# Retiring to Cyprus...hopefully



## dadyjane (Mar 15, 2014)

Hello, This is my first post on this forum and the start of my research into hopefully getting out of this rat race in the UK and starting a better quality of life in Cyprus. I am not new to living abroad having spent most of my life as a civvi in Germany, although obviously a Pads Brat! Have just returned from a week over there, speaking to several ex-pats who have made the move. The recommendations given were:

do not expect an 'England in the Sun' because it is a foreign country
do not expect the cost of living to be cheap, but it will be better than UK 
do not buy, rent 'just in case'
keep a UK Bank account

As far as medical cover is concerned, am I correct in thinking that as long as we are receiving UK pensions we are covered? And is this cover enough, or is private medical cover also necessary. Is it easy to transfer whatever medication you are on in the UK to Cyprus?

We are not intending to make the move for at least 2 years, so plenty of time to get properly organised. Just want a gentler better quality of life, I seem to spend most of my time being angry over here with bills continually rising and nothing improving!!

Any information, experiences, help will be very much appreciated. One more question, and this may seem a bit odd, but I am being realistic here.. Can you be cremated in Cyprus?

On that happy note I will end my first post :fingerscrossed:

Jane H


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## PeteandSylv (Sep 24, 2008)

Firstly welcome to the forum. I hope you can find all the information you need here and more.

To answer some of your questions: Medication. You can buy your medication from pharmacies and there is a published government controlled price list. Generally expect medication to be expensive. If you want to obtain your medication under the health service you will need to see a doctor, just as you would in the UK, and agree your medication with him. Medical attitudes aren't the same here and I know of some people who on visiting doctors with their medication are told to change drastically their drug regimes to match the practices over here. This has been beneficial for some. You will find that doctors tend to pour antibiotics into you here for the slightest thing and I believe that Cyprus has the highest antibiotic use in Europe.

Cremation. This is a topic that comes up regularly. There is no cremation here at present but talk of a crematorium being built. I believe the Church is keen to oppose this and unfortunately the Church seems to still have a lot of political sway despite their antiquated attitudes.

The advice to keep a UK bank account is valid and I would not advise bringing all your money here. It is so simple and quick to transfer from the UK via an exchange company (I use Currency Fair). We hope the totally stupid behaviour of the banks here is coming to an end but I would not put all my eggs into their basket.

Certainly I would agree that you should rent at least initially. There are many properties in every area available at keen prices and you will have the flexibility of choosing area, house style and so on.

We find our cost of living here is about the same as the UK on the bottom line. I generally find those that think everything expensive here are the ones buying expensive, imported food rather than enjoying the excellent home produced goods.

I hope this is helpful and gets you thinking further and stimulates further questions. I am glad to see that you are doing your research well ahead of time and have a realistic outlook. I wish you well.

Pete


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## Guest (Mar 15, 2014)

PeteandSylv said:


> Firstly welcome to the forum. I hope you can find all the information you need here and more.
> 
> To answer some of your questions: Medication. You can buy your medication from pharmacies and there is a published government controlled price list. Generally expect medication to be expensive. If you want to obtain your medication under the health service you will need to see a doctor, just as you would in the UK, and agree your medication with him. Medical attitudes aren't the same here and I know of some people who on visiting doctors with their medication are told to change drastically their drug regimes to match the practices over here. This has been beneficial for some. You will find that doctors tend to pour antibiotics into you here for the slightest thing and I believe that Cyprus has the highest antibiotic use in Europe.
> 
> ...


Hi!

Pete has covered most of the questions but your question about health insurance not. If you have a state pension from the UK, you are entitled to public healthcare in Cyprus. If you on top of that want a private insurance is up to you. It is enough that one of you has state pension, both will be covered

The price of medicin without having a prescription, and what can be bought here you can find, as Pete said, on a official government page. To make it a little easier I have published the list here (moderated)

Anders


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## dadyjane (Mar 15, 2014)

Many thanks to Pete and Anders for your swift replies to my post. I am sure there will be many more questions as I get down to the serious business of finding as much as possible out. This site is a Godsend, being able to ask these questions of people who have already made the move and know the pitfalls.

Have a nice weekend and enjoy the sun 

Jane


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## buster12 (Oct 9, 2012)

dadyjane said:


> Many thanks to Pete and Anders for your swift replies to my post. I am sure there will be many more questions as I get down to the serious business of finding as much as possible out. This site is a Godsend, being able to ask these questions of people who have already made the move and know the pitfalls.
> 
> Have a nice weekend and enjoy the sun
> 
> Jane


Hi Jane - I would agree with all that has been said here, except that we have found our cost of living around 20% lower than UK. This does mean however that you are buying Cypriot brands, fresh foods and adopting their lifestyle - only the occasional UK branded food! Works for us but not everyone, though I will admit to buying UK bacon at times(do buy Cypriot as well!). We buy absolutely fresh veg from a local farm for (almost) peanuts and if he has run out, he goes and picks it for us! I can only say 'do it soon' - we are loving our life here after 11 months to date.

Best wishes,

David


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## expatme (Dec 4, 2013)

Welcome.

We moved here in 2004. We then sold our apartment and bought a yacht and sailed for 5 years. Sold the yacht and are now back here for good.
It is a wonderful country and there is so much going on. Lots of associations to join and you will find the cost of living HAS gone up as it has in other countries. The UK is Rip off country. An example is our dust bins are emptied here TWICE a week.

Do rent.

