The Cyprus House Price Index (HPI) rose by 0.6 per cent on an annual basis in the third quarter of 2023 according to preliminary figures in a press release issued by the island’s Statistical Service (CYSTAT).
Compared to the second quarter of 2023, the HPI rose by 0.4 per cent in the third quarter.
The base year for the HPI is 2015=100 and the Index now stands at 110.65.
According to the CYSTAT, the Cyprus House Price Index (HPI) “is a quarterly index which measures the change in the average prices of residential dwellings. It captures all types of residential properties, both new and existing. The land component of the residential property is included.
“The data source used for both, indices and weights, is the Department of Lands and Surveys, Ministry of Interior. The data cover all areas which are under the control of the government of the Republic of Cyprus.
“Data are marked as provisional and are revised as soon as new information is available.”
In its press release, CYSTAT advised that “the fluctuation of the Index for the period between the third quarter of 2022 and the third quarter of 2023 as well as the quarterly and annual percentage changes are presented in the following table.”
| Year | Quarter | House Price Index (2015=100) |
Quarterly Change (Compared to the previous quarter) (%) |
Annual Change (Compared to the same quarter of the previous year) (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Q1 | 114.37 | -1.6 | -6.6 |
| Q2 | 112.79 | -1.4 | -6.9 | |
| Q3 | 112.39 | -0.4 | -5.7 | |
| Q4 | 112.05 | -0.3 | -3.6 | |
| 2011 | Q1 | 111.56 | -0.4 | -2.5 |
| Q2 | 113.99 | 2.2 | 1.1 | |
| Q3 | 111.22 | -2.4 | -1.0 | |
| Q4 | 107.60 | -3.2 | -4.0 | |
| 2012 | Q1 | 106.40 | -1.1 | -4.6 |
| Q2 | 106.02 | -0.4 | -7.0 | |
| Q3 | 110.14 | 3.9 | -1.0 | |
| Q4 | 108.22 | -1.7 | 0.6 | |
| 2013 | Q1 | 104.54 | -3.4 | -1.7 |
| Q2 | 104.77 | 0.2 | -1.2 | |
| Q3 | 103.05 | -4.7 | -9.3 | |
| Q4 | 100.78 | 0.9 | -6.9 | |
| 2014 | Q1 | 98.08 | -2.7 | -6.2 |
| Q2 | 103.55 | 5.6 | -1.2 | |
| Q3 | 102.70 | -0.8 | 2.8 | |
| Q4 | 101.56 | -1.1 | 0.8 | |
| 2015 | Q1 | 97.52b | ||
| Q2 | 100.59 | 3.1 | ||
| Q3 | 102.49 | 1.9 | ||
| Q4 | 99.40 | -3.0 | ||
| 2016 | Q1 | 97.29 | -2.1 | -0.2 |
| Q2 | 99.18 | 1.9 | -1.4 | |
| Q3 | 101.87 | 2.7 | -0.6 | |
| Q4 | 102.72 | 0.8 | 3.3 | |
| 2017 | Q1 | 99.64 | -3.0 | 2.4 |
| Q2 | 102.74 | 3.1 | 3.6 | |
| Q3 | 102.46 | -0.3 | 0.6 | |
| Q4 | 105.24 | 2.7 | 2.4 | |
| 2018 | Q1 | 103.10 | -2.0 | 3.5 |
| Q2 | 104.01 | 0.9 | 1.2 | |
| Q3 | 103.12 | -0.9 | 0.6 | |
| Q4 | 107.04 | 3.8 | 1.7 | |
| 2019 | Q1 | 107.93 | 0.8 | 4.7 |
| Q2 | 112.73 | 4.5 | 8.4 | |
| Q3 | 105.64 | -6.3 | 2.4 | |
| Q4 | 106.51 | 0.8 | -0.5 | |
| 2020 | Q1 | 109.13 | 2.5 | 1.1 |
| Q2 | 109.48 | 0.3 | -2.9 | |
| Q3 | 104.21 | -4.8 | -1.3 | |
| Q4 | 109.10 | 4.7 | 2.4 | |
| 2021 | Q1 | 102.82 | -5.8 | -5.8 |
| Q2 | 104.07 | 1.2 | -4.9 | |
| Q3 | 106.55 | 2.4 | 2.2 | |
| Q4 | 103.28 | -3.1 | -5.3 | |
| 2022 | Q1 | 103.95 | 0.5 | 1.1 |
| Q2 | 106.35 | 2.3 | 2.0 | |
| Q3 | 109.95 | 3.4 | 2.9 | |
| Q4 | 108.27 | -1.5 | 4.7 | |
| 2023 | Q1 | 110.31 | 1.9 | 6.1 |
| Q2 | 110.15 | -0.1 | 3.6 | |
| Q3 | 110.65 | 0.4 | 0.6 |
b There is a break in the series in the first quarter of 2015 due to redefinition of the model variables.
House prices are determined by the land registry office. They always indicate the the property is worth more than it is bought for, this is so they can reapmore money from the buyer.
House prices are determined by market forces, i.e. whatever people are willing to pay.
The Land Registry assesses Property Transfer Fees based on it’s market valuation of the property at its date of sale. It uses its historical records and calculates its valuations on similar properties sold in the same area. Their valuations are occasionally greater than someone actually paid for a property as some people try to reduce their property transfer fees by paying some of the price in cash.
If you look at the land registry data, they record a ‘declared amount’ (which is the price written in the contract) and the ‘accepted amount’ (which is their market valuation.)
The figures used in this article are from the Cyprus Statistical Service, which is a separate government department.