Turkey is a popular tourist destination for sure. Who does not like Turkey's clean beaches, historical sights and it's famous kind people? But when it comes to living in Turkey, you have to look past its attractions and beauties. You have to worry about Turkey's stability, cost of living, ins and outs and how-tos. Lucky for you, we cover most of these stuff here at Yabancitalk. But, let's get back to our topic: How much does it cost to live in Turkey in 2023? 
Turkey is a vast country, and depending on the city, you pay different amounts for food, rent, public transportation fees etc. So we have to establish a common city to talk about: Istanbul. Istanbul is one of Turkey's most popular cities. I have seen people not knowing where the capital of Turkey is, but they know Istanbul. So, we are gonna talk about the cost of living in Istanbul in 2023.
Due to some genius policies put in place by Turkey's current president, Turkey is dealing with inflation. Not just normal inflation, mind you, hyperinflation. Putting Turkey in the same basket as countries like Venezuela and Iran. This inflation makes articles such as this very hard to write, as prices change on a daily and hourly basis in Turkey these days!!! Oh, you bought a bottle of water 12TL yesterday? It is 15 now! So, I'm gonna stick to somewhat more solid prices that won't change as I'm writing this article on cost of living in Turkey in 2023.
What is the minimum wage in Turkey?
Ah yes, the minimum wage. The salary of the immigrants and those without work experience. Many jobs, specially teaching jobs, will offer you something that is barely above minimum wage, which is at the time of writing this article, somewhere around 4250 TL.
After the inflation in Turkey, the minimum wage is no longer a livable wage. Erdoğan said some populist stuff about raising the minimum wage soon to 8000 TL, but even that won't be enough. According to some research, the livable wage to live on the edge of poverty is 20,800 TL for a family of 4. The cost of living for a single person is 8,300 TL per month. These numbers are depressing, for sure. Still, after these ridiculous numbers, Istanbul is among cheap cities in the world.
What's the inflation rate in Turkey?
Officially, it is 73%! Which is not what you experience in your life. Food inflation is 117%! The inflation makes the cost of imported goods very high. These imported goods are
Gasoline
Automobiles
Alcohol
Electronics
etc.
the inflation is not the only thing to be blamed. Turkey imposes ridiculous taxes on imported goods. Making electronics cost easily twice as much in Turkey. Why? No clue.
What's the cost of rent in Istanbul?
As I said earlier, Istanbul is the most popular city of Turkey, so I'm going to discuss the rent in Istanbul.
Rent in Istanbul will vary depending on what neighborhood you choose to live in Istanbul. In 2022, these were the average prices for rent in Istanbul:
In cheaper districts, the rent will set you back 2500 to 3000 TL per month.
In the city center, you will pay 8500 to 15000 TL per month.
If you want to rent a furnished place, you can add 25-30% to the rent as well.
Of course, this is just the pure rent. There are some other expenses such as insurance and Aidat which will be added to your rent.
How much does bills cost in Istanbul
well, it depends on how much you use. But the average is
Electricity: 250-350 TL per month.
Water and Sewerage: 100-150 TL per month
Natural Gas for locally heating up your flat: 1500-2500 TL per month (in winter months).
Telephone, Internet, Digital TV and GSM: 150-200 TL per month and GSM for 70-130 TL per month.
Communal Maintenance: 300-2500 TL per month depending on the services like communal heating, doorkeeper, security, facilities.
What's the cost of public transportation in Istanbul?
Like everything else in this city, the price changes every other month. We saw 4 different public transportation fee changes in 2022. Read this for Istanbul Public transportation fee 2023.
What's the cost of food in Turkey in 2023?
Honestly, who knows? Prices are changing on a daily basis. This is the cost of living in Turkey provided by Numbeo. But expect something more expensive than this when you go to the market.
Turkey is an expensive country if you are earning Turkish lira. But, if you are a remote worker or are getting paid in USD or any other currency, the inflation won't matter to you. Currently, 2000 USD will get you around 35,000 TL! You can afford to live comfortably in Turkey with this much money if you are single.
Turkey is a vast country, and depending on the city, you pay different amounts for food, rent, public transportation fees etc. So we have to establish a common city to talk about: Istanbul. Istanbul is one of Turkey's most popular cities. I have seen people not knowing where the capital of Turkey is, but they know Istanbul. So, we are gonna talk about the cost of living in Istanbul in 2023.
Due to some genius policies put in place by Turkey's current president, Turkey is dealing with inflation. Not just normal inflation, mind you, hyperinflation. Putting Turkey in the same basket as countries like Venezuela and Iran. This inflation makes articles such as this very hard to write, as prices change on a daily and hourly basis in Turkey these days!!! Oh, you bought a bottle of water 12TL yesterday? It is 15 now! So, I'm gonna stick to somewhat more solid prices that won't change as I'm writing this article on cost of living in Turkey in 2023.
What is the minimum wage in Turkey?
Ah yes, the minimum wage. The salary of the immigrants and those without work experience. Many jobs, specially teaching jobs, will offer you something that is barely above minimum wage, which is at the time of writing this article, somewhere around 4250 TL.
After the inflation in Turkey, the minimum wage is no longer a livable wage. Erdoğan said some populist stuff about raising the minimum wage soon to 8000 TL, but even that won't be enough. According to some research, the livable wage to live on the edge of poverty is 20,800 TL for a family of 4. The cost of living for a single person is 8,300 TL per month. These numbers are depressing, for sure. Still, after these ridiculous numbers, Istanbul is among cheap cities in the world.
What's the inflation rate in Turkey?
Officially, it is 73%! Which is not what you experience in your life. Food inflation is 117%! The inflation makes the cost of imported goods very high. These imported goods are
Gasoline
Automobiles
Alcohol
Electronics
etc.
the inflation is not the only thing to be blamed. Turkey imposes ridiculous taxes on imported goods. Making electronics cost easily twice as much in Turkey. Why? No clue.
What's the cost of rent in Istanbul?
As I said earlier, Istanbul is the most popular city of Turkey, so I'm going to discuss the rent in Istanbul.
Rent in Istanbul will vary depending on what neighborhood you choose to live in Istanbul. In 2022, these were the average prices for rent in Istanbul:
In cheaper districts, the rent will set you back 2500 to 3000 TL per month.
In the city center, you will pay 8500 to 15000 TL per month.
If you want to rent a furnished place, you can add 25-30% to the rent as well.
Of course, this is just the pure rent. There are some other expenses such as insurance and Aidat which will be added to your rent.
How much does bills cost in Istanbul
well, it depends on how much you use. But the average is
Electricity: 250-350 TL per month.
Water and Sewerage: 100-150 TL per month
Natural Gas for locally heating up your flat: 1500-2500 TL per month (in winter months).
Telephone, Internet, Digital TV and GSM: 150-200 TL per month and GSM for 70-130 TL per month.
Communal Maintenance: 300-2500 TL per month depending on the services like communal heating, doorkeeper, security, facilities.
What's the cost of public transportation in Istanbul?
Like everything else in this city, the price changes every other month. We saw 4 different public transportation fee changes in 2022. Read this for Istanbul Public transportation fee 2023.
What's the cost of food in Turkey in 2023?
Honestly, who knows? Prices are changing on a daily basis. This is the cost of living in Turkey provided by Numbeo. But expect something more expensive than this when you go to the market.
Turkey is an expensive country if you are earning Turkish lira. But, if you are a remote worker or are getting paid in USD or any other currency, the inflation won't matter to you. Currently, 2000 USD will get you around 35,000 TL! You can afford to live comfortably in Turkey with this much money if you are single.