Cost of Living in Istanbul

In 1983 first I visit istanbul everything was so chap even African tourists could Offord to travel and saty for short time over in istanbul or ozmir.but unfortunately under ardogan goverment things geting more and more expencive .we must remember over 70 percent of turkish income belong to tourist ,now day even spain and portogal has same price for visitor .its sims tobe no one care about future of country.

Sadly, rich foreigners (mostly from Arab countries) have driven up the rent and house prices. It's crazy that small apartment buildings cost around $700,000, but they're being sold. The food is really bad now, and it costs more than almost anywhere in Europe. To buy a normal car, you either have to be super rich or not very smart, because the prices are unbelievable. As a Turk born in the 80s, I can tell you, this country with its amazing history and culture is ruined. Now, Istanbul is just an expensive, empty city. Honestly, in a few years, it'll be like Mumbai. Like many educated, working Turks, I left Istanbul, and even the whole country. It's so sad. I'm still angry at people who try to make the mess sound good with dumb slogans like, 'They call it chaos, we call it home.' Well, now with these prices, most of those dreamers can't even afford to call it home anymore.

I'm a student living in Istanbul for only a year and I can say that the prices are more or less correct. Per January 2025, it says the inexpensive restaurant's meal price is 400 TL, which is accurate, if you care about taste. Although you can still find something for half the price if you know what to find and where to find it, like Pide for 150TL, Durum for 100TL but with... let's say more unreliable, questionable flavor.

Every bit of imported product is really expensive, but on the other side, locally made products are cheap and still have really good quality.

To drive the living cost down for you, is to learn Turkish. If something was offered to you in English, you're most likely getting ripped off in some way. Most of the cheap stuff is in Turkish and almost every single words has no similarities with English. Most people here don't speak English, so English is one of the "paid service" going anywhere in Istanbul. If you're strolling around Numbeo, chances are you're not Turkish and just some foreigner that wants to visit or temporarily living Turkey. Some people say the number is inaccurate and it is, but trust me, those additional budget per meal will be very useful if you actually want to get something nice to eat.

There is this one dish that I will never forget, called patates soslu (I think), it is one of the cheapest dish you can get in Istanbul, and it's very sad and of course doesn't taste well. It's a hotdog bun, filled with french fries with ketchup and mayonnaise as the condiment. No meat, all carbs, costs average 50-60TL, just basically a survival food.

The rent is also outrageous. I live in a 4+ people-shared apartment and it still costs me 16k TL, and when I told people how much it costs, they asked "how did you get that??? (it's cheap for them)" well, just by bearing living with other strangers I guess...

Across 5 months, I saw significant price hike twice. One of a restaurant owner I talked to said that Turkey (read: Istanbul) has no mercy when it comes to price increase. No news, no wind, suddenly boom, 50% increase in grocery price, now everyone has to increase their food prices. Ha!

tl;dr
tourism: yes
studying: probably not in Istanbul
working: if paid with liras, no. if paid with eur/usd, yes
retirement: yes if you can handle the bureaucracy

In fact, Türkiye is a country with a lot of potential. But those who govern the country and sometimes the Turkish nation cannot benefit from this potential. I hope everything gets better soon.

Turkey might as well join Russia north Korea Iran Belarus all 5 countries don't have a future they don't know how to be successful never will

These prices are looking out of date and way lower than the current prices. Rent prices are dramatically off again. Or let's put it this way: yes you would find a 1 bedroom to those prices but building will be covered with mold, garbage everywhere and no security whatso ever

$1.00 usd = 32.21 Turkish Lire as of May 13, 2024 I've read several comments as to Turkish citizens hating whomever visits turkey regardless of which country they're from and I must agree with that.
The Turkish government has basically priced themselves out of affordabilty and unfriendliness unto people who visits turkey but also rent prices have skyrocketed beyond comprehension especially since there's a 25% increase in rents every 6 months and most everything else including food.Needless to say tourism has come to a grinding halt.Furthermore large companies have left turkey making unemployment spark sharply.Ive visited every single country on the planet over the years and I realized just going through customs on arrival was a hate filled experience for absolutely no reasons at all

@Yad: Sorry, not sorry, buttercup. Facts are facts.

