City in Cyprus
Paphos
Paphos is a coastal town on the south-west coast of Cyprus, with 37,991 residents in 2021. Nearly half of them held a citizenship other than Cypriot, the highest share of the four main towns. Daily highs average 31.0 °C in August and 17.6 °C in February, with 8 comfortable months a year. [N1] [N2] [B1] [W3]
Why it is here
Why Paphos is on the list.
A city is listed when there is evidence that people move there. This is the evidence.
- At the 2021 census, 18,192 of the 37,991 people living in the municipality (47.9%) held a citizenship other than Cypriot: 10,899 from other EU countries and 7,293 from outside the EU, against 19,742 Cypriots. In the Paphos district the figure is 40,453 of 101,106 (40.0%), the highest share of any district. The table counts citizenship, not when people arrived or why. [N2]
- The International School of Paphos, founded in 1987 as the first private English school in Paphos, says it has nearly 1,200 students aged 2.5 to 18 from over 40 nationalities, follows an enriched English National Curriculum and is a Cambridge and Pearson Edexcel centre (the school group's own page). [I1]
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
59 of 100MixedOwn figure
Paphos Airport's table (Cyprus Department of Meteorology, on the WMO site, no 1991-2020 period stated): 8 comfortable months a year (March, April, May, June, September, October, November and December); July (30.6 °C) and August (31.0 °C) are just over 30 °C, and January and February (17.7 and 17.6 °C) just under 18 °C.
Source: Climate table, Paphos Airport. 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 Paphos.
How big is Paphos?
The Paphos municipality had 37,991 residents at the 2021 census, and the Paphos district had 101,106. Wikipedia calls it the fourth-largest city in Cyprus.
What is the weather like in Paphos?
At Paphos Airport, on the coast, daily highs average 17.6 °C in February and 31.0 °C in August. Fernshore counts 8 comfortable months a year (March to June and September to December), with highs of 18 to 30 °C. July and August are just over 30 °C.
How many foreign residents does Paphos have?
At the 2021 census, 18,192 of the 37,991 people in the municipality (47.9%) held a non-Cypriot citizenship, against 19,742 Cypriots: 10,899 from other EU countries and 7,293 from outside the EU. The Paphos district’s 40.0% is the highest of any district.
Is there an international school in Paphos?
The International School of Paphos, founded in 1987, says it has nearly 1,200 students aged 2.5 to 18 from over 40 nationalities, follows an enriched English National Curriculum and is a Cambridge and Pearson Edexcel centre. Other directories give about 643 pupils; fees are unknown.
How much is rent in Paphos?
The president of the real estate registration council gave average monthly rents of €500 to €550 for a one-bedroom and €700 to €800 for a two-bedroom flat in Paphos (July 2026). It is one official’s average, not a survey, and says nothing about a given street.
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 Paphos (Pafos) 37,991 residents; Paphos district 101,106. Government-controlled area only (the census counts people with their usual residence there on 1 October 2021).
- [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] Paphos, Wikipedia (secondary). Checked 15 October 2026. Coordinates 34.7667 N, 32.4167 E; 'a coastal city in southwest Cyprus and the capital of the Paphos District'; the fourth-largest in the country.
- [W3] Climate table, Paphos Airport, 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 Paphos Airport, 34.72 N, 32.49 E (on the coast, southeast of the town). Monthly mean daily highs 17.6 (February) to 31.0 (August); monthly rainfall is under 87 mm in every month.
- [I1] The International School of Paphos, Globeducate (the school group that owns it; the school's own description). Checked 15 October 2026. Founded 1987 'as the first private English school in Paphos'; nearly 1,200 students aged 2.5 to 18; enriched English National Curriculum; accredited centre for Cambridge International Education and Pearson Edexcel; over 40 nationalities. Other directories give about 643 pupils; the owner's figure is used and not confirmed.
- [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.
- [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).
- [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.