Cyprus property market in numbers: Paphos and Limassol, autumn 2026

What changed in 2025 and 2026?

• Contract numbers rose in every district in 2025 and again in the first nine months of 2026 (Department of Lands and Surveys, checked 7 Oct 2026).
• Paphos had the fastest growth of the five districts in January–September 2026. Limassol remains the largest district by number of contracts (DLS, data to Sep 2026).
• Price growth picked up. The Central Bank index rose 8.5% year on year in Q2 2026, against 4.7% in Q2 2025 (CBC, Q2 2026 release; CNA, 17 Oct 2025).

How many sales contracts were deposited?

After signing, a sales contract can be deposited at the district Lands Office. The table counts deposited contracts, not completed transfers of title.

Source: Department of Lands and Surveys, Contracts of Sales 2024–2025 and 2025–2026, checked 7 Oct 2026. Percentage changes are our own calculation from the DLS figures. Figures cover only areas under the control of the Republic of Cyprus.

Points worth noting:

• In 2025 the island total rose 14.7% on 2024. Paphos rose 14.8% and Limassol 10.6% (DLS, own calculation).
• In September 2026 alone, Paphos had 345 contracts (313 in September 2025) and Limassol 506 (436). The island total was 1,681, up 13.3% (DLS, Sep 2026).
• Contracts dip in August. In 2026 the island total fell from 2,040 in July to 1,241 in August (DLS). Compare a month with the same month a year earlier, not with the month before.

What share of buyers are foreign?

Sources differ, and they measure different things. We show each one separately with its method and date. Do not add them together or average them.

Measure 1. Share of deposited contracts, January–July 2026. Foreign buyers accounted for 41.3% of contracts (4,980), up from 39.2% a year earlier. In Paphos the share was 69.8% (1,667 contracts) and in Limassol 36.5% (1,446). Method: analyses of DLS contract records by a property platform (Cyprus Mail, 8 Sep 2026) and an advisory firm (FastForward, 31 Aug 2026).

Measure 2. Share of completed transfers, January–July 2026. On transfers of title, the foreign share was 20.9% across Cyprus and 41.7% in Paphos. Method: the property platform's analysis, transfers instead of contracts (Cyprus Mail, 8 Sep 2026).

Measure 3. Share of deposited contracts, 2025 and January–August 2026. About 40% in 2025 (7,255 of 18,114 contracts, own calculation) and about 42% in January–August 2026 (5,562 of 13,288). On transfers the share stays close to 20%. Method: DLS data as analysed by a market analyst quoted in Cyprus Mail (13 Sep 2026).

Measure 4. Share of "all property transactions", 2025. 7,255 properties, or 28% of about 25,600 property transactions in 2025, up from about 25% in 2024. Method: an annual real estate review by a professional services firm, reported by Politis (18 Apr 2026).

Why they differ: a buyer of a new build often deposits a contract years before the title deed is transferred. Contracts and transfers are two different events, and the same property can appear in both (Cyprus Mail, 13 Sep 2026). Measures 3 and 4 use the same 7,255 for 2025. Measure 3 divides it by 18,114 deposited contracts. Measure 4 divides it by about 25,600 transactions.

The Department of Lands and Surveys publishes its own foreign-buyer table, split into EU and non-EU buyers. It is not included here.

What are prices doing?

Two official indices cover Cyprus. They use different data, so their figures differ. Always name the index when you quote a figure.

Sources: CBC, Residential Property Price Index 2026 Q2, checked 7 Oct 2026; CYSTAT figures as reported by Cyprus Mail, 30 Sep 2026; method from Eurostat metadata for Cyprus, updated 6 Nov 2025.

• The previous quarter, the Central Bank index rose 7.5% year on year, with apartments up 10.8% and houses up 3% (Cyprus Mail citing CBC, 24 Jun 2026).
• The Central Bank says its index partly reflects earlier quarters through smoothing, so it can lag the market slightly (CBC, Q2 2026 release).
• CYSTAT revised its index in December 2025 back to 2016, with more variables in its method (Cyprus Mail, 19 Dec 2025). Older CYSTAT figures quoted elsewhere may not match the current series.

How to read these figures

• Contracts are not completed sales. A contract can be deposited after signing. Title can transfer years later, especially for new builds.
• District figures cover the whole district. They cover all property types in the district. They do not tell you about one street or one building.
• Percentages are year on year. Each month is compared with the same month a year earlier.
• Name the index. "Prices rose 8.5%" is incomplete. Say which index, which quarter, and whether it covers apartments, houses or both.
• Foreign-buyer shares depend on the base. A share of contracts and a share of transfers are different measures.
• Figures get revised. Check the publication date before you compare two numbers.

What do the numbers not show?

• Condition. No statistic says anything about a building's structure, damp, roof, balconies or services. A district can post strong sales while individual buildings have serious defects.
• Title status. A deposited contract is not a title deed. Contract counts do not show whether a property has a separate title deed, or whether a developer's mortgage still sits on the land. DLS publishes separate tables on title deeds issued in project developments; figures from them are not included here.
• Permits. Building permits covered 8,978 residential units in January–May 2026, up 63.7% (Cyprus Mail citing CBC, 24 Sep 2026). Permit numbers count what was authorised. They do not show whether a building was built as permitted or has a certificate of final approval.
• Rents and returns. None of the figures above measures rent or what an owner keeps after costs.

Questions to ask

The seller or developer

• Is there a separate title deed for this unit? If not, when do you expect one, and what is holding it up?
• Is there a mortgage on the land or the building?
• Does the building have a certificate of final approval? Can I see the approved plans?
• Can I see the energy performance certificate?

Your lawyer

• Has the contract been deposited at the Lands Office, and what does that protect?
• How recent is the search certificate, and what does it show?
• Is the property as built the same as the property on the permit and plans?

What this guide cannot tell you

• Documents and figures say nothing about the building's condition. Only someone looking at the building can describe that.
• District averages and indices do not describe a single property or a single street.
• This page does not tell you what a property is worth or how prices will move.
• Foreign-buyer shares come from analyses of official data, not from one official headline figure.

More on market data and related guides

• Cyprus property numbers, October 2026: contracts, prices, buyers
• Investing in Cyprus property in 2026: prices, rental yields, taxes and the checks
• Where to live in Cyprus: the five districts compared by people, sales and rents
• Buying a home in Cyprus: 7 documents to ask for before you sign

All guides on market data · All topics and calculators