Being a tourist in Turkey, is way different than living/working/studying doing business there.

Cutting corners, cheating, over charging, racism towards all other ethnicities/religions/foreigners is a way of life in Istanbul and all major cities.

Ask any second generation Turk, or a spouse of a Turk born in Germany or USA outside if they feel accepted. The comments below are facts. Sure a few incidents here and there are always happening in all countries, but the hyperinflation and sabre rattling of the Turkish deep state military industrial complex is always making the people live in fear/shame/guilt.

Any young person would definitely give an arm and leg to immigrate to Germany/Europe, US/Canada, Australia/NZ.

The only way to be happy, successful, rich in Turkey - be a member of the establishment connected to powerful families and oligarchs.

Same as India, China, Indonesia, Nigeria, Brazil, Russia, or Mexico... with the worst parts of these cultures hidden away from the tourists.

The prices as of today 2/23/2024 are pretty accurate. My husband is living there now, I have come back to the USA. I am American. The inflation there is out of control. Last year, it was 1 USD = 18 Lira, now it is 1 USD = 29 Lira. Because of this, the rent skyrocketed. My husband is a real-estate agent and he said everyone is upset and cannot pay rent or buy homes. The government needs to put a cap on this fearmongering of the Turks who all think if the US dollar goes up, they need to gouge everyone for rent money and everything. USA's economy is not Turkish Economy. USA barely imports anything from Turkey. Stop basing your inflation off of our dollar. You cannot keep up with America, stop trying. You are only bankrupting your fellow turks and turning away all the tourists who would come there and spend money. I can't wait until my husband can come to the USA and not have to be in that country. They are horribly racist against anyone not born in Turkey. They even mistreated ME when I am of Turkish decent, but was born in America! Horrible treatment! The local turks always ask where you are from when they first meet you, if you are foreign, they charge you more. BE READY FOR THEM TO SCAM YOU! It happens CONSTANTLY! That is why they don't label their products in their stores with price tags, so they can charge you more if you are not a born native Turk. As a turkish decendant, I'm ashamed of their terrible behavior. It's disgusting that my own people would treat me this way when I finally can come home to my blood-country. I saved up for years to come back to Turkey and then I am treated like garbage, robbed, scammed and manipulated by everyone there, so badly that my husband (who lives in Turkey) refused to allow any of them to even speak to me because they only wanted to abuse me. Don't go there, if you are a tourist. If they treat me this bad, and I am an American Turk, you know they will treat YOU BAD!

I've never been to Turkiye or Istanbul but I have always fancied visiting the place, but after reading lot of the comments here I'm not sure. Some of the comments obviously are downright Anti-Turkish with a lot of hatred towards this nation. But the info about ever-increasing inflation is very concerning. Can any turk explain why inflation is still out of control even after the new measures by Turkish Central Bank?

First of all, Turks do not hate all foreigners, they hate problematic foreigners. This is also quite normal. because "some" foreigners have disturbed the peace of the country and are causing unrest. We are also disturbed by this situation. Yes, there are Turks who do this too, but if you come to the country to live a better life and use it in a bad way, we will hate you. No one should be sorry. I wonder who was on the side of the Turks so that we can love the foreigners? And since your own country is so beautiful, Afghan friend, (Azfaar Afghanistan) why don't you go and live there? why did you come here? And you don't come here and criticize my country. Foreigners who have bought a house here and become citizens cannot comment on it because they think they have the right to speak. This is the state's problem, but the people are not satisfied. If you are not satisfied, you can leave the country. Don't worry, no one will miss you here.

Based on my travels including working and living in around 18 countries, I can definitely say Turks and Turkish culture is the worst.

They hate everything foreign with a vengeance.

They can't live with Armenians, Arabs, Greeks, Persians, Kurds, Germans, Indians, Pakistanis... And yet everyone else is the problem, not themselves.

