The demand for Turkey in general, and for Istanbul in particular, is increasing for the purpose of housing and stability, whether for university students, because Turkish universities are a prestigious international arrangement and have very reasonable study costs compared to universities in Europe, or families looking for a safe and developed homeland that accepts different religions and cultures and welcomes everyone.

The first question that will come to the mind of any person or family who wants to live in Turkey is how much is the cost of living that must be secured monthly?

The costs differ according to the city clearly, especially the rent of houses, and today we will talk about Istanbul, which is the most important city to which students and immigrants resort.

As a quick answer, we can say that a family consisting of two people needs about 5500 Turkish liras per month with the rent of the house, which is equivalent to today, according to the dollar exchange rate, 650 dollars. These numbers are very reasonable in a developed country such as Turkey, especially when we talk about Istanbul, the commercial capital and the nerve center of all of Turkey.

Now let’s take an analytical look at the individual’s minimum income to compare expenses with income and the extent of proportionality

And we can find from the above table, which deals with the minimum income per capita from 2010 to 2020, that it became 2,943 liras, and in 2021 it became about 3500 TL, and therefore two people work, even with a minimum income, the output will be 7000 TL, and for the Turkish citizen who owns a house, it is often the amount Enough even at a minimum.

Certainly, these numbers are for the minimum wage only. As for the average limit, we can consider that double these numbers is the average limit.

The important point is that the costs of life depend mainly on the lifestyle that will be adopted. For example, the rent for a house of two rooms and a hall in the outskirts of Istanbul starts from 1,000 Turkish liras, while the rent of a house in the center of Istanbul easily reaches two rooms and a hall 10 times that number, and this is followed by the standard of living The daily costs and costs, and therefore we can say that Istanbul offers a variety of standards of living according to the desire of each individual, and we calculated the above for the acceptable limit and we shared the salaries at the minimum.

We can say as a summary that the lifestyle will vary according to the preferences, requirements and needs of each family or individual, and we will include lists of prices for the main commodities, and therefore each person can calculate his needs and estimate the costs that he needs to live in Istanbul per month.

These numbers that we will mention were made in the year 2020, and to calculate the current year, all you have to do is add the annual inflation rate to these numbers to reach their price in the year you want, for example, the inflation rate for 2021 is 15.78%, and therefore you can consider the prices below correct after adding the inflation rate to it.

Prices of foodstuffs in supermarkets We will choose a number of products and write their approximate small, large and medium prices in local currency and in Saudi riyals, as well as in dollars and euros.

Milk (regular), (1 liter)4.50 TRY (3.00-6.00)2.20 SAR (1.40-2.90)0.58 USD (0.38-0.76)0.48 EUR (0.32-0.63)
Fresh white bread (500 grams)2.50 TRY (1.20-4.00)1.20 SAR (0.60-1.90)0.32 USD (0.16-0.51)0.27 EUR (0.13-0.42)
Eggs (regular) (12)10 TRY (4.60-17)4.80 SAR (2.20-8.00)1.30 USD (0.59-2.10)1.10 EUR (0.49-1.80)
Local cheese (1 kg)34 TRY (20-52)16 SAR (9.50-25)4.40 USD (2.50-6.60)3.60 EUR (2.10-5.50)
Water (1.5 liter plastic bottle)1.90 TRY (1.00-3.00)0.91 SAR (0.48-1.40)0.24 USD (0.13-0.38)0.20 EUR (0.11-0.32)
A bottle of wine (mid-range)50 TRY (30-80)24 SAR (14-38)6.40 USD (3.80-10)5.30 EUR (3.20-8.40)
Local beer (0.5 liter bottle)11 TRY (9.00-15)5.40 SAR (4.30-7.20)1.50 USD (1.10-1.90)1.20 EUR (0.95-1.60)
Imported beer (0.33 liter bottle)15 TRY (10.00-20)7.20 SAR (4.80-9.50)1.90 USD (1.30-2.50)1.60 EUR (1.10-2.10)
Cigarette Pack (Marlboro)18 TRY (15-19)8.60 SAR (7.20-9.10)2.30 USD (1.90-2.40)1.90 EUR (1.60-2.00)
Chicken breast (skinless and boneless) – (1kg)21 TRY (15-30)10 SAR (7.20-14)2.70 USD (1.90-3.80)2.20 EUR (1.60-3.20)
Apples (1 kg)5.00 TRY (3.00-7.00)2.40 SAR (1.40-3.30)0.63 USD (0.38-0.89)0.52 EUR (0.32-0.74)
Oranges (1 kg)5.00 TRY (3.00-7.00)2.40 SAR (1.40-3.30)0.64 USD (0.38-0.89)0.52 EUR (0.32-0.74)
Potatoes (1 kg)3.20 TRY (1.60-6.00)1.50 SAR (0.76-2.90)0.40 USD (0.20-0.76)0.33 EUR (0.17-0.63)
Lettuce (1)3.60 TRY (2.00-5.00)1.70 SAR (0.95-2.40)0.45 USD (0.25-0.64)0.37 EUR (0.21-0.53)
Rice (white) (1 kg)8.90 TRY (5.00-14)4.20 SAR (2.40-6.70)1.10 USD (0.64-1.80)0.93 EUR (0.53-1.50)
Tomatoes (1 kg)4.80 TRY (2.00-8.00)2.30 SAR (0.95-3.80)0.61 USD (0.25-1.00)0.51 EUR (0.21-0.84)
Banana (1 kg)12 TRY (7.00-15)5.60 SAR (3.30-7.30)1.50 USD (0.89-2.00)1.20 EUR (0.74-1.60)
Onions (1 kg)3.30 TRY (2.00-6.10)1.60 SAR (0.95-2.90)0.41 USD (0.25-0.77)0.34 EUR (0.21-0.64)
(1 kg) of beef61 TRY (45-80)29 SAR (21-38)7.80 USD (5.70-10)6.40 EUR (4.70-8.40)
Pears (1 kg)6.00 TRY (3.60-8.40)2.90 SAR (1.70-4.00)0.76 USD (0.46-1.10)0.63 EUR (0.38-0.88)
Cucumber (1 kg)2.60 TRY (1.10-4.40)1.30 SAR (0.52-2.10)0.34 USD (0.14-0.56)0.28 EUR (0.12-0.46)
Soda (0,33 liter small bottle)1.40 TRY (0.75-2.30)0.68 SAR (0.36-1.10)0.18 USD (0.10-0.29)0.15 EUR (0.08-0.24)
Sausages (1 kg)45 TRY (32-63)21 SAR (15-30)5.70 USD (4.00-8.00)4.70 EUR (3.30-6.60)
Cheese (1 kg)22 TRY (13-33)11 SAR (6.10-16)2.80 USD (1.60-4.20)2.30 EUR (1.30-3.50)

