Cost of living in North Cyprus

Dutchlady


Joined: 27/01/2012
Posts: 12

Message Posted:
31/01/2012 11:05

I know this is not a new subject. Also I have read a lot about the costs of living on this forum but we are now in 2012. We are a family of 2 adults and 1 child. We want to rent a 2 bedroom apartment furnished in Kyrenia for a 1/2 year. Am I right that this will cost around £ 350 - £ 450 pm?

Electricity (including airco) £ 50 - £ 60

Water £ 15 - £ 25

Gas £ 10 - £ 20

Telephone £ 25 - £ 30

Internet £ 30 - £ 40

Food £ 75 - £ 100

Washpowder etc £ 10 - £ 15

Eating out 1 time per week £ 10 - £ 20

Drink a coffee daily outside £ 80 - £ 90 for 2 persons

Clothing £ 100 - £ 150 for the 3 of us

Hairdresser £ 30 - £ 40

Travelling fuell car £ 50 - £ 100 in the weekend to travel and see things

Total £ 835 - £ 1090

metin


Joined: 08/09/2008
Posts: 1588

Message Posted:
31/01/2012 11:18

I'd say you're spot on with most things........just your electric may be higher during the winter months. It has gone up. But depends how much you use it,

Also you never mentioned your childs age.........depending on schools, there will be school fees to pay.



Good luck

Jonesy299


Joined: 07/02/2009
Posts: 367

Message Posted:
31/01/2012 11:42

Fairly accurate with most figures but you appreciate it will be at least £100 per week for food (not per month) and that's an absolute minimum for a family of 3 in my opinion. Eating out for a family of 3 once a week would probably come to nearer £30-£40 unless you are meaning fast food. Your car costs must also allow for any insurance / tax / import duties (although you should be alright for a 6 month stay). I think a budget of at least £1200-£1400 pcm (which will account for a few emergency bills and price rises etc) is a better target.



I echo Metin's good luck - have a nice stay

Dutchlady


Joined: 27/01/2012
Posts: 12

Message Posted:
31/01/2012 11:50

Our daughter is 9 years old. She will go to the public school. For what I know the school if free, so we only have to buy the stuff for school like pencils, books etc. Metin do you agree that for just having a normal, comfortable life in Kyrenia we need at least £ 1100 for living. The car will be paid by the company, only the private kilometres I have to pay by myself.

joandjelly


Joined: 24/02/2008
Posts: 2953

Message Posted:
31/01/2012 12:53

I think you are about right. Not sure that you would need to spend £100-£150 per month on clothes but doesn't hurt to include it. If you use £1100 as your minimum then you should be ok.

Dutchlady


Joined: 27/01/2012
Posts: 12

Message Posted:
31/01/2012 20:46

Thank you for your answers. I will ad £ 300/350 for food, going out for dinner 4 x £ 30/ 40= £ 120/160

The post for clothes/shoes I will keep the same.

Electricity £ 60 - £ 70

The minimum, realistic cost of living would be then between £ 1.280 - £ 1.640

This is without owning a car (tax, insurance, repair etc.)

Did I forget something important on the list? Maybe goverment tax, income tax, medical insurance?

pammick


Joined: 09/07/2009
Posts: 722

Message Posted:
01/02/2012 09:06

Hope your child speaks some Turkish or is a quick learner, because the public schools conduct all lessons in Turkish I believe. Good luck to you and your family.

mark&beck



Joined: 08/01/2009
Posts: 303

Message Posted:
01/02/2012 10:02

You will also need a letter from your Mukta to gain entry into the local village school.



Hope all goes well

sylvie


Joined: 12/03/2008
Posts: 1081

Message Posted:
01/02/2012 10:06

your child will pick up turkish very easyly like the kids coming in foreign countries - it is much better that way - you will add a language and might as well learn it is much easier to integrate with locals ! well done !

cypriotStudnt


Joined: 09/10/2011
Posts: 28

Message Posted:
01/02/2012 11:17

I personally think that, sending your little girl to public school would be a mistake, I went to the gov school all of my life, it was shit-changed to private school few years ago.

