Some nuances of moving to Cyprus

It is not a secret for anyone that many of our fellow IT workshops live in warm countries. And some of us think: “I don't want the dullness, the cold and the hustle in the subway! I want to lie on the beach with a laptop all year round! ”. And surely many people read and heard that, in one such corner of paradise, in Cyprus, a crisis had already passed, a lot of IT companies had opened, and HRy invited IT people to go there, promising paradise. So what are they (IT specialists) waiting for?

I’ll just make a reservation that I’m not going to go into the political debate, but I just want to tell you some details as of 2017-2018 to help make a decision if someone seriously thought about moving to Cyprus. It will be about South Cyprus, mainly about the Russian city of Limassol itself.

I will compare expensive / cheap with Moscow, so do not write in comments like “Medicine dear? Yes, look at prices in the USA! ”

So offer . Many companies offer relocation bonus - the amount of money that you pay almost immediately upon arrival (as soon as the contract is signed). The amount depends on the company, position, a lot of what. But, quite possibly, it will be comparable to the monthly salary (plus or minus). But, most likely, the contract will have a clause that you must work for a certain period, otherwise you will have to refund the amount. Perhaps not all, for example, after a year - only half, etc. This will be indicated in the contract, and it is better to check with HR in advance.
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Taxes Cyprus tax progressive:
0 - 19 500 euro per year - 0%
19 501 - 28 000 euros per year - 20%
28 001 - 36 300 euro per year - 25%
36 301 - 60 000 euro per year - 30%
over 60,000 euros per year - 35%

There is still 7.8% social insurance, which you pay anyway.
There is a nuance - the first 5 years, 20% of your income is exempt from taxes.
That is, the formula is approximately as follows: Gross per month x 12 months x 0.922 (social insurance) x 0.8 (tax rebate for the first 5 years) = taxable amount. Of this amount, you only pay from the 19501 mark. That is, if, suppose you have a taxable amount of 40,000 per year, then you will pay the state:
(40000-36301) 0.3 + (36300-28001) 0.25 + (28000-19501) 0.2 = 4885 euro per year + social insurance, of course.

There is a life hack: if you arrive, for example, in the second half of the year, and your taxable income in Cyprus is less than EUR 19,500 by the end of the year, you will not pay taxes. Until. Of course, this does not apply to social insurance.

Team

As I said, there are a lot of Russian IT specialists here, usually IT companies discover Russian IT companies and bring programmers with them. So, in English, most likely, it is necessary to communicate a little. But it all depends on the company.

Documents

The documents are drawn up by the company. If you come with your family, for each person you need to leave a deposit in the bank (in general, all kinds of deposits are very popular here, at first a lot of money will be spent on them) in the amount of 560-580 euros (the so-called bank guarantee). This deposit can be returned a few months after you leave Cyprus. Plus a family visa. If you are traveling alone, the company will pay for everything. If my wife and I - for her deposit in the bank 560-580 euros + approx. 300 euros for registration. If with wife and child - 1100-1200 euro deposit + approx. 500 euro clearance. With your wife and two children - you can count.

Housing

With housing in Limassol has recently become hard. Many programmers from the post-Soviet space have arrived, they all need to live somewhere, and the salaries of IT specialists are higher than the average salary in Cyprus. The result is that the rent has risen greatly, it is difficult to find normal apartments, and the long-term rent is no longer dependent on the season. In winter, there are no free apartments either. How to search? Real estate agencies, Facebook groups and bazaraki.com website. About prices: Euro-single (apartments with a living room combined with a kitchen + one small bedroom) will cost 600-800 euros per month. Moreover, 600 - either somewhere on the outskirts, or with very old furniture. Evrovvushka - 700-1000. Over time, prices only grow. In the winter of 2017-2018, out of season, prices are even higher than in the summer of 2017. The data on the numbeo site is already a bit out of date.

Plus utilities: electricity + water. It depends on how you will use it, but on average - 50-100 euros per month. But in the winter, by the way, if you want to live in a warm apartment, you can go broke on electricity. You pay agents nothing, landlord pays for their services. But at the same time, the contract is for a year, and you leave a landlord a deposit in the amount of 1-2 monthly payments, and this deposit will not be returned to you if you have lived for less than a year. Electricity and water usually correspond in the name of the tenant, i.e. you will make a contract, and again you will need to leave a deposit. For electricity - 350 euros, for water - 250.

What to look for when choosing an apartment (from the unobvious):

• Glasses. Must be double glazed windows. It will be warmer with them on cold winter evenings (especially at night).
• Solar water heating. This feature is in almost all houses and apartments, but ... Almost. And this feature will save money on electricity.
• If you are lucky and you have found an apartment, where the windows are on different sides - in the summer you can open them all, and you will not have the stuffiness and unbearable heat in the summer. Even the air conditioner can not be included.
• Ceiling. If the ceiling is not perfectly white, and there are yellowish stains or spots on it, it is quite likely that in the winter there will be mold on this ceiling. I do not exaggerate, it zakolositsya. If this filth appeared, in conditions of 100% humidity, it can grow very quickly. You can fight it, but not easy. And this process is not pleasant. Yes, yes, if you pay 700 euros per month for an unhappy odnushku, it does not give you a guarantee that you will live with a black ceiling mold. Not necessarily, of course, but the probability is.

