🇵🇹 Portugal vs 🇨🇾 Cyprus
what you actually keep in 2026

Every rate below is sourced and dated. Figures are annual, in EUR, for a single person with one income.

On €100,000 a year as a founder taking dividends, Cyprus leaves you with €82,748 against €72,726 — a difference of €10,021 a year.

Where the ranking flips

The income at which the answer changes, derived from the same rules as the tables below. Ranges stop where a regime stops being available, so nothing is claimed beyond it.

As employee: Below €11,000, Portugal keeps more; from €12,000 up, Cyprus.
As freelancer: Below €14,000, Portugal keeps more; from €15,000 to €200,000, Cyprus. (Searched to €200,000, where a regime ends.)
As founder (dividends): Cyprus keeps more than Portugal at every income from €10,000 to €500,000 — there is no crossover in that range.

As employee

Gross	🇵🇹 Portugal Employee (standard IRS)	🇨🇾 Cyprus Employee	Difference
€50,000	€33,064 33.9% wedge	€39,093 21.8% wedge	€6,029 Cyprus keeps more
€100,000	€57,442 42.6% wedge	€71,036 29.0% wedge	€13,594 Cyprus keeps more
€200,000	€101,497 49.3% wedge	€134,658 32.7% wedge	€33,161 Cyprus keeps more

As freelancer

Gross	🇵🇹 Portugal Self-employed (simplified regime, services)	🇨🇾 Cyprus Self-employed	Difference
€50,000	€33,629 32.7% wedge	€35,513 29.0% wedge	€1,884 Cyprus keeps more
€100,000	€60,003 40.0% wedge	€66,407 33.6% wedge	€6,405 Cyprus keeps more
€200,000	€114,294 42.9% wedge	€129,327 35.3% wedge	€15,033 Cyprus keeps more

⚠ Portugal: this regime only applies up to €200,000 of turnover — above that the figures in the last row do not apply.

As founder (dividends)

Gross	🇵🇹 Portugal Company dividends (IRC 15/19% + IRS on 50% of dividends)	🇨🇾 Cyprus Non-dom dividends (15% corp · 0% SDC · 2.65% GHS)	Difference
€50,000	€38,855 22.3% wedge	€41,374 17.3% wedge	€2,518 Cyprus keeps more
€100,000	€72,726 27.3% wedge	€82,748 17.3% wedge	€10,021 Cyprus keeps more
€200,000	€135,820 32.1% wedge	€165,495 17.3% wedge	€29,675 Cyprus keeps more

Adjusted for cost of living

Keeping more only matters if it buys more. Against the EU average, prices are 14.7% lower in Portugal and 8.4% lower in Cyprus. So that €100,000 founder income is really worth €85,260 in Portugal and €90,336 in Cyprus at EU-average prices — Cyprus comes out ahead once prices are counted.

Price levels: Eurostat — purchasing power parities, COICOP 2018 (prc_ppp_ind_1), Actual individual consumption (COICOP A01), 2025. Source

Run your own number

Open the calculator →

Sources

🇵🇹 Portugal — Autoridade Tributária (via PwC, 2026), as of 2026-01-01
🇨🇾 Cyprus — Cyprus Tax Dept (via PwC, 2026 reform), as of 2026-01-01
Cost of living — Eurostat — purchasing power parities, COICOP 2018 (prc_ppp_ind_1), 2025

🇵🇹 Portugal vs 🇨🇾 Cypruswhat you actually keep in 2026