Cyprus among EU leaders on affordability of basic necessities

Cyprus recorded some of the lowest rates in the European Union for being unable to afford basic goods and services in 2025, according to Eurostat data published as part of its latest review of living conditions. According to the report, only 1.2 per cent of people in Cyprus could not afford a meal containing meat, chicken or fish, or a vegetarian equivalent, every second day, the lowest proportion among the EU member states. The figure compares with an EU average of 8.5 per cent and was considerably below the highest rate, recorded in Romania at 18.1 per cent. The findings form part of Eurostat’s Key figures on European living conditions 2026 publication, which examines living standards across the EU, with particular attention to vulnerable groups. The inability to afford particular goods or services is used by Eurostat as an indicator of absolute poverty, providing a measure of whether people can afford necessities and participate in everyday life. However, while the figures point to relatively favourable affordability conditions in Cyprus, the cost of living has continued to rise in 2026, putting pressure on household budgets both in Cyprus and across the European Union. Higher prices for everyday goods and services mean that affordability remains a challenge for many households, even where income and other indicators have improved. Housing costs and home heating Eurostat reported that Cyprus recorded the lowest housing cost overburden rate in the EU, with 2.4 per cent of people living in households where housing costs accounted for at least 40 per cent of disposable income. The EU average was 7.7 per cent, while Greece recorded the highest rate at 26.4 per cent, followed by Denmark at 23.4 per cent. Across the EU, the housing cost overburden rate was highest in cities, at 9.6 per cent, and lowest in rural areas, at 5.6 per cent. Cyprus, along with Lithuania and Malta, was among the countries where the highest housing cost overburden rate was recorded in towns and suburbs. Eurostat also found that the cost of keeping homes adequately warm had become less burdensome in Cyprus. The share of people in Cyprus unable to afford adequate heating fell by 3.3 percentage points between 2024 and 2025, the largest decline recorded among EU member states alongside a 2.9 percentage point fall in Bulgaria. Across the EU, 8.8 per cent of people could not afford to keep their homes adequately warm in 2025, down from 9.2 per cent in 2024. The proportion ranged from 2.6 per cent in Finland to 18.1 per cent in Greece. Leisure, holidays and digital connectivity Cyprus also performed strongly on food affordability compared with the rest of the EU, but the picture was less favourable for leisure activities. Some 12.1 per cent of people across the EU could not afford to participate regularly in a leisure activity in 2025, with the figure ranging from 3.9 per cent in Croatia to 27.3 per cent in Greece. The report found that 27.5 per cent of people in the EU could not afford to take a one-week holiday away from home each year. That proportion ranged from 10.6 per cent in Luxembourg to 61.4 per cent in Romania. Internet access was unaffordable for 2 per cent of people across the EU, with the figure ranging from 0.1 per cent in Finland to 6.2 per cent in Romania. Disposable income and purchasing power The report also placed Cyprus above the EU median for disposable income when adjusted for differences in purchasing power. Median annual disposable income in Cyprus stood at 23,782 purchasing power standards (PPS) per inhabitant in 2025, compared with an EU average of 22,630 PPS. The measure is based on equivalised disposable income, which takes the total net income of household members and adjusts it according to household size and composition. PPS is used to account for differences in price levels between countries, allowing income levels to be compared more meaningfully across the EU. Income levels varied considerably across the bloc, with western and Nordic countries generally recording the highest values and southern, eastern and Baltic countries recording the lowest. The lowest median disposable incomes were recorded in Hungary at 11,958 PPS, Romania at 12,861 PPS and Greece at 13,612 PPS. Luxembourg recorded the highest median income at 37,673 PPS per inhabitant, followed by Austria at 32,002 PPS and the Netherlands at 29,714 PPS. Cyprus also had a relatively low housing cost burden despite its position above the EU average for disposable income. Material deprivation and household demographics The report found that Cyprus was one of only four EU countries where severe material and social deprivation was higher among men than women, alongside the Netherlands, Finland and Germany. Romania recorded the highest severe material and social deprivation rate at 16.8 per cent, followed