City in Cyprus
Nicosia
Nicosia is the capital and the largest urban area in Cyprus. The municipality south of the buffer zone had 56,479 residents in 2021, and a third of them held a citizenship other than Cypriot. Daily highs average 37.5 °C in July and 15.7 °C in January, with 5 comfortable months a year. [N1] [N2] [B1] [W1]
- Country
- Cyprus
- Region
- Nicosia District
- Population
- 56,479 in 2021. Nicosia (Lefkosia) municipality south of the UN buffer zone, population enumerated at the 2021 census (1 October 2021); the built-up area is much larger (Strovolos 70,823, Lakatameia 43,111, Aglantzia 21,544, Egkomi 20,504 are separate municipalities beside it) and the government-controlled part of the district is 350,035; the north of the city is not counted. [N1]
- Weather
- Four seasons [W1]
Why it is here
Why Nicosia is on the list.
A city is listed when there is evidence that people move there. This is the evidence.
- At the 2021 census, 18,252 of the 56,479 people living in the municipality (32.3%) held a citizenship other than Cypriot: 9,464 from other EU countries and 8,788 from outside the EU. In the government-controlled part of the district the figure is 60,570 of 350,035 (17.3%). The table counts citizenship, not when people arrived or why. [N2]
- InterNations, a private expat network, runs a Nicosia community that lists 10,877 members, 7 monthly events and 7 interest groups (page read 15 October 2026); members may not all live in the city. [E1]
- Residence-permit applications for the digital nomad permit and the Category F immigration permit are taken at the Migration Department's central offices in Nicosia (Leoforos Archiepiskopou Makariou III 90); the Category F page says applications go only there. [Nicosia K1] [Nicosia R1]
The Fernshore Index
How it grades, factor by factor.
Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.
Cost of living
47 of 100MixedCountry figure
Price level 0.647 of United States prices (2025).
Source: Price level index (GDP), Cyprus. Checked 15 October 2026.
Climate
33 of 100WeakOwn figure
Nicosia's own table (Cyprus Department of Meteorology, on the WMO site, no 1991-2020 period stated): 5 comfortable months a year (March, April, May, October and November); December (17.8 °C) misses by 0.2 of a degree and June to September are over 30 °C.
Source: Climate table, Nicosia. Checked 15 October 2026.
Safety
42 of 100MixedCountry figure
Global Peace Index 2026: 80th of 163.
Source: Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank. Checked 15 October 2026.
Healthcare
55 of 100MixedCountry figure
WHO UHC service coverage index 76 (2023).
Source: UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1). Checked 15 October 2026.
Schools
UnknownCountry figure
Our research doesn't cover schools yet.
Community
UnknownCountry figure
Not covered by Expat Insider 2026
Lifestyle
UnknownCountry figure
Not covered by Expat Insider 2026
Work and career
85 of 100StrongCountry figure
Strong: a residence route for remote workers exists (the Cyprus Digital Nomad Visa, capped at 500 permits; about EUR 3,500 a month net) and fixed broadband is 37.6 per 100 people (2024), over the 30 line. To be safe, have more than EUR 3,600 a month net.
Source: Digital nomads and family members (Cyprus Digital Nomad Visa); Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Cyprus. Checked 15 October 2026.
Retirement
85 of 100StrongCountry figure
Strong: the Category F immigration permit is for people living on income from abroad (pensions, dividends, interest, rents) who do not work in Cyprus. It has no age minimum and no deposit, the right of residence has unlimited validity, and the stated minimum is about EUR 9,600 a year plus about EUR 4,600 for each dependant. To be safe, have more than EUR 9,600 a year. The Immigration Control Committee decides each case, and the permit lapses after 2 years' absence.
Source: Immigration Permits (categories A to F). Checked 15 October 2026.
Internet
84 of 100StrongCountry figure
37.56 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people (2024), over the 30 line.
Source: Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Cyprus. Checked 15 October 2026.
English
58 of 100MixedCountry figure
EF EPI 2025 score 537 (rank 40), in EF's Moderate band; the 2026 edition was not found on 15 October 2026.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index 2025: Cyprus. Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, United States passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for US passports is being checked
Visa, Canada passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for Canadian passports is being checked
Visa, Australia passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for Australian passports is being checked
Visa, New Zealand passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for New Zealand passports is being checked
The country
More on Cyprus.
Questions about Nicosia.
How big is Nicosia?