And if your daughter can't speak english, she would REALLY struggle in turkish schools.

Just saying, hope it helps!

stellasstar1



Joined: 02/07/2008
Posts: 1519

Message Posted:
01/02/2012 12:18

Don't forget the TV and that price will depend on which one you choose, and house insurance, and unless you have a landline, I think it will cost a bit more, if the two of you have mobiles.

Dutchlady


Joined: 27/01/2012
Posts: 12

Message Posted:
01/02/2012 16:50

@ cypriotstudnt - what do you mean with "it was shit-changed to private school few years ago"?



Thank you all for your responses. After reading a lot on this forum it was for me not really clear if you could live a normal life on less than £ 1.100, but now I know to be realistic it will cost us at least this amount every month.



I will start a new topic on the school issue!

karakum5c



Joined: 18/03/2008
Posts: 1021

Message Posted:
01/02/2012 17:00

my son speaks 2 languages fluently and is 12 (he started when 3 years old)



at 9 years of age it will be hard to pick up Turkish but not impossible she will need home tuition of some sort if she is to cope at school



the easiest way is for you or your partner to learn Turkish as well



best of luck

Dutchlady


Joined: 27/01/2012
Posts: 12

Message Posted:
01/02/2012 17:27

Here is the topic on school http://www.cyprus44.com/forums/84986.asp

cypriotStudnt


Joined: 09/10/2011
Posts: 28

Message Posted:
01/02/2012 22:14

I would not recommend goverment schools, seriously some people threat foreigners really bad.

''Personal experiences''

Dutchlady


Joined: 27/01/2012
Posts: 12

Message Posted:
02/02/2012 13:55

Dear Cypriotstudnt, if somebody would treat my child bad then we will protect her of course. But most of the time these children who are "bad" do not know what they are doing and when you talk to them it will stop most of the time. Also here in our own country sometimes children are really mean to each other but untill now I have always solved the problem in a good way. Even when our daughter went to school in Turkey there was one child who was mean and we have talked to his parents and after that this boy and our daughter became the best friends!!

blondie35


Joined: 23/10/2008
Posts: 37

Message Posted:
02/02/2012 16:19

Just word of warning a lot of my friend's have had to move thier children from public school here! Cyp student is right, there is a lot of racisim in this country, yes against the British we are not used to that and it can come as a slap in the face when you are living here, your child would be better in a Private School where she will meet both Turkish and Expat children and she will also be taught Turkish. Best of Luck to you we have 2,000 a month to live on and still find it expensive here???? but I would not live anywhere else

blondie35


Joined: 23/10/2008
Posts: 37

Message Posted:
02/02/2012 16:19

Just word of warning a lot of my friend's have had to move thier children from public school here! Cyp student is right, there is a lot of racisim in this country, yes against the British we are not used to that and it can come as a slap in the face when you are living here, your child would be better in a Private School where she will meet both Turkish and Expat children and she will also be taught Turkish. Best of Luck to you we have 2,000 a month to live on and still find it expensive here???? but I would not live anywhere else

cypriotStudnt


Joined: 09/10/2011
Posts: 28

Message Posted:
02/02/2012 19:10

Well dutchlady, you might be right,

BUT in gov schools, majority of the children's families are from east areas of the turkey (mostly kurdish) and talking according to my personal experiences and my family's, most of those families would not be happy if you tell them to keep their children away from them or anything like that, and may some cause trouble.

I don't know, where have you lived in turkey, but north cyp is way different ! There's no rule&law aganist racistism in this bloody country.

My cousin went to gov primary school here and he had several fights even though he is only 8 and bullied by some kids just bcs he is from london and dont have a proper turkish and different from others, so his mother sent him to Girne american primary school and he's doing fine there.

Hope it helps!

Dutchlady


Joined: 27/01/2012
Posts: 12

Message Posted:
03/02/2012 09:40

Blondie 35 & CypriotStudnt thank you both for the warning. We keep it in our mind.