by Bulgaria at 15 per cent and Greece at 14.9 per cent. The lowest rate was recorded in Slovenia at 1.9 per cent. In 2025, almost half of young adults aged 18 to 34 across the EU, or 49.8 per cent, lived with at least one parent or contributed to or benefited from household income. The proportion was particularly low in Nordic countries, ranging from 16.6 per cent to 25.1 per cent, while Croatia recorded the highest share at 75.3 per cent. Germany had the next-lowest figure at 32.1 per cent. Among young adults living with at least one parent or contributing to or benefiting from household income, 47.1 per cent were students or otherwise outside the labour force, while 36.7 per cent worked full-time. A further 7.2 per cent worked part-time and 9 per cent were unemployed. In Malta, Croatia, Poland, Cyprus and Slovakia, more than half of young adults living with at least one parent were employed full-time. Cyprus also differed from most EU countries in terms of the most common household structure. Two-adult households without dependent children were the most common household type in Cyprus, Portugal and Poland, while households consisting of single adults without dependent children were the most common in 22 EU countries. In Ireland and Slovakia, households with two adults and dependent children were the most common. Employment, poverty risk and health indicators The report also examined the extent to which employment protects people from poverty. Across the EU, 8.3 per cent of people aged 18 and over who were working as employees or self-employed were at risk of poverty in 2025. The proportion was 7.5 per cent among women and 9 per cent among men. Bulgaria recorded the highest in-work poverty rate at 11.5 per cent, while Finland had the lowest at 3.1 per cent. Cyprus was among the countries where the in-work poverty rate was higher for women than men, alongside Latvia, Luxembourg, France and Czech Republic. In 21 EU countries, the rate was higher for men, while Germany recorded the same rate for both sexes. Cyprus also stood out in Eurostat’s findings on tobacco and related products. Across the EU, 16.5 per cent of people aged 16 and over consumed tobacco or related products, including e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches or heated tobacco products, daily in 2025. Daily use was higher among people at risk of poverty or social exclusion, at 19.9 per cent, compared with 15.7 per cent among those not at risk. Daily use generally ranged from 13.6 per cent in Belgium to 23.9 per cent in Sweden, although the Netherlands and Ireland recorded lower rates at 9.9 per cent and 11.7 per cent respectively, while Bulgaria recorded 26.3 per cent. In most EU countries, daily use was more common among people at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Cyprus was among the exceptions, alongside Romania, Latvia, Bulgaria, Croatia and Greece, where the proportion was higher among people not at risk. Eurostat also found that 24.2 per cent of people aged 16 and over in the EU reported some or severe disability in 2025. The proportion was higher among women, at 26.5 per cent, than men, at 21.8 per cent. Latvia recorded the highest rate at 35.9 per cent, followed by Finland at 35 per cent and Estonia at 34.1 per cent, while Malta had the lowest at 11 per cent, followed by Bulgaria at 13.3 per cent. Cyprus was the only EU country where the reported disability rate was the same for men and women. The report also found a particularly large gap in Cyprus between people with and without disabilities in terms of the risk of poverty or social exclusion. Across the EU, 28.8 per cent of people aged 16 and over with a disability were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2025, compared with 17.7 per cent of people without a disability. Every EU country recorded a higher rate among people with disabilities, with the relative difference between the two groups largest in Cyprus and Croatia. Social care and interpersonal trust Cyprus also recorded one of the EU’s highest shares of households receiving professional homecare services when at least one household member required long-term care. In 2024, professional homecare services were received by 62.9 per cent of relevant households in Cyprus, compared with an EU average of 28.3 per cent. Only Denmark recorded a higher proportion, at 63.5 per cent, while Belgium was the only other country where more than half of such households received professional homecare services, at 52.9 per cent. The lowest shares were recorded in Estonia at 7.6 per cent, Hungary at 8.3 per cent and Poland at 8.5 per cent. The report also examined trust in other people, with Cyprus among the countries where the average rating was below 5 out of 10. The EU-wide average was 5.8, while trust ranged from below 5 in Cyprus, France, Lithuania and Slovenia to 7 in Finland and 7.5 in Romania.