Domestic buyers remained the largest group in August. Cypriot buyers accounted for 659, or 53%, of property sales contracts deposited at Land Registry offices during the month.
EU citizens accounted for 197 contracts, or 16%, while non-EU citizens accounted for 385, or 31%.
Property sales to the domestic market
Property sales to Cypriot buyers rose 2% in August compared with the same month last year. However, the performance varied sharply between districts.
Sales in Famagusta fell 19%, while Limassol recorded a 16% decline and Paphos was down 3%. These falls were more than offset by strong growth in Larnaca, where sales jumped 47%, and Nicosia, where they rose 7%.
Property sales to EU citizens
Property sales to EU citizens rose 27% in August compared with August 2025.
Nicosia was the only district to record a fall, with sales down 6%. The other four districts all reported growth.
Limassol staged a strong recovery after sales fell 32% in July. Sales to EU citizens surged 89% in August compared with the same month last year.
Paphos recorded an 11% increase, while Famagusta and Larnaca posted gains of 10% and 6% respectively.
Property sales to non-EU citizens
Property sales to non-EU citizens rose 19% in August compared with the same month last year.
Limassol was the only district to record a fall, with sales down 6%. Paphos recorded the strongest growth, with sales rising 40%.
Nicosia followed with a 33% increase, while sales in Larnaca and Famagusta rose 31% and 7% respectively.
Property sales – year to date
Domestic sales
During the first eight months of 2026, every district recorded higher domestic property sales than in the same period last year.
Limassol led the market, with sales up 19%. Famagusta followed with growth of 7%, while Nicosia and Larnaca both recorded increases of 5%.
Paphos saw the smallest rise, with sales up 3%.
EU sales
Year-to-date figures show that demand from EU buyers continues to strengthen. Sales rose 23% during the first eight months of 2026 compared with the same period last year.
Paphos remains the strongest-performing district, with sales to EU buyers up 42%. Larnaca followed with growth of 33%, while Limassol recorded a 9% increase and Nicosia rose 8%. Famagusta was the only district to record a decline, with sales down 2%.
Non-EU sales
So far this year, property sales to non-EU citizens have been almost twice as high as sales to EU citizens. Every district has recorded an increase, with overall sales to non-EU buyers up 19%.
Paphos, Larnaca and Famagusta each recorded a 21% increase in sales. Limassol followed with growth of 16%, while Nicosia recorded a 12% rise.
Overseas buyers’ trends
Combined purchases by EU and non-EU citizens accounted for 47% of all property sales during the first eight 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 1,871 sales compared with 783.
Larnaca is also proving increasingly attractive to non-EU buyers, highlighting the changing profile of overseas demand across the island.
Year-to-date sales performance since 2008
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.
