Cyprus’s real estate market continued to grow rapidly in the summer of 2026: from January through July, 12,047 real estate purchase and sale agreements were filed with the country’s land registries, a 14% increase compared to the same period last year.
In July, approximately 2,040 contracts were registered, which is about 11% higher than the figure for July 2025. Thus, July became one of the busiest months for the Cypriot real estate market this year. The data is based on statistics from the Department of Land and Geodesy of the Republic of Cyprus.
Demand from foreign buyers continues to play a significant role in the market’s growth.
In July, Cypriot citizens concluded 1,211 transactions, which is 12% more than a year earlier. They accounted for about 59% of the market. Another 829 contracts, or approximately 41%, were concluded by foreign buyers.
Of these, buyers from European Union countries concluded 277 contracts, compared to 274 in July of last year—an increase of just 1%.
Demand from citizens of non-EU countries grew much faster. They concluded 552 transactions, compared to 478 a year earlier—a 15% increase. Thus, more than two-thirds of all July purchases by foreigners were made by citizens of third countries.
In the first seven months of 2026, sales to buyers from countries outside the EU increased by 19% year-over-year, with growth recorded in all five administrative districts under the control of the Republic of Cyprus.
Limassol, Paphos, and Larnaca attract the most foreigners
The geographic distribution of demand among local and foreign buyers differs significantly. Among Cypriots, sales in Limassol grew particularly rapidly—in July, they increased by 39%, to 445 transactions. In Paphos, growth stood at 29%, while domestic demand declined in Larnaca and Famagusta.
Foreign demand is particularly noticeable in coastal areas. In July, non-EU citizens signed 150 contracts in Larnaca, a 42% increase from the previous year. Paphos traditionally remains one of the island’s most foreigner-oriented markets, while Limassol is the largest market for high-end real estate and corporate relocation.
From January through July, foreigners from the EU and third countries together accounted for approximately 41% of all real estate sales in Cyprus.
The Land Registry’s preliminary statistics do not break down the nationalities of foreign buyers by country. However, the Cypriot Ministry of the Interior has previously provided more detailed data on nationalities to Parliament.
According to government statistics for the period from September 2024 to September 2025, the composition of foreign buyers varies significantly by region.
In Limassol, Russian citizens led the way among foreign buyers with 846 purchases, followed by Israelis with 571 and Greek citizens with 261.
In Paphos, British citizens constituted the largest group—890 purchases—followed by Israelis—683—and Russians—327.
In Larnaca, Israeli citizens were particularly active buyers—850 properties—followed by Lebanese—723—and British—302.
In Nicosia, Greek citizens led the way with 403 purchases, followed by Romanian citizens with 112, Russian citizens with 80, and Lebanese citizens with 79. The Ministry of the Interior submitted this data to the Cypriot Parliament, and it was subsequently published by the Cyprus Mail.
Ukrainian citizens are also among the active buyers of Cypriot real estate, although they do not yet rank among the top three groups.
The most detailed breakdown by country, provided by the Cypriot Ministry of the Interior to Parliament in January 2025, covered transactions from 2021 through early 2025.
According to these data, Ukrainians were among the top ten most common nationalities of buyers in four coastal districts—Limassol, Paphos, Larnaca, and Famagusta. In Limassol and Paphos, they were preceded by Russians, British, Israelis, Greeks, Romanians, and Chinese.
As for Nicosia, there is separate data on applications by foreign citizens to purchase real estate in 2024. Ukrainians accounted for 4% of these applications, the same percentage as British citizens. Chinese and Lebanese nationals each accounted for 16%, Russians for 14%, Israelis for 10%, Syrians for 6%, and Egyptians for 5%.
However, it is currently impossible to accurately calculate the number of purchases made specifically by Ukrainians between January and July 2026: the DLS’s monthly public statistics group Ukraine together with all other countries outside the EU.
Foreign buyers purchased $45.3 billion worth of residential real estate in the U.S. between April 2025 and March 2026, a 19.1% decrease from the previous 12 months, according to a report released by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) on July 29, 2026. The number of properties purchased by foreigners fell by 14%—from 78,100 to 67,100. This is the second-
lowest figure since 2009, when the NAR began tracking these statistics. The median purchase price was $465,000.
NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun attributed the decline in activity to an overall reduction in international tourism and travel to the United States. According to him, even a slight weakening of the dollar, which boosted foreign buyers’ purchasing power, was unable to offset high prices and limited housing supply.
Among foreign buyers who abandoned planned transactions, 33% were unable to find a suitable property, 28% found prices too high, and 19% encountered difficulties related to immigration regulations. High mortgage rates, inflation, trade policy, and geopolitical uncertainty placed additional pressure on demand.
Canadian citizens accounted for 16% of all foreign purchases, acquiring 10,700 properties worth $5.2 billion. Mexico ranked second with a 14% share and 9,400 transactions totaling $5 billion.
Buyers from China dropped from first to third place in terms of the number of purchases, accounting for 11% of foreign demand. However, they retained the lead in total transaction value at $7.6 billion. The average price of a property purchased by Chinese buyers was approximately $1 million.
