01Pick the right neighbourhood
Paphos is really 4 cities in one.
- Kato Paphos — touristy, walkable, lots of restaurants, busy in summer
- Universal / Tomb of the Kings — quieter, expat-heavy, good rentals
- Chloraka & Kissonerga — family villas, sea views, calm
- Konia & Mesa Chorio — hill villages, cooler in summer, need a car
02Utilities — order matters
EAC electricity contract first (bring passport + rental contract), then water (municipality), then CYTA / Cablenet internet — internet alone takes 5–10 working days, so book it the moment you sign the lease.
03Healthcare
Register for GeSY (Cyprus national health) as soon as you have a yellow slip / MEU3. Paphos General Hospital is the public option; for private, Iasis and St George's are the most-used by the expat community.
04Schools & kindergartens
International School of Paphos, American Academy and Pascal English School are the main English-language options — apply at least one term ahead, they fill up.
05Day-to-day
Papantoniou and Sklavenitis for big shops, the Saturday market for fresh produce, Bazaraki for everything second-hand. A car is essentially required outside Kato Paphos.
Pick the area for your lifestyle, start utilities the day you sign, and register for GeSY early. The rest is sunshine.