How much money do you need for a one-week stay in Turkey?

If you want to spend a week in Turkey, the cost of your stay will be:

  1. 2100 TRY – cheap accommodation for 7 days in Turkey in normal housing with cheap local meals.
  2. 6500 TRY – good accommodation for 7 days in Turkey in a 4-star hotel with meals in average restaurants.
  3. 9400 TRY for one week of a comfortable stay in Turkey in a 5-star hotel with meals in good restaurants.
  4. 13000 TRY for a week of luxury holidays in Turkey, including everything.

What is the cost of meals (breakfast/lunch/dinner) in Turkey? What is the average cost of lunch in Turkey?

In Turkey, you can choose a meal from many different types of cuisines. For example, a meal for two, in a restaurant:

  1. The Asian Restaurant 236 TRY.
  2. The Chinese restaurant 197 TRY.
  3. French Restaurant 275 TRY.
  4. Italian Restaurant 181 TRY.
  5. Japanese Restaurant 314 TRY.
  6. Mexican restaurant 165 TRY.

As for people wanting to live in Turkey or university students who are looking for economic meals, we will attach a varied list:

Meal, inexpensive restaurant25 TRY (15-40)12 SAR (7.20-19)3.20 USD (1.90-5.10)2.60 EUR (1.60-4.20)
Meal for two, average restaurant100 TRY (60-150)48 SAR (29-72)13 USD (7.60-19)11 EUR (6.30-16)
A meal at McDonald’s23 TRY (18-30)11 SAR (8.60-14)2.90 USD (2.30-3.80)2.40 EUR (1.90-3.20)
Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle)4.10 TRY (2.50-8.00)1.90 SAR (1.20-3.80)0.52 USD (0.32-1.00)0.43 EUR (0.26-0.84)
Water (0.33 liter bottle)1.40 TRY (1.00-3.00)0.68 SAR (0.48-1.40)0.18 USD (0.13-0.38)0.15 EUR (0.11-0.32)
Cappuccino (regular)11 TRY (7.00-15)5.30 SAR (3.30-7.20)1.40 USD (0.89-1.90)1.20 EUR (0.74-1.60)
Espresso coffee7.70 TRY (4.90-11)3.70 SAR (2.30-5.00)0.98 USD (0.62-1.30)0.81 EUR (0.51-1.10)
Cheeseburger (fast food)6.90 TRY (5.40-9.00)3.30 SAR (2.60-4.30)0.88 USD (0.69-1.10)0.72 EUR (0.57-0.95)

Billing rates (per month) in Turkey 

Basic (electricity, heating, water and garbage) for a 120 m2 apartment404 TRY (250-750)193 SAR (119-358)51 USD (32-95)42 EUR (26-79)
Minimum 1 call on prepaid mobile devices (no discounts or plans)0.73 TRY (0.30-1.00)0.35 SAR (0.14-0.48)0.09 USD (0.04-0.13)0.08 EUR (0.03-0.11)
Internet (60 Mbps or more, unlimited data, cable/ ADSL)92 TRY (70-150)44 SAR (33-72)12 USD (8.90-19)9.70 EUR (7.40-16)

Prices for sports and entertainment in Turkey. How much does a movie ticket cost in Turkey? 

Fitness club, monthly fee for adults 1
Racket stadium for rent (hour per week)
Cinema, international release, seat 1

Prices for clothes and shoes in Turkey 

1 pair of jeans (Levis 501 or similar)226 TRY (100-400)108 SAR (48-191)29 USD (13-51)24 EUR (11-42)
1  summer dress in chain store (Zara, H&M)155 TRY (60-250)74 SAR (29-119)20 USD (7.60-32)16 EUR (6.30-26)
1 pair of Nike sneakers (mid-range)382 TRY (250-600)182 SAR (119-286)49 USD (32-76)40 EUR (26-63)
1  pair of men leather business shoes303 TRY (150-500)144 SAR (72-239)38 USD (19-64)32 EUR (16-53)