Average cost of living in Türkiye

What is the average cost of living in Turkey? It is one of the most common questions by those wishing to come and settle in one of the Turkish states, whether for the purpose of study or work.

Therefore, in this article, we will give you everything you need to know about the cost of living in Turkey, from the cost of housing, food, bills and transportation, to the cost of education in public and private universities, and finally access to recreational centers.

A useful read that Skyline Properties wishes you.

What is the average cost of living in Turkey?

It is obvious that you know how much you will cost to live and meet your necessary needs somewhere before moving to, and for Turkey, here is the cost of the most important things you will need:

lodging

You will find in front of you many housing options for rent, which differ among themselves in terms of rental value, which follows several factors, the most important of which is the location, but in general you can rent a two-room apartment in coastal cities for an amount ranging from $ 60 to $ 120, while in Istanbul, as it is the center of trade and economy and the first destination for tourists in Turkey, you will find that rent and living in general may rise even more.

In order to clarify the prices more clearly, we will mention the following:

• Housing outside residential complexes: For unfurnished apartments, they start on average from $ 240 per month, while for furnished apartments, their rent starts from $ 350, and the price of course varies according to the location and number of rooms.
• Housing in residential complexes: For unfurnished apartments, it starts on average from $ 275 per month, while for furnished apartments, their rent starts from $ 350, in addition to paying a monthly amount for the services provided by the complex, which ranges between $ 50 and $ 100 per month.
• Government student housing: This option is very suitable for students, and its price is very low because it is subsidized by the government, but competition for it is high.
• Private student housing: The rental price starts on average from $ 300 per month, but it also varies according to the location and the number of people in the room.
• Tourist housing: It is residential units that are rented on a daily or weekly basis, for the purpose of a short stay for tourism, and the average monthly rent is approximately $ 1000.
• Hotels: It is not possible to determine the cost of accommodation in a hotel, as each hotel differs from others in terms of location and services provided in it, but you can stay in a hotel for one day, as it is the minimum stay for one day.

Food

Food is one of the main things that you have to know its cost when you calculate the average cost of living in Turkey, but in general you will find that food prices are cheap, as the cost of breakfast in restaurants ranges between $ 2 and up to $ 4, while lunch costs approximately $ 4 and above, it of course depends on what meals you will order and the luxury and sophistication of the restaurant.

As for the price of food commodities in Turkey, we will show you the approximate prices for them, recalling that they rise and fall from one place to another and according to economic and seasonal changes:

• The prices of bread of all kinds range from $0.5 to $0.75 per kilo.
• Prices of rice of all kinds range from $1 to $2.
• The price of a liter of milk ranges from $0.5 to $1.
• The price of a kilo of chicken ranges from $1.5 to $2.
• Beef prices are about $7 per kilo.
• Lamb meat prices are about $10 per kilo.

It is worth noting that there is the so-called "bazaar", which is a large market that is opened one day a week to sell all food commodities such as vegetables, fruits, dairy and cheese, in addition to all household needs at reduced prices.

Turkey is famous for the quality of its products, whether canned, packaged or chilled, and it also provides Arabic products such as Arabic bread and different types of rice and Arabic spices, which are displayed in shops dedicated to Arabic products.

Invoices

Bills are also one of the things you have to calculate when studying the average cost of living in Turkey, where the cost of monthly bills is as follows:

• Electricity bills: start from $15 per month.
• Water bills: start from $2 to $5 per month.
• Gas bills: In the summer, they start from $ 4 to $ 8, while in the winter they start from $ 8 to $ 50, depending on your heating operation.
• Internet bills: start from $4 to $15.
• Phone bills: start from $2 to $5.

education

Studying in public schools in Turkey is completely free for foreigners and Turks, but international private schools that operate under the American system cost between 4,000 and 10,000 dollars per year, while private schools that operate in the Arab system cost between 2 to 4,000 dollars per year.

For higher education, the cost is as follows:

• Public universities: ranging from $ 700 to $ 1500 annually for engineering colleges and administrative specialties, while the cost of studying in medical colleges ranges from $ 3.5 thousand to $ 5 thousand annually.
• Private universities: The cost of studying in engineering colleges and administrative specialties ranges from $ 2,500 to $ 12,000, while for medical colleges it ranges from $ 10,000 to $ 25,000 annually.

Health Insurance

When searching for the average cost of living in Turkey, you will find that you have to pay an annual amount for health insurance, which is as follows:

• Accommodation Insurance: It is considered a poor insurance that only covers emergencies, and costs you $30 per year.
• International corporate insurance: Unlike the first type, it covers all expenses in the best private hospitals and costs you $ 700 annually.
• State insurance for the student: It costs $ 190 per year.
• Insurance for tourist residence holders: It costs $ 100 per year.Insurance for work permit holders: It costs $ 120 per month, and is often borne by the company that works for it.

Transportation

We can say that the cost of public transportation is slightly high, especially in Istanbul, and it should be noted here that the student has a special advantage in paying transportation prices, as the Turkish government gives them a student package at a price of $ 5.5 that is sufficient for them throughout the month, and it includes all public transportation.

As for the student who has not been granted this card, he will be granted a special discount of approximately 50% on all types of public transportation.

Now here is the price of transportation in Turkey in general:

• Taxi: The cost starts from $ 0.5 and up to $ 0.25 per kilometer, and the minimum that can be paid for the minimum distance is about $ 1.5.
• Public buses nearby: $0.25 in tickets.
• Long-distance public buses: $0.3 per ticket.
• Subway: The price of his ticket is $ 0.4.
• Metrobus: The price of his ticket is $ 0.6.

Entertainment venues

The value of entry to the entertainment centers is as follows:

• Public parks: They are allowed to enter for free and are available in abundance in all states of Turkey.
• Zoo: Fees vary according to the age of the individual and the type of accommodation they hold, but their cost is on average $2.
• Big amusement park: Its ticket cost on average is $10.
• Cinema: The ticket price starts from $ 2.5 for students and up to $ 3 for non-students.

Read also: Foreigners' ownership law in Turkey.

This concludes the Skyline Real Estate article, which revolved around the average cost of living in Turkey, as we mentioned the approximate prices for everything you will need when you come to Turkey from housing, food, transportation, and others.