The Nicosia municipality south of the UN buffer zone had 56,479 residents at the 2021 census. The built-up area is larger: Strovolos (70,823), Lakatameia (43,111), Aglantzia (21,544) and Egkomi (20,504) are separate municipalities beside it. The north of the city is not counted.
What is the weather like in Nicosia?
Nicosia is inland. Daily highs average 15.7 °C in January and 37.5 °C in July and August. Fernshore counts 5 comfortable months a year (March, April, May, October, November), with highs of 18 to 30 °C. December misses by 0.2 of a degree; June to September are over 30 °C.
How many foreign residents does Nicosia have?
At the 2021 census, 18,252 of the 56,479 people in the municipality (32.3%) held a non-Cypriot citizenship: 9,464 from other EU countries and 8,788 from outside the EU. The table counts citizenship, not when people arrived. InterNations lists 10,877 members in Nicosia.
Where do I apply for a residence permit if I live in Nicosia?
Digital nomad and Category F applications are taken at the Migration Department’s central offices in Nicosia, at Leoforos Archiepiskopou Makariou III 90. The Category F page says applications go only there. Fees are €70 plus €70 for registration (nomad) and €500 (Category F).
How much is rent in Nicosia?
The president of the real estate registration council gave average monthly rents of €600 to €650 for a one-bedroom and €800 to €900 for a two-bedroom flat in Nicosia (July 2026), and said no rent increases were recorded in 2026. That is one official’s average, not a survey.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [N1] Population Enumerated by District, Municipality/Community, Sex and Age 1.10.2021, Statistical Service of Cyprus (CYSTAT), CYSTAT-DB. Checked 15 October 2026. Final 2021 census table, read through the CYSTAT-DB data service on 15 October 2026. Municipality of Nicosia (Lefkosia) 56,479 residents; Lefkosia district (government-controlled part) 350,035; neighbouring municipalities Strovolos 70,823, Lakatameia 43,111, Aglantzia 21,544 and Egkomi 20,504. Government-controlled area only (the census counts people with their usual residence there on 1 October 2021). Settings: the municipality (56,479) and the government-controlled district (350,035) are both under the 500,000 people the 'city' setting needs, and a capital whose five municipalities named here total about 212,000 people is not a small town, so no setting applies by the rules and the settings list is empty (program decision of 16 October 2026). It is not on the sea.
- [N2] Population Enumerated by Citizenship Group, Sex, District, Municipality/Community and Postal Code 1.10.2021, Statistical Service of Cyprus (CYSTAT), CYSTAT-DB. Checked 15 October 2026. Final 2021 census table, read through the CYSTAT-DB data service on 15 October 2026; government-controlled area only. Groups: Cypriots, other EU citizens, non-EU citizens, not stated. It counts citizenship, not where people were born or when they arrived.
- [B1] Nicosia, Wikipedia (secondary). Checked 15 October 2026. Coordinates 35.1725 N, 33.365 E; the capital of Cyprus; its northern part is the de facto capital of Northern Cyprus. Wikipedia's Limassol article calls Limassol the second-largest urban area in Cyprus after Nicosia.
- [W1] Climate table, Nicosia, World Meteorological Organization, World Weather Information Service (data from the Cyprus Department of Meteorology). Checked 15 October 2026. World Weather Information Service (WMO), climate table supplied by the Department of Meteorology of Cyprus, read from the service's data file on 15 October 2026. Monthly mean daily maximum temperature and monthly rainfall; the service gives the rainfall period as 2002-2011 and states no period for temperature (the entry was supplied by the Department on 31 July 2008). These are not the 1991-2020 normals: the Department's own site (dom.org.cy, Climatological Information) lists daily data, monthly bulletins and papers but no station normals table, and its bulletins compare temperature with 1981-2010. Station Nicosia, 35.17 N, 33.37 E. Monthly mean daily highs 15.7 (January) to 37.5 (July and August); monthly rainfall is under 66 mm in every month.
- [E1] Expats in Nicosia, InterNations (private expat network). Checked 15 October 2026. Community page read 15 October 2026: 10,877 members in Nicosia, 7 monthly events, 7 interest-based groups, 8 event hosts. A private network's own figures; members may live elsewhere.
