Cyprus property sees 13,288 sales in 8 months; Larnaca jumps 35% in August as Limassol slips

Published by BuySell, Cyprus’ leading property platform Cyprus recorded 13,288 contracts of sale in the first eight months of 2026, 13.7 per cent more than the same period last year and the strongest eight-month opening on record, according to analysis of Department of Lands and Surveys data by BuySell, Cyprus’ largest property platform. August itself produced 1,241 contracts, 10 per cent above August 2025. It was the eighth consecutive month of year-on-year growth this year — no month in 2026 has fallen behind its 2025 equivalent. Eight months, eight gains — and no month behind last year August is always the quietest month of the Cypriot year, and 2026 was no exception: 1,241 contracts against July’s 2,040. What matters is the comparison with the same month a year ago, and on that measure August added 10 per cent — 113 more contracts than August 2025. The year’s pattern has been remarkably even. June was the strongest month for growth, up 27.2 per cent on June 2025, while July was the strongest for volume, the first month of 2026 to clear 2,000 contracts. May was the one soft patch, up just 4.8 per cent. Nothing in eight months has gone backwards. Larnaca leads August, Limassol slips — but still owns a third of the year Larnaca was August’s standout, with 299 contracts against 221 a year earlier — a 35.3 per cent gain, the largest monthly increase any district has posted in 2026. Paphos added 19.7 per cent and Nicosia 8.2 per cent. Limassol went the other way, down 5.0 per cent to 395 contracts, its first year-on-year decline of 2026. Famagusta also eased, by 8.3 per cent on a small base of 55 contracts. Neither dent changes the shape of the year: Limassol has signed 4,354 contracts since January, roughly one in three of every contract deposited across Cyprus, and is running 17.0 per cent ahead of 2025. Over the eight months, Paphos is the fastest-growing district at 19.7 per cent, Limassol next at 17.0 per cent, and Nicosia the slowest at 5.6 per cent. €2.70 billion changed hands by July — 40 cents of every euro in Limassol Completed transfers, which follow contracts by months or years and record the point at which title actually moves, carried a declared value of €2.70 billion between January and July 2026, covering 12,857 properties across 11,522 transactions. That is already 57 per cent of the €4.7 billion transferred in the whole of 2025. Limassol accounted for €1,084 million of it — 40 cents of every euro transferred across Cyprus, against a 33 per cent share of contract volume. Nicosia followed on €567 million and Paphos on €543 million, with Larnaca on €375 million and Famagusta on €130 million. June was the strongest month at €541 million, ahead of July’s €468 million. Transfer figures for August had not been published at the time of writing; the transfer data here covers January to July 2026. Foreign buyers signed 41 per cent of every contract — seven in 10 in Paphos Non-Cypriot buyers signed 4,980 contracts between January and July, 20.3 per cent more than a year earlier and 41.3 per cent of everything deposited, up from 39.2 per cent in the same period of 2025. July alone produced 829 foreign contracts, a monthly record. EU buyers grew faster than non-EU buyers for the first time in years, up 23.0 per cent against 18.9 per cent, though buyers from outside the EU still account for two thirds of foreign demand — 3,293 contracts against 1,687. The geography is lopsided. Paphos registered 1,667 foreign contracts, 69.8 per cent of everything signed in the district and 28.4 per cent more than a year earlier. Larnaca and Famagusta sit near 46 per cent, Limassol at 36.5 per cent and Nicosia at 15.9 per cent. On completed transfers the national share is lower — one in five properties, 20.9 per cent, rising to 41.7 per cent in Paphos and falling to 9.0 per cent in Nicosia. Apartments up 10.8 per cent, houses up 3.0 per cent The Central Bank of Cyprus Residential Property Price Index rose 7.5 per cent year on year in the first quarter of 2026, its latest published quarter, and 2.3 per cent on the previous three months. Beneath that average the two halves of the market have separated. Apartment prices climbed 10.8 per cent over the year and 2.4 per cent over the quarter; house prices rose 3.0 per cent and 1.5 per cent. Apartments are where foreign demand concentrates, and the price data tracks the contract data closely. By district, Larnaca led on 8.9 per cent annual growth while Nicosia added 2.8 per cent. Nine in 10 new borrowers now fix their rate New housing loans in Cyprus reached €152.1 million in June 2026, up from €145.5 million in May and €106.0 million in April, on Central Bank of Cyprus figures. Including renegotiated facilities the June total was €201.1 million. New housing lending across 2025 came to €2.0 billion, 36.4 per cent more than the year before. The average rate on a new housing loan eased to 4.04 per cent in June from 4.06 per cent in May, around 0.2 percentage points below the eurozone median. The structural change matters more than the monthly move: only 10.9 per cent of new housing loans now carry a variable rate, against close to 100 per cent at the start of 2022. Cypriot borrowers have moved decisively to fixed terms. About BuySell BuySell (buysellcyprus.com) is Cyprus’ leading property platform, attracting more than 2 million visitors every month and hosting over 150,000 listings for sale across Cyprus. With a market share of more than 80 per cent — confirmed by IMR / University of Nicosia — it is the definitive marketplace for Cypriot real estate and a regular publisher of data-driven analysis of the market. For more information, live market data and more than 150,000 listings, visit: buysellcyprus.com. The BuySell App is available for iPhone and Android: Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play