Moving to Cyprus and staring at an empty apartment? You do not need to buy everything new. Between two well-established local marketplaces and one small request to your landlord before you sign, you can furnish a place comfortably for a fraction of retail cost — and sidestep the single most common comfort mistake newcomers make in older buildings.
Buy furniture and appliances second-hand
The fastest way to save real money when you arrive is to buy used furniture and electrical appliances instead of new. Cyprus has an active second-hand culture, and a few marketplaces cover most of it. Check both and compare before you commit — the same sofa, fridge or washing machine often appears on one and not the other, and the asking prices differ.
- Bazaraki is Cyprus’s largest general classifieds site. It carries dedicated furniture and electronics-and-appliances sections alongside cars, property and jobs, so it is the broadest single place to look — beds, sofas, fridges, washing machines and more, listed daily across Nicosia, Larnaca, Limassol and Paphos. It is where most residents start.
- Vendora is a second-hand marketplace popular with local private sellers across Cyprus and Greece. It leans more toward individual sellers clearing out household items, which can mean friendlier prices on the everyday things you need to fill a flat.
- Facebook Marketplace is where much of the expat and local community sells furniture and appliances directly — people leaving the island often offload everything at once. Search your city, arrange collection, and haggle politely; joining a few local buy-and-sell Facebook groups tends to surface the best deals before they reach the wider marketplace.
For the big-ticket items — fridge, washing machine, sofa, bed — buying used commonly costs meaningfully less than retail. Where you can, see appliances actually running before you pay, and factor in whether the seller can deliver or you will need a van.
A tip for families: cheap children’s books and locker delivery
If you are moving with kids, Vendora is worth a special look. It has a large collection of children’s books and cartoons at very good prices — the kind of thing that adds up quickly when you are rebuilding a home library from scratch after a move.
Vendora also supports BoxNow delivery. BoxNow is an automated parcel-locker network: instead of waiting at home for a courier, your order is dropped into a self-service locker near you and you collect it with a code, often within a couple of working days. It is cheap and convenient, and for light items like books it is usually the most sensible way to receive a Vendora order.
The AC tip newcomers miss: clean it before you move in
Here is the insight that saves the most grief in a Cyprus summer. If you rent an older apartment, insist that the landlord has the air-conditioning units professionally cleaned before you move in — or agree it in writing before you sign the tenancy.
Air-conditioners that have gone years without a service tend to harbour mould inside the unit. The first properly hot day you switch one on, it pushes a musty, damp smell out across the whole room — and dealing with it after you have moved in is far more of a hassle than asking for it up front. A professional clean is inexpensive: budget roughly €25 per unit as a rough guide.
The framing that works: when you view the apartment, ask the owner to have the AC cleaned as a condition of moving in. Most reasonable landlords will agree — it is a small cost to them and a normal request — and getting it noted in the tenancy agreement removes any ambiguity later. Walk in to a freshly cleaned unit and your first heatwave is a non-event instead of a smell you have to chase.
Getting a car? Ask about a relocation discount
Furnishing is only half of settling in — most newcomers also need a car, and some importers run relocation offers you only get if you ask for them. CarsJapan, for example, gives €500 off any car in stock for people relocating to Cyprus — but you have to mention it when you enquire; it is not applied automatically. Wherever you buy, ask up front whether a relocation or newcomer discount is available before you agree a price.
Frequently asked questions
The answers below cover the questions newcomers ask most when kitting out a first Cyprus home on a budget.
Frequently asked questions
- Where do people in Cyprus buy second-hand furniture and appliances?
- The two go-to marketplaces are Bazaraki, Cyprus's largest general classifieds site with dedicated furniture and appliance sections, and Vendora, a second-hand marketplace popular with local private sellers. It is worth checking both and comparing, because the same item often appears on only one and the asking prices vary.
- What is BoxNow and why use it?
- BoxNow is an automated parcel-locker network in Cyprus. Instead of waiting at home for a courier, your order is delivered to a self-service locker near you and you collect it with a code, usually within a couple of working days. It is cheap and convenient, and Vendora supports it — handy for light items like children's books.
- Why should I have the air-conditioning cleaned before moving into an older apartment?
- Air-conditioning units that have gone years without a service can harbour mould inside, which produces a musty, damp smell the first time you run them on a hot day. Cleaning is far easier to arrange before you move in. Ask the landlord to have each unit professionally cleaned — an indicative price is around €25 per unit, though quotes vary — and get it agreed in writing before you sign.
- Is buying used furniture in Cyprus actually cheaper than new?
- For big items like fridges, washing machines, sofas and beds, used listings on Bazaraki and Vendora commonly cost meaningfully less than retail, especially from private sellers clearing out a home. The exact saving depends on the item, brand and condition, so compare a few listings before you decide.