Cyprus Property Sales Rose 10% in August — but Larnaca and Limassol Moved in Opposite Directions

Cyprus’s property market remained ahead of last year in August, but the national growth figure hides a widening gap between districts. A total of 1,241 sale contracts were lodged during the month, 10% more than in August 2025. Across January to August, contracts reached 13,288, up about 14% year on year and the strongest eight-month opening on record in the dataset cited by Cyprus Mail.

Larnaca was the standout in August. Contracts rose to 299 from 221 a year earlier, a 35.3% increase. Paphos added almost 20% and Nicosia 8%. Limassol, still the island’s largest market by volume, moved the other way: August contracts fell 5% year on year to 395, its first annual monthly decline of 2026. Famagusta was down 8%.

The market is growing, but not evenly

The eight-month totals are more stable than one month suggests. Limassol still recorded 4,354 contracts from January through August, 17% above the same period of 2025. Paphos rose almost 20% to 2,654, while Larnaca reached 2,898, up 13%. Nicosia grew by less than 6% and Famagusta by just over 8%.

The result is a market where national momentum remains positive but new activity is increasingly concentrated. Limassol and Paphos together accounted for roughly two thirds of the additional contracts recorded across Cyprus compared with the first eight months of last year.

Foreign demand remains central to the picture. Cyprus Mail, citing Land Registry data, reports that buyers from other EU countries and outside the EU represented around 47% of sale contracts in the first eight months. EU-buyer transactions rose 23% year on year and non-EU transactions 19%.

Contracts are not the same as completed transfers

A sale contract lodged with the land registry is not the same measure as a completed title transfer. That distinction matters in Cyprus, where transfers can occur months or years after contracts are deposited. Separate transfer data cited in the same market coverage showed €2.70 billion in declared value through July, covering 12,857 properties across 11,522 transactions.