Their language is from Central Asia and their religion is from thr Middle East. Basically a fake nation, with a despot corrupt dictator who made his beginning scamming a few liras off of each metro ticket when he was mayor of Istanbul.

The whole country is under a Stockholm syndrome delusional mindset where everyone and everything is the problem except their own politicians and bureaucrats.

I was in Mexico city last week where a crew of around dozen Turkish airlines pilots and flight attendants trashed the entire bar in downtown (Pata Negra), after getting drunk. They have absolutely no respect for any other cultures.

Everything is priced similar to USA in terms of US dollar. But, meat prices are more expensive than USA. With their small salary, how the local people can live?

The incredible high rent and high inflation is directly caused by the 15 million immigrants from Syria, Afghanistan, Russia, Ukraine, Pakistan and other third world countries. Turkey is a poor third world country with a huge population and limited resources. Now add 15 million people on top of that. That pushes it over the limit. Housing is the biggest expense anywhere. Once it increases, it causes a ripple effect, increasing the price of everything. Only solution is to send them home. Türkiye is not US or Europe, it simply could not accommodate 15 million immigrants. Even European countries like Germany and France would not be able to handle a sudden influx of 15 million people.

Ignore prices here, that are averaged over years.

https://enagrup.org/

Of course you are NOT welcome. Don’t come please and stay away

Wonderful city and lovely Turkish people - always kind, humble and warmhearted! Impressive!!!

Turkey has become a very expensive country to live for anyone. 15 years ago when $1= 1.7TL I was able to save money and send it to my family in Pakistan. Turkish lira has lost its value dramatically but the wages remained low. The inflation in the country is worse than Pakistan but the government's figures are very deceptive. 6 eggs are about TL30-50 (PKR340-500) and rice, meat, chicken and food in general is very expensive. The rents start from TL15K in big cities and if you don't share a small flat with 5 others, there is no way you can live in Istanbul. I worked in the south of Turkey as a brick layer. Again in places like Antalya, Mugla, Izmir rents are very high. I will try my chances in Europe but I might as well settle in Saudi Arabia or Libya where wages are a lot higher and there is always high demand for labour.

Answer for Hichem's question:

People are living together. But not like family. 30yrs old people living together like students. 2-3 blue or white collar lives in the same house. Students need work and allowance from their family at the same time to keep studying. Then they are earning less.

one of the best countries to come for longer holidays ;-)
will always come back...
culture, infrastructure, local people with real dignity and hospitality - most of them.

excellent roads infrastructure
hotels,pensions for every budget everywhere
language with latin letters :)
excellent food
excellent sight seeing
excellent tea culture
excellent herbs/ nuts shops on every corner
secular european country
beautiful and energetic women :-)
country that did not sell out its soul and traditions to corporations and "mcdonald "culture"
overall very safe
good facilities (paid & free) for sport in every town/ city
local products mostly of good quality

cons:

these bastards ;-) cant live without smoking cigarettes, including indoors.
conservative society (for some - can be good)
many/ most of local men very protective over local women (insecurities, small penises?)
cannabis highly illegal
some scams here and there. and some short thinking people. overall funny stuff. catch me if you can...

Overall lovely and big country. Just explore it. It does not end in Istanbul or holiday resorts.

Helena, Alex, Moustfa....you are completely correct in your comments and fair minded people. Congratulations to you for having a balanced mind and heart.

My God, most things are priced similar to US in dollar terms, some are even more expensive than US, for example, milk, meat, beer and gas. Average salary in dollar terms is less than $500. How people survive?