Peter


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## PeteandSylv (Sep 24, 2008)

expatme said:


> Welcome.
> 
> We moved here in 2004. We then sold our apartment and bought a yacht and sailed for 5 years. Sold the yacht and are now back here for good.
> It is a wonderful country and there is so much going on. Lots of associations to join and you will find the cost of living HAS gone up as it has in other countries. The UK is Rip off country. An example is our dust bins are emptied here TWICE a week.
> ...


While I share your enthusiasm for Cyprus I cannot see how emptying the dustbins twice a week in Cyprus makes the UK a rip-off country.

In fact I'll go so far as to say that emptying our dustbin twice a week is an inefficient waste of money, thus the rubbish collectors are being paid unnecessarily which I think is a rip-off.

Pete


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## Talagirl (Feb 24, 2013)

*Retiring to Cyprus*

Yes, we definitely have a far better quality of life since moving here. It is healthier, safer and cheaper than when we were living in the UK many years ago. We eat a mixture of local and foreign foodstuffs. We manage well on a low income - joined lots of local organisations and meeting very positive people of all nationalities.

Thank goodness our green rubbish skips are emptied twice weekly - even so, they are overflowing after each weekend!


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## Pam n Dave (Jun 11, 2007)

Try some extended holidays if you can and try to choose different seasons so that you get a clearer picture of life here. Explore the villages and the towns.

Most of love and live in the Paphos side of the island so we are biased but there is the Larnaca side and that is worth exploring as well.

Don't forget that we also have a "bash" here every now and again so you can get the opportunity to meet some of us.


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## dadyjane (Mar 15, 2014)

*Wow...*

Each time I come back on here I have received more replies. Very, very useful to get different perspectives on life over there. We are planning to come back later in the year, want to miss the busy season. We plan to stay for about two weeks in order to have more time to look around the island properly, can't really take much more holiday and my leave has to last me a whole year! Want to rent a place for that time and have been looking on the OwnersDirect website.

So, you have a bash... , great, is there one organised for around Oct/Nov time, if so, let me know the date and we will try to fit our next trip around it. It would be lovely to get to meet you all and others who live in Cyprus. I did bring a copy of the Paphos Post back with me, and yes there is a lot going on within the exPat community. 

I have been talking about Cyprus so much at work, several people are intending to come over and have a look. To say we are disillusioned over here is an understatment.....

Better get ready for work now, the sun is shining, but rain is forecast and temperatures have taken a dip again... but we have daffodils and blossom on the trees so all is not lost 

Jane


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

We usually have several meet ups per year, often one of them will be in October once everyone has got rid of summer visitors or returned from visiting families in the UK etc.
October is still wonderful weather so we can usually still sit outside to eat . However we don't usually decide on where and when to have the meets up until 4 -6 weeks before so can't really give you any dates as yet. 

regards
Veronica


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## David_&_Letitia (Jul 8, 2012)

PeteandSylv said:


> Cremation. This is a topic that comes up regularly. There is no cremation here at present but talk of a crematorium being built. I believe the Church is keen to oppose this and unfortunately the Church seems to still have a lot of political sway despite their antiquated attitudes.
> 
> Pete


Back to the drawing board for 2 weeks....

Deputies vacillate over cremation | Cyprus Mail


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## PeteandSylv (Sep 24, 2008)

David_&_Letitia said:


> Back to the drawing board for 2 weeks....
> 
> Deputies vacillate over cremation | Cyprus Mail


I just commented on that article as follows:

It is time for all authorities in Cyprus to learn from the best practices in other countries and discover the benefits and pitfalls rather than reinvent the wheel by starting from scratch and arguing over issues which may be irrelevant. This applies to the crematorium debate as well as so many other important issues which are constantly delayed.

Pete


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## expatme (Dec 4, 2013)

PeteandSylv said:


> I just commented on that article as follows:
> 
> It is time for all authorities in Cyprus to learn from the best practices in other countries and discover the benefits and pitfalls rather than reinvent the wheel by starting from scratch and arguing over issues which may be irrelevant. This applies to the crematorium debate as well as so many other important issues which are constantly delayed.
> 
> Pete


I actually thought that the points were valid and should be sorted before the go ahead is given.


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## Talagirl (Feb 24, 2013)

There is a lot of legislation involved and I think that not much will happen until Greece also gives the go ahead for a crematorium because even though Cyprus is a separate country they still share many beliefs and traditions. 

A year ago I did investigate the possibility of being cremated anywhere in Europe, but the UK is still the best and cheapest option.


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## PeteandSylv (Sep 24, 2008)

expatme said:


> I actually thought that the points were valid and should be sorted before the go ahead is given.


The points may well be valid but they have been discussing this for many years now and I think there is a lot to be learned elsewhere including the consequences of the points that are delaying now.

I would dread to think that any process in Greece would be the cause for further delay. The so-called connection to Greece is a nonsense and the sooner Cypriots discard this and stand for their own country the better. Greece has never reciprocated and never will.

Pete


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## dadyjane (Mar 15, 2014)

Veronica said:


> We usually have several meet ups per year, often one of them will be in October once everyone has got rid of summer visitors or returned from visiting families in the UK etc.
> October is still wonderful weather so we can usually still sit outside to eat . However we don't usually decide on where and when to have the meets up until 4 -6 weeks before so can't really give you any dates as yet.
> 
> regards
> Veronica


Hello, back again. We are coming over again in November 4 -11, bringing some of the family as well  We have booked a villa within walking distance of Pissouri and would love to meet up with some of you who have made the move to have a chat, ask some questions, generally get more of an insight.

I do have a question though, do we have to register to live in Cyprus. I have lived the majority of my life in Germany, and you registered each time you moved with different regions, so wondered if it was the same in Cyprus.

Thanks

Jane


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