Of course, one can hope that all the construction projects that are now being actively carried out in Limassol will someday be completed, there will be a lot of free housing, and the rent will again become cheaper. But when it will be, it is not clear, and if all this housing is inhabited, the roads will stand here. Roads already barely cope with the flow at peak times.

A machine

The car here is a must have. Public transport is very poorly developed. There are several bus routes to the whole city. You will most likely get to work on foot, because the city is small, but how can you deny yourself the pleasure of traveling around Cyprus on weekends? In general, the big plus of life in Cyprus is that you can take a car, and in half an hour or an hour you will be in some picturesque place admiring the sea or mountain scenery.

If you are going to live here for years, you must buy a car. The car can be found through colleagues, or on the same bazaraki.com. Of course, it’s better to check the car before you buy it. Cypriots do not really watch cars.

Driver's license. Here it is quite possible to drive on the Russian version of the latest version, but if you don’t have them, that's okay, six months after your arrival, you can start learning to drive and pass on the rights here. But they say that in Russia it is cheaper to buy the rights than to study here and honestly donate. But I was not particularly interested in prices, so I won’t say the exact figures.

Climate

If you came to Cyprus in the summer as a tourist, you can imagine how hot it is in summer. If not, then I will give a small example: at the end of July I swam in the sea before work, at 8 in the morning. Thermometer showed +30. At noon, it is better not to go out at all, there is a risk of getting sunstroke. At night, too hot.

The best time is in spring and autumn: April-May, and October-November. Not hot, but not yet cold.

It is cold in winter. If on the street the temperature during the day can be +16 - +18, then at home the cold penetrates to the bones. Sleep better in a hat and under the electric blanket. So stock up on fleece jackets, fleece pants, and warm pajamas. Fleece, by the way, also dries easily, and this is an important quality in conditions of 100% humidity.

Products

According to my subjective feelings, here the products are about one and a half times more expensive than in Russia.

The medicine

Expensive and up to the European level is still far away. The question is holivarny, so I will simply voice my opinion: the system of medicine in Moscow is much better built than in Cyprus.

About insurance: the health insurance system is not like in Russia - you come to a paid clinic with a card and are treated for free as part of the covered services - here you pay the doctor in cash, he fills out a special form that you then take to insurance, and after a few months return the money.

Security

When I was going to move to Cyprus, I read on the Internet that Cyprus is the country with the lowest crime in Europe. Those who have lived here for many years, say that before it was. Recently, it is not. In the summer of 2017, almost every week there were explosions in stores and pharmacies at night, periodically there are reports of arson cars, more recently, Russian groups on Facebook almost every day (!!!) reports of thefts appear. Moreover, the thieves are completely insolent, and climb into the house, even when they know that someone is at home. I do not want to frighten anyone, it’s quite safe to walk in the evening, many even cars don’t lock up. But if you are going to move here for a long time and buy real estate, this issue should be studied more carefully.

Where to get information

The most reliable way to disseminate and receive information in Cyprus is word of mouth. Add to all sorts of thematic groups on Facebook, VKontakte, chat in Skype, telegraph, etc. All ads - on bazaraki.com and Facebook.

Things to do

As I said, in life in Cyprus there is a definite plus: to go to a beautiful place, you do not need to take a vacation, you can get in the car, and in an hour you will be on a chic beach (or in the mountains - someone like that). Vacation can be spent on it to go to the mainland, visit relatives. Or to Europe. But the Schengen visa will have to receive, despite the fact that Cyprus is part of the European Union.

Russian celebrities periodically visit Cyprus. Moreover, some Russians, who in Russia would never go to the concert of the “Leningrad” group, nor to the concert of Polina Gagarina, are happy to attend this and that.

IT communities are starting to appear, but so far everything is in its infancy, there has not been a single normal IT event here.

Children

Children need good ecology, high-quality medical care, education. The ecology here is, of course, good - no industry, the sea air, but medical care is likely to be needed, because the common opinion that children in Cyprus do not get sick is, alas, a myth. Even as sick, because the 100% humidity with a temperature of 15-18 degrees - an ideal environment for the spread of infections. Especially in kindergartens. This all, of course, concerns mainly the cold season. Kindergarten, by the way, costs approx. 350 euros. Plus or minus. You can consider the options - Russian, Greek, English. The school costs something around 5,000 euros per year.

Total

If you are a lone IT specialist or a young couple without children, living in Cyprus for a year or two is quite an interesting prospect. Why without children? Because medicine / education is expensive here.

If you are accustomed to moving the metropolis, then, most likely, you will be bored with Cyprus. But if you like the rustic way of life, maybe you will like Cyprus, and you want to stay here for life, who knows. I know people who have lived here for many years and they like everything, I know those who left here in a week. And, if you decide or not, I hope I have drawn an approximate picture of what awaits you here. I tried to be objective.

Belated Update:
Nearby there is another interesting article about Cyprus.

Most Belated Update:
Thanks to vasidzius for info on realtors