The source for taxi-meter is needed to be updated...( On the table is fir the year 2018....03/04)2023..22:48 İstanbul.. Cem

I was walking up and away from the grand bazaar tonight to visit a shop in the Fuat Paca Cd. Today at 19:20 when I found a shop that sells the equipment I was looking for. On the way there I used my GoPro 9 (with a cracked back screen, that makes it a less valuable GoPro road reseller) to show my wife where I bought the juice squeezer. It was just around the corner where we turned around and headed back to the hotel.
So I walked into the shop and asked the Clerck how much the machine was , at that point I stopped filming and clipped the GoPro to my belt. Talking to the shop attendant. And he said wait a bit for the shop owner to get there. At that point two youngsters also came into the shop and between them and the clerk I was distracted and I was looking around the shop.
After the purchase I checked the equipment and found that one was of a lesser value so I returned it and only paid for the models I wanted!
Walking out of the shop I wanted to document my find further and went for my GoPro and found that it was missing, I double checked my pockets and jacket and then proceeded back into the shop to check if it didn’t fall off my waist belt and to enquire inside.
The owner insisted that he didn’t see a camera anywhere in his shop. Nonetheless it’s stolen now and I need to warn other tourists that they have to be extremely vigilant. Maybe walk with someone to help you stay alert and vigilant at all times!

Whish international school is accepting the children for 4500eur / year in Istanbul? Unfortunately the costs are at least twice , the people who answered the question is most probably around 23 years old and they do not have any kids. Sorry guya, life is not so easy here, get prepared.

There are too many exaggerated and false comments againts Turkey here. I am a Spaniard living in Istanbul for 2.5 years, Turkish people are excellent, humourus, friendly, warm and reliable. In 2,5 years, neither I nor my friends have experienced any problem. Yes, especially in the last year, there have been serious economic problems, the country's politics and inflation etc.., 65% of Turks do not support Erdogan, people are get by more difficult than they were 2 or 3 years ago, I believe that everything will be better than before after this government leaves. Despite the heavy traffic, Istanbul is really beautiful.

I am a US citizen and lived in Turkey about 100km from Istanbul for about 6 months. My experience living there was very positive. The turkish people are great, very helpful, kind and decent. My landlord I rented apt from used to come and help me on my one call. My average cost of living for a very good furnished apt, food, transportation was under $1000 a month. The car and gas is expensive and renting a car can be expensive as well as prices fluctuates a lot. Rental cars companies can rip you off and taxis as well. Avoid restaurants around touristic areas as well as guides and random people asking to help you.

I find the negative comments a huge exaggeration. Turkey is safe and beautiful.

Erdogan is doing as much economic damage as possible to turkey.Turkish citizens are sitting on their hands while Erdogan is bombing Iraq and Syria plus Kurdish rebels on the Eastern part of Turkey.All of this over 4 lives lost years ago to avenge just 4 Turkish lives costing many millions of dollars adding to additional debt to turkey economy which makes absolutely no sense at all.Currently $1 USD = 18.67 lira.Just the same Erdogan wants to make a name in Turkish history for himself without any regards to how much Turkish citizens are suffering just another dictator.

The bright spot in turkey is Erdogan leveling many areas of Iraq and Syria including the Eastern region of turkey where kurds are the most concentrated.So far over 500 missiles have been launched against Iraq and Syria hitting their mark slendidly.Turkish citizens aren't grateful for very much if anything.Atleast Erdogan has the guts to iradicate kurds and Kurdish rebel supporters instead of allowing Kurdish rebels to run out of control in turkey.

Aussie here with Turkish heritage. Just spent 6 weeks in Turkey through our winter with relatives. Breaking through the polished tourist surface of Istanbul it is in fact true that the people are really struggling and miserable. We in western secular democracies (which Turkey once was) take a lot for granted.

Someone mentioned below that there are amazing shopping malls and great food in Istanbul... The sad truth is that most Turks don't get to enjoy these malls or fantastic food. The only people that visit these arab funded, arab built shopping malls are arab tourists who fly in by the droves as Istanbul unfortunately becomes their new play thing.

To those who think Turkish people hate all other countries, get down and kiss the soil you walk on. With most all people living under the poverty line, struggling to pay their rent, wondering where their next meal will come from, earning less than $10USD a day, all while tourists from all over the come and do what locals cant even dream of enjoying without even a thank you, its not hard to see why they have become so bitter.

