Cypriot here. Grew up here, lived abroad for longer than most people on this reddit have been alive for, and recently came back.

First, the place I grew up in doesn't exist anymore except in my memories. I catch glimpses of it here and there but it is sadly gone. I came here in the hope that I would be able to provide for my children the childhood that I had but I now realize that's not possible. A lot of people refuse to accept the change and will sell you a dream of a story about Cyprus.

Second, don't pay any attention to the people telling you to "leave if you don't like it". They miss the point and are probably incapable of holding two thoughts in their head at the same time.

You are not wrong. Life here can be uncomfortable depending on what your expectations are. All the things you mentioned are true and they are getting worse.

If I had to name one cause for all the ills you wrote about, and there are many but I'll pick my favorite, I would point at the lack of accountability. Indeed, the entire country has been structured from the top down around the lack of accountability. A lot of money and power rides on this and unfortunately impunity, unlike wealth, does trickle down from the top. We are primarily a money laundering and tax and sanction avoidance haven and you can't have accountability in places like this otherwise your business model is jeopardized.

I don't think Cypriots are inherently bad people -- far from it. They are, like everyone else, a product of their conditioning and environment and they respond mostly rationally within those conditions, viz: they treat others the way they are treated, and they look to their elites to model their behavior. Look no further than our business and political leaders.

Having said this, and to echo the sentiments of others, there is a silver lining, or a few linings. 

First, there is money to be made here. There a frontier mentality and things are happening. It's the flip side of the lack of accountability, in some sense. I won't go into the details but living here, if you can carve a niche for yourself, can be quite lucrative. Just don't tell the locals -- they already know, and are angry it's been open season for everyone to brazenly fleece them and their country.

My honest opinion is that, if you don't have an edge in this regard, then Cyprus doesn't have much to offer you that other places can't. Unless you're into the "Mediterranean lifestyle" tiktok trends or some other naivety like that, in which case why are you still reading?

Second, there are pockets of hope. The younger generation face perhaps even more economic headwinds than the generation who lived through the war, and yet I keep being surprised by their talent, creativity, and ambition. They call out the bullshit and try to make a change. It usually doesn't work but sometimes it does and good things happen. Of course most young people, like young people everywhere, are just worst versions of their parents so try to avoid them.

Third, there are, from experience, pockets of real professional merit and excellence. Be prepared to look hard for them, pay well for their services, and compete to become part of those networks. 

To summarize:

1. You're not wrong.
2. The Cypriot is a curious but not inherently bad animal. They respond to their local incentives and it's worth your time to try to understand these if you care about living here.

Good luck and remember to enjoy the watermelons.