- [Nicosia K1] Digital nomads and family members (Cyprus Digital Nomad Visa), Migration Department, Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection (gov.cy). Checked 15 October 2026. Page posted 31 December 2025. Non-EU and non-EEA nationals who work remotely for an employer registered abroad or for clients abroad, with a stable net income of at least EUR 3,500 a month after contributions and taxes. First permit 1 year; renewal up to 2 years. Apply within 3 months of arrival at the Department's central offices in Nicosia; fee EUR 70 plus EUR 70 for registration; 5 to 7 weeks. Family members may stay but not work. The cap is 500 permits and the page says applications are accepted again. gov.cy refused automated access (HTTP 403) on 15 October 2026, so the text was read from the Internet Archive copy of 26 September 2026. The department that the brief names, the Civil Registry and Migration Department under the Ministry of Interior (moi.gov.cy/crmd), is now the Migration Department under the Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection.
- [Nicosia R1] Immigration Permits (categories A to F), Migration Department, Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection (gov.cy). Checked 15 October 2026. Page posted 29 December 2025. Category F: people with a secured annual income from abroad, no business, trade or profession in Cyprus; at least EUR 9,568 (CY 5,600 pounds) for the applicant and EUR 4,613 for each dependant; pensions, dividends, deposit interest and rents count. No age minimum and no deposit. Fee EUR 500 for everyone on the application. The right of residence has unlimited validity (the card is renewed every 10 years); it lapses after 2 years' absence from Cyprus or on permanent residence abroad. Applications only at the Nicosia offices; the Immigration Control Committee recommends and the Deputy Minister decides. The page also lists an expedited procedure for third-country nationals who invest in Cyprus (not opened). gov.cy refused automated access (HTTP 403), so the text was read from the Internet Archive copy of 31 August 2026.
- [C1] Price level index (GDP), Cyprus, World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 64.71 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [S1] Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank, Institute for Economics and Peace. Checked 15 October 2026. Cyprus ranks 80th of 163 countries, score 1.967 (ranking table, report PDF opened 15 October 2026).
- [H1] UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization. Checked 15 October 2026. Cyprus: 76 out of 100 (2023), read from the WHO Global Health Observatory data service (indicator UHC_INDEX_REPORTED) on 15 October 2026; 75 in 2020 and 2021, 76 in 2022.
- [Cyprus K1] Digital nomads and family members (Cyprus Digital Nomad Visa), Migration Department, Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection (gov.cy). Checked 15 October 2026. Page posted 31 December 2025. Non-EU and non-EEA nationals who work remotely for an employer registered abroad or for clients abroad, with a stable net income of at least EUR 3,500 a month after contributions and taxes. First permit 1 year; renewal up to 2 years. Apply within 3 months of arrival at the Department's central offices in Nicosia; fee EUR 70 plus EUR 70 for registration; 5 to 7 weeks. Family members may stay but not work. The cap is 500 permits and the page says applications are accepted again. gov.cy refused automated access (HTTP 403) on 15 October 2026, so the text was read from the Internet Archive copy of 26 September 2026. The department that the brief names, the Civil Registry and Migration Department under the Ministry of Interior (moi.gov.cy/crmd), is now the Migration Department under the Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection.
- [K2] Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Cyprus, International Telecommunication Union, via the World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2024: 37.56 per 100 people, read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026 (no 2025 figure yet).
- [Cyprus R1] Immigration Permits (categories A to F), Migration Department, Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection (gov.cy). Checked 15 October 2026. Page posted 29 December 2025. Category F: people with a secured annual income from abroad, no business, trade or profession in Cyprus; at least EUR 9,568 (CY 5,600 pounds) for the applicant and EUR 4,613 for each dependant; pensions, dividends, deposit interest and rents count. No age minimum and no deposit. Fee EUR 500 for everyone on the application. The right of residence has unlimited validity (the card is renewed every 10 years); it lapses after 2 years' absence from Cyprus or on permanent residence abroad. Applications only at the Nicosia offices; the Immigration Control Committee recommends and the Deputy Minister decides. The page also lists an expedited procedure for third-country nationals who invest in Cyprus (not opened). gov.cy refused automated access (HTTP 403), so the text was read from the Internet Archive copy of 31 August 2026.
- [F1] EF English Proficiency Index 2025: Cyprus, EF Education First (private test-taker index). Checked 15 October 2026. Score 537 (down 21 on the previous score), global rank 40; skill scores: reading 564, listening 539, speaking 510, writing 468; city scores Nicosia 552 and Limassol 549; the 2026 edition was not found on 15 October 2026.