Yes we all know the media in most countries are controlled by a handful of corporations, but in Turkey, the supreme leader runs a tight ship and Turkey has generally had a nationalist rhetoric parroted through 95% of news outlets for years now as a method of brainwashing the masses into accepting their meagre life full of hardship, with the blame being pointed squarely at other countries and external sources, not their own leadership.

If we lived under such a dictator that sold off all our national assets, natural resources and land, dumbed down the masses, syphoned trillions of dollars out of the economy into his own personal accounts, and muzzles 95% of news outlets, you can begin to understand how this sentiment would form.

Turkey was unfortunately in a better position 20 years ago than it is before ultimate greed and corruption got in the way.

I am amazed at numerous negative comments about local people...I have been living here with a residence permit for 8 months and I find local people very friendly and helpful. No single negative experience, let alone taxi drivers, yes, but lets admit the fact, they are similar everywhere.
I am grateful to Turkey that it is so warm and welcoming!

As of oct 13 2022 $1 USD equals 18.57 lira.
It's sad to know many lives are being disrupted no matter how much or how little anyone makes.Fortunes that were built are lost forever. Students in Izmir invested money in their educations and now they cannot afford to continue to complete their goals.Even when Erdogan is gone financial security will take decades to recover if ever.One person mentioned turkey has better malls etc than USA UK etc.However none of the glamorous malls including the gold chairs Erdogan sits in are owned by turkey it's all debt.Those shiny expensive things mean nothing without a flourishing economy with the ability to pay for it all.Everything is priced way out of reach for most Turkish citizens simple things like a kilo of potatoes.I must agree with one of the comments about Turkish citizens shunning most every country.Not only is it a bad repretation but it spills down onto the economy as a whole.Negative attitudes towards tourists visiting who help stimulate the economy.NEVER BITE THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU WE NOTICED AND NEVER RETURNED FOR HOLIDAY AGAIN.

Turkey was on its way to join the EU 20 years ago and was much stronger economically than many of its Eastern European neighbors like Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia. But, Erdogan has a different idea. He wants Turkey to join the Arab Union. But, there is one little problem, Turks are not Arabs. Without enough Arab population, he can not fulfill his dream. But, it is not something a world leader like him could not solve. He opened the door wide to the Syrians and other Arabs to increase their population. He may just succeed, or not. A civil war is not off the Table. The secular Turks who doesn’t want to be a part of the middle east may not give up without a fight.

There's never been anything western about turkey get your geography right for once. Turkey is a country full of Muslim nobodies.

The foreigners who are still planning to move to Turkey is living in the past and have the prepandemic Turkey in their heads. Turkey is hard hit by the pandemic, partly due to the pandemic and war related problems, partly due to mismanagement of the economy by its dictator wannabe president. Unemployment is high, inflation is one of the highest in the world, 80% by book, but probably around 200% in reality. Thus, many Turks are pushed into poverty and they blame the foreigners for economic hardship, Syrian and Afghan, Pakistani and Central Asian immigrants for the unemployment since they are believed to taking up jobs for much lower salaries and benefits, Russians, Ukrainians, Arabs and other foreigners for the sky high rent, because they are believed to be scooping up the properties at higher prices than the locals pushing the rent and purchase prices out of reach of ordinary Turks. According to government numbers, 40% Turks work for the minimum salary of 5500 TL, which is roughly 275 dollars. As a result, anti-foreigners sentiment is high. If the current economic crisis doesn’t resolve soon, which is highly unlikely, the safety situation could be a problem down the road, particularly in a crucial election year in 2023. So, I would recommend to give a second thought until the horizon clears up.

FYI on average a 2 bedroom apartment averages 1,500 euro monthly depending upon what area in Istanbul.

