Property sales in Cyprus rose by 8% in October, with 1,772 sale contracts lodged at land registry offices, up from 1,638 in October last year, according to official figures from the Department of Lands and Surveys.
Domestic (Cypriot) buyers remained the largest group in October. Cypriot buyers accounted for 1,045 sales (59% of the total). EU citizens accounted for 216 contracts (12%), while non-EU citizens accounted for 511 (29%).
All districts recorded increased sales except for Famagusta, where sales fell 22%. (further details later in this article)
In the first ten months of this year, sales have risen by 13% to reach 16,741 compared with 14,811 in the same period last year. Cypriot buyers accounted for 9,747 (58% of the total). EU citizens accounted for 2,310 contracts (14%), while non-EU citizens accounted for 4,684 (28%).
All districts recorded increased sales over the ten months compared with the same period last year.
Market segment performance October
Property sales to the domestic market
Property sales to Cypriot buyers rose by 9% in October compared with the same month last year. However, performance varied sharply between districts.
Sales in Famagusta fell by 33%, while Limassol and Larnaca each recorded a 4% decline. These falls were more than offset by particularly strong growth in Paphos, where sales rose by 125%, and a 10% increase in Nicosia.
Property sales to EU citizens
Property sales to EU citizens fell by 7% in October compared with October 2025.
Sales in Famagusta and Paphos were down 50% and 37% respectively. In contrast, the three remaining districts each reported double-digit growth:
Sales in Limassol were up 40%, while Larnaca rose by 31% and Nicosia recorded a 22% increase.
Property sales to non-EU citizens
Property sales to non-EU citizens rose by 13% in October compared with the same month last year.
While Nicosia and Paphos recorded falls of 59% and 14% respectively, sales in Famagusta rose by 47%. Limassol was up 41%, while Larnaca rose by 31%.
Market segment performance year-to-date
Domestic sales
During the first ten months of 2026, domestic sales were higher than in the same period last year.
Limassol led the market, with sales up 15%. Paphos followed with growth of 11%. Nicosia and Larnaca both recorded an increase of 6%, while Famagusta had the smallest rise, with sales up 3%.
EU sales
Year-to-date figures show that demand from EU buyers continues to strengthen. Sales rose by 18% during the first ten months of 2026 compared with the same period last year.
Larnaca was the strongest-performing district, with sales to EU buyers up 31%. Paphos followed with growth of 28%, while Nicosia and Limassol recorded increases of 13% and 11% respectively. However, sales to EU nationals in Famagusta declined by 22%.
Non-EU sales
In the first ten months of 2026, property sales to non-EU citizens were twice as high as sales to EU citizens. With the exception of Nicosia, where sales fell by 1%, the remaining districts recorded increases. Overall, sales to non-EU buyers were up 19%.
Larnaca, Limassol and Famagusta recorded increases of 23%, 21% and 20% respectively, while sales in Paphos rose by 18%.
Overseas buyers’ trends
Combined purchases by EU and non-EU citizens accounted for 42% of all property sales during the first ten months of 2026.
Demand from overseas buyers remains particularly strong in Paphos. EU and non-EU citizens bought more than twice as many properties as Cypriots, with 2,319 sales compared with 1,045 by Cypriots.
Larnaca is also proving increasingly attractive to non-EU buyers, highlighting the changing profile of overseas demand across the island.
The chart below shows the year-to-date performance of each market segment since 2008.
The Department of Lands and Surveys only began reporting separate figures for EU and non-EU buyers in 2018. Before then, all foreign purchases were grouped together under the category of overseas sales contracts.