The top five groups of foreign buyers also included citizens of India, with a 9% share and $3.7 billion in transactions, as well as the United Kingdom—4% and $1.2 billion, respectively.
Florida retained its status as the most popular destination for foreign buyers, accounting for 20% of all transactions. California accounted for 19%, Texas for 12%, and New Jersey and Georgia for 4% each. Foreign buyers continued to focus on the higher-end segment of the market. The median price of the homes they purchased was $465,000, compared to $413,600 for all existing-home transactions in the U.S. About 15% of foreign buyers purchased properties valued at over $1 million. Nearly half of the transactions—48%—were paid for entirely in cash, while among all U.S. homebuyers, this figure stood at 28%. Foreign buyers purchased about half of the properties for vacation use, rental income, or a combination of these purposes.
According to NAR statistics, foreign buyers include both non-residents who permanently reside outside the U.S. and recent immigrants and holders of non-immigrant visas who have been living in the country for more than six months. Non-residents purchased 29,500 properties worth $23.5 billion, while foreign nationals residing in the U.S. purchased 37,600 properties worth $21.8 billion.
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) brings together professionals in the residential and commercial real estate markets. The study of international transactions is based on a survey of association members and has been published annually since 2009.
Tokyo ranked first in the world in terms of the rate of growth in luxury housing prices in the first quarter of 2026, according to Knight Frank’s Prime Global Cities Index.
Over the past 12 months, luxury housing in the Japanese capital has risen in price by 44.4%. However, compared to the previous quarter, prices fell by 8.6%, marking the weakest quarterly performance among the cities tracked.
Manila took second place, where the cost of premium housing rose by 19.9% year-over-year and by 3.3% quarter-over-quarter.
Dubai ranked third with year-over-year growth of 13%. However, prices in the emirate fell by 0.8% in the first quarter.
Next were Seoul with an 11.3% increase, Singapore with 9.8%, Mumbai with 8.2%, Nairobi with 7.1%, Perth with 6.2%, Bangalore with 5.2%, and Zurich with 4.8%.
Seoul showed the strongest quarterly performance, with luxury housing prices rising by 5.4% over three months. Prices rose by 5% in San Francisco, 3.3% in Manila, and 3% in Bangalore and Miami.
Asian cities took five of the top six spots in the ranking, reflecting stable demand for premium real estate from affluent local and international buyers.
Dubai remains the leader in the longer term as well. Over five years, from the first quarter of 2021 to the first quarter of 2026, prices for premium housing in the emirate rose by 180.7%. In Tokyo, the increase was 126.4%; in Manila, 91.8%; in Seoul, 71.5%; and in Miami, 64.4%.
Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities are not included in the study.
Over the most recent available period—from October 2025 to March 2026—approximately 15,800 housing purchase and sale agreements were concluded in Kyiv, according to data from the National Bank of Ukraine, citing the National Information Systems. This is the highest figure among the country’s regions.
By comparison, approximately 19,100 transactions were registered in the capital from January through September 2025. In the Kyiv region, 17,000 contracts were signed during this period; in the Dnipropetrovsk region, 16,800; and in the Kharkiv region, 14,000.
The NBU notes that in the fourth quarter of 2025, overall activity in Ukraine’s housing market was the highest since 2022; however, in the first quarter of 2026, the number of transactions declined significantly. Cumulatively over the last four quarters, housing sales increased by 11% year-over-year.
The NBU’s figures cover housing purchase and sale agreements in both the primary and secondary markets; therefore, they should not be equated solely with sales of apartments in new construction projects.
New York has retained the top spot among 69 cities worldwide in terms of rental costs for both one-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments, according to data from the Deutsche Bank Research Institute.
In the ranking of three-bedroom apartment rents, Zurich, San Francisco, Boston, and Singapore follow New York. London ranked eighth, Paris 21st, Frankfurt 30th, Tokyo 40th, and Seoul 44th.
The authors of the study point out that a high nominal salary does not always translate to high disposable income. New York ranks among the top five cities globally in terms of net wages, yet a significant portion of residents’ income is consumed by housing costs.
The contrast with Tokyo is particularly striking: renting a three-bedroom apartment in the Japanese capital costs about four times less than in New York.
Data from Deutsche Bank show that housing costs are becoming one of the main factors driving differences in real living standards among the world’s largest financial centers.
In 2026, Hong Kong remained the world’s most expensive city for purchasing a downtown apartment, according to the Deutsche Bank Research Institute’s study “Mapping the World’s Prices 2026.”
The average cost of housing in the city’s central districts is estimated at $27,753 per square meter. Zurich, Seoul, Singapore, and Geneva follow in the ranking. Despite a price decline of approximately 10% compared to pre-pandemic levels, Hong Kong retained its top spot.
Compared to the previous edition of the study, the average price per square meter in Hong Kong rose from $26,749 to $27,753. High real estate prices remain one of the main factors limiting housing affordability, even for city residents with relatively high incomes.
High real estate prices also affected Hong Kong’s ranking in the quality of life index. The city dropped from 48th to 55th place out of 69. Among other negative factors, the study’s authors cite air pollution and long commutes to work.
