North Cyprus, Dubai or Greece? How They Compare for UK Buyers

All three let you apply to live there on the strength of a home you buy, but the cost of entry differs widely. North Cyprus sets no minimum price for a five-year permit, and gives ten years once the title deed is in your name and the property is worth £300,000 or more. Dubai gives a residence visa to owners of finished homes and a ten-year Golden Visa from AED 2 million. Greece starts at €400,000 or €800,000, or €250,000 for a converted commercial building.

For a British retiree the differences go beyond the price. Your State Pension rises each year if you live in Greece but not if you live in the UAE, and the UK GHIC health card can be used on visits to Greece but not in Dubai. Titles in North Cyprus also carry specific risks that UK government guidance spells out. The rules below were checked against official sources between 3 and 13 October 2026.

Which country gives residence for the lowest purchase price?

North Cyprus is the cheapest way in, because its residence rules set no minimum price. Dubai's property-owner visa needs a finished home and a monthly income of AED 10,000; the official page states no minimum property value. Greece needs €400,000 or €800,000 for a standard home, or €250,000 for a converted commercial building.

North Cyprus changed its rules on 2 and 5 October 2026. Once the title deed is in your name, there is no income test: the permit runs for ten years if the property is worth £300,000 or more and five years if it is worth less. Before the deed is issued, a sales contract stamped at the tax office supports a five-year permit, provided you have paid at least a third of the price and applied for permission to buy; under £300,000 you must also show the income. Our guide to staying in North Cyprus as a property owner goes through each case.

In Dubai, the property-owner visa requires a finished, habitable home that you own outright, although the page also accepts a mortgage from a local bank. The Golden Visa needs property worth at least AED 2 million, can be based on off-plan property bought from an approved developer, and requires health insurance. The Dubai Land Department lists it as a ten-year visa and says you must be in the UAE to apply. Our guide to getting a Dubai visa through property covers both routes in more detail.

In Greece, the €800,000 threshold applies in Attica, the Thessaloniki area, Mykonos, Santorini and islands with a population over 3,100, and €400,000 applies elsewhere. Either way the investment must be one property with at least 120 m² of main living space, paid for in full before you apply. The permit does not allow you to work.

How long can you stay before you need a permit?

In all three a British visitor can stay up to 90 days in any 180 without a residence permit; in Dubai the visit visa is issued free on arrival. In Greece the count covers the whole Schengen area, so days in Spain or France come out of the same allowance, but days on a Greek residence permit do not count.

There is a complication in North Cyprus. According to UK travel advice, the Republic of Cyprus counts time in the north towards its own 90-day limit, and treats anyone who enters the Republic through the north, for example via Ercan Airport, as having entered illegally.

What do you pay on top of the purchase price?

Each country charges a transfer fee or tax at a similar rate, between 3% and 4%. North Cyprus adds VAT on new homes and stamp duty on the contract. In Dubai the Land Department fee of 4% is split between buyer and seller on its fee schedule, and in Greece a municipal levy is added to the 3% transfer tax.

Who pays the seller's 2% share in Dubai is a matter for your contract, so check it before you sign. Off-plan sales are registered through the Land Department's Oqood system at the same 2% and 2%. Golden Visa applicants also pay Land Department and residency fees, which totalled AED 9,884.75 on the Land Department's fee page in October 2026.

How secure is the title you are buying?

Greece has EU law and Dubai a registered freehold in designated areas; North Cyprus is different. The UK does not recognise it as a state, and UK guidance warns that many titles are disputed by people displaced in 1974, that buyers could face proceedings in the courts of the Republic of Cyprus, and that permission to buy can be refused without any reason being given.

The same guidance warns that developers in the north commonly mortgage the land they are building on, and a buyer can become liable for that mortgage if the developer goes bust. Under the decree in force since 6 October 2026, a British buyer may own up to three flats, the contract must be registered at the land office within one month, and the transfer must be completed within a year of permission. Our guide to buying in North Cyprus for the first time covers recognition, banks and currency.

In Dubai, foreigners can own freehold only in areas designated by the Ruler of Dubai. UK guidance says the Dubai Land Department runs an escrow account service for off-plan sales, that only a local lawyer can represent you, and that the British Embassy cannot intervene in private legal disputes. In Greece, buyers from outside the EU need a permit from a regional committee before buying in some border areas, including several Aegean islands. If you are also weighing up mainland Turkey, our guide Is it safe to buy property in Turkey from the UK? covers title checks there.

What happens to your State Pension and healthcare?

If you live in Greece, your UK State Pension goes up each year, because Greece is in the European Economic Area. If you live in the UAE, it does not get the yearly increases, as the UAE is not on the government's list. The list names Cyprus but says nothing separate about the north, so ask the International Pension Centre before you move.

The UK GHIC covers medically necessary state healthcare on visits to EEA countries, so it works in Greece and not in the UAE, and the NHS still advises taking private travel insurance as well. UK guidance on healthcare in Cyprus does not deal with the north separately. Both the Greek and the Dubai Golden Visa require private health insurance.

How is income from the property taxed in the UK?