Hello, I will be moving into Istanbul in September 2022. It will be 2 adults total. I am struggling very much to understand the price for a 2 bedroom apartment atleast 110 - 120 sqmeters. Please provide rent advice, if we want to find a sea view apartment close to the second bridge connection on Asian side and is Gokturk really worth it for an Indian to live there ? Is Gokturk a hyped township in the name of foreginers living there ? I find the rent aparts there are overly priced. Second question is, fees and availability for maid per month visiting 15 days for cleaning, ironing, washing and if possible cooking too.
Thank you.

Taxis in Istanbul try to overcharge most of the time. Recently they tried to charge me 150 TL for 3 km although İ am a local.

We are interested in tourism. We are two 35-year-old men in Tekirdag-Süleymanpaşa. We can help with historical touristic trips and accommodation. for a place to stay in the city or nearby sea. The fee is 100 dollar for 1 day and 12 hours. The languages ​​we know are German, English and Turkish.
My e-mail address: canatakan93@gmail.com

Be aware Erdogan,has approved a 25% increase in rent starting July 15, 2022.He blames inflation but he should be blaming himself.2023 will be 23% more for rent.Many people are walking away from their rented apartments and houses tent communities are springing up everywhere. My brother makes 9 usd per day now and he was a mechanical engineer before.

Turkey has always allowed raise in rents annually.By the end of 2022 the lira will be between 21.6 and 22.0 to one dollar.

How much do the exchange offices charge for their service if I need to convert CAD to TL? Also, can someone give me a reputable website in which I can check the local exchange rates please?

"A single person estimated monthly costs are 6,657.83TL without rent."
"Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 6,058.27 TL"

"Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 5,626.69 TL"

It is very difficult to live in Istanbul, Turkey.

What a dumb foreigner you are Zhan the anonymous information on apr 19 was on target.No need to do as Zhan said WRITE QUESTIONS I WILL SHARE INFORMATION what an idiot.A full breakdown of costs has already been given correctly

Here is the comparison on monthly costs for 2 people

2,450 lira = $167 usd monthly

Currently the monthly income requirement is $400 usd

Hi everyone,

I ve heard cost of living increased drastically in turkey,
does anyone knows how much is generally required for the basic lifestyle for a foreigner in turkey per months?

Really appreciate any response

Turkey would be a great place to commit suicide in the square downtown Istanbul. Especially during lunchtime in front of an outdoor Cafe. Sounds like a good plan for me.

Moving to Istanbul
2 adults, 3 kids (2 school going, 1 todler), how much expense should i consider monthly including rent, grocery, etc?

The negative comments about Turkish citizens and government are in order. ANGELA evidently you have never visited Turkey or you wouldn't say comments are very political and not very honest. Before Erdogan Turkey government was always corrupt. But all governments worldwide are very corrupt too. However Erdogan needed approval from the whole body of government before selling over 15,000 Syrian refugees living in tents to China for cash women and female children. Foreigners know how harsh acting and arrogant Turkish citizens are even though Foreigners were buying products from Turkish businesses small and large it didn't matter. You can shut up Angela because every foreigner that's ever visited turkey would say the same thing.

Nobody is intentionally targeting Turkey about the government over charging foreigners for business licenses because the Turkish government does that to all foreigners who invested in businesses throughout Turkey.

I'm one of many foreigners who opened a business in Turkey so I know what I paid for my business license which was double what Turkish citizens paid. All 9 of my foreigner friends paid double for their business licenses too.

Everyone knows how rude Turkish people are to foreigners worldwide double charging for everything it's no secret.When people are treated badly who visit Turkey for vacation they expect respectful treatment especially when those foreigners are patronizing Turkish businesses so bad news travels fast as to bad behavior from Turkish people.

As far as what anonymous January 22 mentioned about Turkey government and Turkish citizens behavior it's all true. The Turkish government and Turkish citizens overall have labeled themselves as dishonest and rude to foreigners.

The Turkey government has defaulted on three large loans from the IMF already factual news.Way before the pandemic tourism throughout Turkey was declining rapidly for above mentioned reasons.Thank you anonymous comments January 22 you told it like it really is.

These comments intentionally targeted Turkey jumping from falsely from politic to the normal people life spreading lies and false accusations.