Limassol and Paphos side by side
Which district has the busier property market?
Limassol recorded 4,860 contracts of sale from January to September 2026 against 2,999 in Paphos, according to Department of Lands and Surveys contract-of-sale statistics.
September 2026 contracts were 10% above September 2025 in Paphos and 16% above in Limassol, on the same Department of Lands and Surveys series.
More sales mean more recent evidence to price a specific property against, which is the comparison the neighbourhood caveat above relies on. The September 2026 market update has the full district breakdown.
Which district do foreign buyers choose?
Non-Cypriot buyers took 19.8% of properties transferred in Limassol and 37.7% in Paphos in September 2026, on Department of Lands and Surveys transfer statistics, against 19.4% across the Republic of Cyprus.
Monthly shares move with a small number of transfers, so the monthly sales statistics are the better guide to direction than any single month.
How do the airports compare?
Pafos International Airport handled 3,837,155 passengers in 2025, according to its operator Hermes Airports, and sits in Paphos district, while Limassol district has no airport of its own.
Larnaka International Airport, the Republic’s busiest, handled 9,914,092 passengers in 2025 on the same Hermes Airports figures.
Do the buying rules differ between Limassol and Paphos?
No: the Department of Lands and Surveys charges the same transfer fees in both districts, 3% up to EUR 85,000, 5% to EUR 170,000 and 8% above, with no fee where VAT applies and a 50% reduction where it does not.
UK buyers in either district also need a permit from the District Administration under Cap. 109, applied for on Form COMM 145; the Ministry of Interior states that no fee is payable and applications take 2 to 3 weeks.
See VAT, transfer fees and closing costs, Council of Ministers approval and title deeds in Cyprus explained.
Who does each district suit?
Limassol suits buyers who put the Republic’s busiest sales market first, with 4,860 contracts in January to September 2026 on Department of Lands and Surveys figures; Paphos suits buyers who want a lower entry price and an established overseas-buyer market.
Non-Cypriot buyers took 37.7% of properties transferred in Paphos in September 2026, almost double Limassol’s 19.8%, on Department of Lands and Surveys transfer statistics.
Neither district is the better buy in the abstract. The Limassol guide and the Paphos guide set out where British buyers search in each and the risks specific to each district, and the free Acquisition Brief tests a shortlist against your brief.