While you are UK resident, HMRC normally taxes rent from an overseas property, and you may be able to claim relief for tax paid abroad. The UK has double taxation agreements in force with Greece and with the UAE. Once you are no longer UK resident, HMRC's guidance says you do not pay UK tax on foreign income.

Greece taxes rent from a Greek property even if you live in the UK. A home bought for a Greek Golden Visa cannot be let for less than 60 days at a time, on pain of a €50,000 fine and loss of the permit, although longer lets are allowed. For North Cyprus, take advice from a UK tax adviser before letting. Our guide on letting a Greek Golden Visa property on Airbnb explains what the ban covers.

Can you get a mortgage?

The UAE Central Bank sets lending limits for expatriate buyers. A loan can be at most 80% of a first home's value below AED 5 million, 70% above that, 60% for a second or investment property and 50% for off-plan property, with a maximum term of 25 years.

Whether a particular bank lends to someone living in the UK is the bank's decision, and in North Cyprus and Greece you should ask lenders directly. A mortgage does not stop you using a Dubai property for the Golden Visa, but the bank must issue a no-objection letter.

Where are the new-build projects in each country?

As of 13 October 2026 we list 156 new-build projects in North Cyprus, 77 in Dubai and 37 in Greece. In North Cyprus most are in Girne (Kyrenia), with 69, and İskele, with 47. In Dubai the largest groups are in Dubai World Central (11), Business Bay (10) and Jumeirah Village Circle (8). In Greece, 18 of the 37 are in Attica.

The other North Cyprus projects are in Gazimağusa (Famagusta), 28, Güzelyurt (Morphou), 8, and Lefkoşa (Nicosia), 4. In Greece, Thessaloniki and Achaea have 5 each, Chalkidiki 4, Crete and Kavala 2 each, and the Peloponnese 1. If you are choosing between the two main areas in the north, our comparison of Girne and İskele looks at the projects themselves. For Dubai, our checklist on buying a flat from the UK covers the steps.

Every project page, whether in Girne, Business Bay, Attica or elsewhere, lets you ask the developer for current prices.

Which country suits which buyer?

If your budget is smaller and you can live with the title risks, North Cyprus gives the longest permit for the money. Dubai works if you can reach the Golden Visa level or show the income for the property-owner visa, and accept a pension without yearly increases. Greece is for those who want EU law, a rising State Pension and GHIC cover.

Frequently asked questions

Which is cheapest for residence by buying a home?

North Cyprus, where the residence rules set no minimum price. Buyers who hold only a sales contract on a property under £300,000 must show a monthly income.

Can a British citizen live in Greece permanently by buying a home?

Not permanently as such. The Golden Visa is a five-year permit that is renewed for as long as you own the property.

Does buying in Dubai give me a visa?

Owners of a finished home can apply for a property-owner visa if they meet the income test, and a ten-year Golden Visa is open from AED 2 million.

Will my State Pension be frozen?

Not in Greece. In the UAE it does not get yearly increases. For North Cyprus, the government's list does not say.

Is it safe to buy in North Cyprus?

The UK does not recognise North Cyprus, and UK guidance warns of disputed titles and developer mortgages. Use an independent lawyer and check the land registry record before paying.

How long can I stay without a permit?

Up to 90 days in any 180 in each of the three, counted across the whole Schengen area for Greece.

Sources

We read the legal texts and official pages below between 3 and 13 October 2026; the dates are given where they differ. Project counts are from our own listings on 13 October 2026.

• North Cyprus residence permits: Official Gazette issues 193 (2 October 2026) and 194 (5 October 2026); visitor stays and the one-third rule: Residence Permits and Visas Regulation, consolidated text of 25 May 2026.
• North Cyprus purchase rules: Decree 119/2026, Official Gazette issue 196, 6 October 2026; transfer fees: Official Gazette issue 197, 7 October 2026; VAT: 2025 VAT Rates Regulation, consolidated text of 26 March 2026; stamp duty: Stamp Law 19/1963, consolidated text (Revenue and Tax Office).
• North Cyprus title risks and travel: UK government, buying property in Cyprus (last updated 2019); travel advice for Cyprus.
• Dubai, read on 3 October 2026 with fees and Golden Visa terms re-checked on 13 October 2026: Dubai Land Department, sale registration fees; Golden Visa for investors; ICP, Golden Residency; GDRFA, visa for property owners; UAE Central Bank mortgage regulations; Law No. 7 of 2006 on Real Property Registration; UK government, buying property in the UAE; travel advice for the UAE.
• Greece: Law 5100/2024, Article 64; Circular 9/2024; National Registry of Administrative Public Services; AADE, property transfer tax; Housing Policy Portal, VAT suspension on new buildings; Decentralised Administration of the Aegean, border-area permits; travel advice for Greece.
• UK pension, healthcare and tax: State Pension if you retire abroad; countries where the State Pension increases each year; NHS, UK GHIC; HMRC, Tax on foreign income; tax treaties with Greece and the UAE.
• Projects: North Cyprus, Dubai and Greece new-build projects on satisofisi.com, counts as of 13 October 2026.