When you move to a new country or a city, there is a learning curve to get adjusted to your new life. Turkey, and Istanbul is no exception. So here are some essential life hacks and tips to help you survive Istanbul and live a little better: 
- Get used to drinking tea: In Turkey, everywhere you go, you will most likely be served a cup of tea. So, get used to the taste if you are not already. Tea is part of the culture in Turkey, and if you wanna live there, you have to love it too.
- Learn how to use public transportation fast: Istanbul is a busy city, driving your own car can be frustrating. So, public transportation can be a life saver. Learn the schedules, use available apps and website to plan your route, and you'll be fine.
- Cope with the tourists: Istanbul is a tourist destination, therefore, it can be extra crowded. If you chose Istanbul to live in, you have to get used to the crowd and the unending queue lines. know your tourist seasons and if you wanna visit a museum or something, plan accordingly.
- Learn Turkish: You might ask well, is it hard to learn Turkish? and its a valid question. but no matter how hard, if you want to live in Turkey, you have to learn Turkish. There are some Turkish phrases that might help you get started, but you have to move past that soon. A tip to learn Turkish faster is to take Tomer classes ( what you need to know about tomer) . of course, there are also private classes, watching Turkish tv or getting into a relationship with a bilingual Turk.
- Know where to haggle: shopping and haggling go hand in hand in Turkey. So knowing where to haggle can be great life hack. Try to focus your haggling in bazar and local markets rather than supermarkets and stores in the neighborhood. An other tip is to look for the word Indirim which means Off in Turkish.