the Cypriots, take our private medical insurance and if you are not a pensioner it would be compulsory for all of you.
Dorothy


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## annmcp (Oct 18, 2008)

Thanks for replying Veronica and Dorothy! My eldest daughter will also be working but would need to fit work round her dad and I to avoid child care costs. I am desperate to get out of the UK but it is starting to look a bit unrealistic unless I am prepared to go to Oz or US and I do not want to go that far afield.


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## monte korfi (Sep 14, 2008)

annmcp said:


> Thanks for replying Veronica and Dorothy! My eldest daughter will also be working but would need to fit work round her dad and I to avoid child care costs. I am desperate to get out of the UK but it is starting to look a bit unrealistic unless I am prepared to go to Oz or US and I do not want to go that far afield.


Well we shall be heading for Suffolk as our daughter has just come back from Oz after 18 years out there, that too is not all as rosey as it seems, again no NHS but private medical insurance, very Asian now too, too hot, too many snakes and poisonous spiders. She is as happy as muck back in the UK with her husband and daughter.

The best place we all agreed on was NZ. What a place, absolutely beautiful, Wales with sunshine!!!
Dorothy


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## kimonas (Jul 19, 2008)

monte korfi said:


> Well we shall be heading for Suffolk as our daughter has just come back from Oz after 18 years out there, that too is not all as rosey as it seems, again no NHS but private medical insurance, very Asian now too, too hot, too many snakes and poisonous spiders. She is as happy as muck back in the UK with her husband and daughter.
> 
> The best place we all agreed on was NZ. What a place, absolutely beautiful, Wales with sunshine!!!
> Dorothy


The average wage in Cyprus is something in the order of 800 euros a month with many earning far less and a few earning far more. Anything over 1000 euros a month is considered a decent wage here. Building workers, hotel workers and cleaners earn very little as the jobs market is flooded with stiff competition from migrant workers who accept low wages as they are earning a relative fortune compared to their home country salaries. In general the salaries are approximately 1/3 or what you would expect to earn in the UK. Unfortunately the cost of living is rising and is approximately 23% cheaper than in the UK but the low salaries mean that many ex-pats struggle to make ends meet. Cypriot families rely on the family network and there is still a huge black market in work done in kind and reciprocal exchanges in goods and services that many ex-pats cannot tap into which is why they feel the pinch more than locals (many of whom are up to their eyeballs in debt anyhow).

There are however, benefits of a more relaxed way of life, better climate and low crime rates to compensate, but do be realistic about the cost of living. Why not rent a local Cypriot house instead of a villa - you won't miss the pool which is just an added expense (to fill and keep clean). Pools are relatively common in Nicosia as status symbols, but check out the state of them on Google earth, many are covered or derelict because people can't afford the upkeep in a country that suffers crippling water shortages. The sea is never that far away. Good news is that it has been absolutely tipping down with rain for the last few days, and the stormy weather is set to continue...


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## annmcp (Oct 18, 2008)

Thanks Kimonas. I think being realistic we could'nt afford the move to cyprus with the wages being so low I don't think we could support a family of six. Have been advised to look at malta. will look into that avenue and see what unfolds.


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## youngy (Oct 27, 2008)

*annmp;66237*

hi your doing the best thing renting first , nursing pay is round about 1/3 rd less than uk but depends on grade etc, other work pay is constantly being eroded downwards by eastern europeans, sound familiar?.and is causing problems. and sometimes that low its unbelievable. schooling is excellent. ---with 5 of you there, you should consider at least one WILL get very homesick. dont forget your E111 card (A MUST)for the hospital in case of health problems. i had many health problems, from a chronic illness, just flash the card and get seen and treated.
there are loads of things and this website is excellent . there first couple of years is a steep learning curve. but get a couple of years under your belt and you'll know youve made the right decision.youngy01




annmcp said:


> Hi Folks, I am planning a move to Cyprus with my family (husband, 3 kids and my grandson) next sept/oct and I need some advice.
> 
> Firstly can anybody tell me what the average Monthly wages for a nurse are? and also for my husband who is a chargehand construction worker experienced in groundworks, drainage, slab and monoblock laying, machine operator (360) or alternatively holds a driving licience?
> 
> ...


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## annmcp (Oct 18, 2008)

Cheers Youngy!


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## BabsM (May 24, 2008)

youngy said:


> hi your doing the best thing renting first , nursing pay is round about 1/3 rd less than uk but depends on grade etc, other work pay is constantly being eroded downwards by eastern europeans, sound familiar?.and is causing problems. and sometimes that low its unbelievable. schooling is excellent. ---with 5 of you there, you should consider at least one WILL get very homesick. dont forget your E111 card (A MUST)for the hospital in case of health problems. i had many health problems, from a chronic illness, just flash the card and get seen and treated.
> there are loads of things and this website is excellent . there first couple of years is a steep learning curve. but get a couple of years under your belt and you'll know youve made the right decision.youngy01


Hi the E111 was replaced with a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) several years ago. This is intended for people travelling in Europe and is not a replacement for permanent health insurance. To access Cyprus National Health System you will need an E106 (if working) or an E121 (if retired or on the sick). If and when you become resident in Cyprus (or any other European Country) the EHIC card is no longer valid and has to be returned to the authorities in the UK.


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## annmcp (Oct 18, 2008)

Thanks Babs


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## Bertie (Nov 27, 2008)

your first 2 years are covered health wise by uk nhs provided you get the health card, think its 121, not too sure on the number, but you are covered.

the recession is biting here a bit re: construction, there are jobs about but the money is not like the uk, €1400 is a very good wage for a buconstruction, as in the uk the eastern europeans will work for nowt!

as said, bring enough money to cover you for at least 6 momths rent and living, can the kids not share a room? all bedrooms are double sized, you could cut the rent down quite a lot by dropping down a bedroom. I rent a large 3 bed detached bungalow (150sq m) in a village in Limassol for €700 a momth.


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## Bertie (Nov 27, 2008)

ps, please excuse my spelling and grammar, its Friday and i've had a couple of sasperillas!


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