Heating oil in Cyprus costs about 75 per cent more than a year ago, adding roughly 250 euros to a 350-litre fill, according to figures compiled by Phileleftheros. Households that rely on it face a choice this winter between paying hundreds of euros more and running their central heating for fewer hours, on top of higher motor fuel prices, inflation and the high cost of essentials.
A household that bought 350 litres in November 2025 at 0.96 euros a litre paid about 335 euros. The price has since passed 1.60 euros and is approaching 1.70 euros, so the same amount would now cost more than 580 euros.
A cut in excise duty of 6.3 cents a litre takes effect on November 1. If prices stay where they are until then, buyers of 350 litres would save just 22 euros, still paying more than 200 euros extra because of the latest increases. The amounts will be higher with each refill and for households with larger tanks.
Many consumers are unsure whether to buy now, for fear of further increases, or wait in the hope that prices fall. There is no safe answer, but Marios Drousiotis, president of the Cyprus Consumers Association, said people in a position to do so could hold off buying.
Even if prices rose by six cents within a month, he said, the duty cut from November 1 would effectively absorb the increase. Consumers would then pay about what they would if they ordered today, while still standing to save if prices fall.
Many consumers in mountain areas, where temperatures are lower, have already bought.
An average household with central heating uses between 350 and 400 litres, according to calculations, though this varies widely with usage, the type of system, tank size, the weather and other factors. That average is lower than in previous years, when heating oil was noticeably cheaper, as households have cut their use because of price rises. They will now have to cut it further.
In other countries, higher heating oil prices could push consumers towards electricity or other fuels. In Cyprus those options are limited, as electricity and the other oil products that can be used for heating remain expensive.
There is also little room to cut the duty further. The government’s latest decision reduced it by 6.3 cents a litre from a total of about seven cents.
Recent Eurostat data show that 62.9 per cent of the energy used for space heating in Cypriot households came from oil products. The figure does not show how many households use oil-fired central heating, but older data put that number at about 80,000.
