Who Bought Property in Cyprus? August 2026 Property Sales Breakdown
The Department of Lands and Surveys has released its latest figures on Cyprus property transactions, providing a detailed look at who purchased property across the island in August 2026 and how each buyer group performed.
Cypriot buyers continued to represent the largest share of the market during the month. A total of 659 sales contracts, equivalent to 53% of all contracts deposited with Land Registry offices, were attributed to domestic buyers.
Meanwhile, EU citizens accounted for 197 contracts (16%), while non-EU citizens recorded 385 contracts (31%).
Domestic property demand
The domestic market recorded a 2% year-on-year increase in August, although performance differed considerably between districts.
Famagusta saw sales to Cypriot buyers fall by 19%, while Limassol experienced a 16% decline. Paphos recorded a more modest 3% drop.
Elsewhere, the picture was considerably stronger. Property sales to domestic buyers in Larnaca increased by 47%, while Nicosia recorded 7% growth, more than compensating for the declines seen in the other districts.
EU buyers step up purchases
Demand from EU citizens strengthened significantly in August, with property sales 27% higher than in August 2025.
Nicosia was the only district where sales declined, falling by 6%. All other districts registered annual growth.
The most notable increase came from Limassol, where sales to EU citizens jumped 89% year-on-year. The result represents a sharp turnaround from July, when EU purchases in the district had fallen by 32%.
Paphos recorded an 11% increase, while Famagusta and Larnaca saw sales rise by 10% and 6%, respectively.
Non-EU buyers maintain strong momentum
Property purchases by non-EU citizens also continued to expand, increasing 19% in August compared with the same month in 2025.
Once again, Limassol was the only district to experience a decline, with sales down 6%.
Paphos delivered the strongest performance, recording a 40% increase in sales to non-EU buyers. Nicosia followed with growth of 33%, while Larnaca and Famagusta recorded increases of 31% and 7%, respectively.
Cyprus property market: January–August 2026
Domestic market
Looking at the first eight months of 2026, the domestic market remained in positive territory across all five districts, with every area recording higher sales than during the corresponding period of 2025.
Limassol posted the strongest increase, with domestic property sales rising 19%.
Famagusta followed with a 7% increase, while Nicosia and Larnaca each recorded 5% growth.
The smallest increase was registered in Paphos, where domestic sales were 3% higher than a year earlier.
EU market
The year-to-date figures point to continued strengthening in demand from EU buyers.
Across Cyprus, purchases by EU citizens increased 23% during the first eight months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025.
Paphos remained the standout performer, with sales to EU buyers rising by 42%.
Larnaca recorded the second-largest increase at 33%, followed by Limassol at 9% and Nicosia at 8%.
Famagusta was the only district to move in the opposite direction, with EU purchases declining by 2%.
Non-EU market
Non-EU buyers have continued to play an increasingly important role in the Cyprus property market.
During the first eight months of 2026, purchases by non-EU citizens were almost twice the level recorded among EU buyers, while total non-EU sales increased by 19% year-on-year.
All five districts recorded positive growth.
Paphos, Larnaca and Famagusta each posted a 21% increase in sales to non-EU buyers.
Limassol recorded 16% growth, while Nicosia saw purchases increase by 12%.
Overseas buyers continue to reshape the market
Taken together, purchases by EU and non-EU citizens represented 47% of all property sales during the first eight months of 2026.
The strongest concentration of overseas demand remains visible in Paphos.
During the period, EU and non-EU buyers completed 1,871 property purchases, compared with 783 purchases by Cypriot buyers. In other words, overseas buyers purchased more than twice as many properties as domestic buyers in the district.
Larnaca is also emerging as an increasingly attractive destination for non-EU purchasers, pointing to a broader shift in the geographical distribution of international property demand across Cyprus.
Cyprus property sales: YTD performance since 2008
The accompanying chart illustrates how the Cyprus property market has performed year to date across its different buyer segments since 2008.
It is worth noting that the Department of Lands and Surveys only began publishing separate statistics for EU and non-EU purchasers in 2018.
Prior to that, foreign buyers were reported collectively under the broader category of overseas sales contracts.