Everything About Life in Turkey

Many foreigners don't want to limit themselves to a 2-3 week vacation. For them, it's important to have a "fallback base" year-round, regardless of the political or economic situation. Follow the link below for the terms of the Turkish citizenship program.

Below we discuss what life is like in Turkey and cover the main advantages of citizenship of this country.

Standard of living in Turkey, average salary

As of 2022, Turkey ranks 46th in the ranking published annually on its official website by Numbeo (the world's largest database of cost-of-living information).

Of course, the population's standard of living depends on where they live. The highest wages are recorded among those working in Ankara: on average, local employees and entrepreneurs earn from $345. The lowest wages are in Marmaris. Even though this city is classed as a resort town, its residents earn only $270-290. This is the net income an employee takes home after paying the full amount of taxes.

It's important to note that quality of life is determined by more than just wage levels. The calculation also takes into account:

• the subsistence minimum;
• the cost of renting property and the sale price of residential units;
• the crime rate;
• the quality of medical services;
• other statistical data.

When assessing standard of living, particular attention is paid to social-sector indicators and quality of working life (average length of the workday, working conditions, and the level of social protection for workers).

Cost of living

The cost of living in Turkey is roughly 50% lower than in Germany. However, the income level of most of the local population is also significantly below the European level.

To answer the question of how much it costs to live in Turkey, it's worth turning to statistical data.

On average, a family of four spends about $1,300-1,400 a month. For comparison: supporting the same number of family members in Germany requires spending at least $2,900. It's important to note that this amount does not include costs related to renting property.

Utility costs deserve separate attention. According to the Numbeo portal mentioned above, a tenant or owner needs to pay on average $65-70 for electricity, heating, and cooling of an 85 m2 residential unit (this amount includes water supply and garbage collection).

The cost of renting housing depends on the number of rooms and the location of the unit. Apartments located on the Turkish coast or near popular tourist locations cost more. At the same time, tourist-season activity doesn't have much effect on rental prices. Such properties are most often chosen by foreign nationals who come to Turkey for a short period of time (up to three months).

Russians who hold a residence permit or citizenship tend to prefer living in more remote regions of the country. In cities that aren't popular with tourists, renting a three-bedroom apartment starts from $350 a month. Renting a one-bedroom apartment costs roughly $200-250 a month.

Foreigners looking to secure extra passive income, or considering the option of obtaining Turkish citizenship, can buy property in any region of the country. The price per square meter for apartments located in the center of large cities starts from $1,200. The cost of property located outside the city center starts from $750 per square meter.

Economy, and prospects for business and investment

Turkey is a country with a fairly developed economy. And tourism is not the only source that fills the state budget. In fact, manufacturing makes up 20% of the country's economy. This is the top-priority industry, to which the government devotes the most attention. Today Turkey is mainly engaged in the textile, leather, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries.

Wholesale and retail trade comes second, at roughly 14%.

Tourism is in third place - its share of the economy is only 11%.

The scale of investment inflows from foreign nationals grows several times over each year. For example, in 2021, foreign and local investors put more than $14 billion into the country's economy.

Healthcare and average life expectancy

Life expectancy is the main indicator of quality of medical care. In Turkey, this figure stands at 79 years (6 years less than in EU countries, and 5 years more than in Russia).

Medical tourism is a very relevant concept today, and Turkey is no exception in this field. Every year, a huge number of foreigners come to this country for treatment and check-ups.

The most popular medical fields today are:

• oncology;
• transplantology;
• bone marrow transplants;
• orthopedics;
• dentistry;
• hair transplants;
• gynecology (including infertility treatment and IVF) and obstetrics (pregnancy care and childbirth).

Turkish medicine is also popular because of its use of modern surgical technology. For example, when treating cancer, local surgeons use gamma-knife and cyber-knife systems, which can be used to operate on hard-to-reach tumors.

Education in Turkey

This country has three stages of education: preschool, school, and higher education.

Attending kindergarten in Turkey is not mandatory, because the main goal of preschool education in this country comes down to social adaptation.

Preschool institutions can broadly be divided into two categories: state and private. Children of foreign nationals can only attend private kindergartens. State kindergartens are available only to local residents (citizens and residence-permit holders).

Children living in Turkey start school at age 5.5. Schooling lasts 12 years and follows the pattern familiar to all of us. Children first study at primary school, move to middle school after 4 years, and are transferred to high school after another 4 years.

You can apply for a school place online, through the website of the Ministry of National Education.

Foreigners can enroll their children in a state school only if they hold a residence permit. Without a residence permit, they'll need to attend a private school instead. This is a fairly expensive option - on average, tuition at private Turkish schools ranges from $3,000 to $10,000 a year.

Higher education in Turkey is paid, regardless of whether the institution is public or private. Tuition in this country starts from $300 a year. However, students have the option to receive scholarships and, with a certain level of preparation, to apply for grants that can cover part of the cost of their studies.

Foreigners applying to university take a general exam covering three areas: math, geometry, and logic. The exam costs $50. Applicants don't need to learn Turkish to do this - all exam materials are translated into five languages: English, Russian, Arabic, German, and French.

Culture and mentality

People in Turkey generally have a favorable attitude toward foreigners. At the same time, residents of tourist cities are happy to communicate with visitors in several languages (Russian, English, German, and French). If you visit a non-tourist city, however, be prepared for the fact that most of the local population communicates only in Turkish.

It's important to note that Turkey's main religion is Islam (more than 90% of the native population follows this faith). Religion has significantly shaped local etiquette norms and the specifics of interaction between men and women. For example, a man should not violate the personal space of a woman he doesn't know. This means he can only sit next to her or shake her hand with her permission.

Turkey has a great many stray dogs and cats. The presence of these animals on the streets doesn't depend on the size of a city or its status (four-legged friends can be found both in resort towns and in less popular towns). Local authorities pay considerable attention to the quality of life of stray animals. Automatic feeders are installed on nearly every street and in every park. These machines dispense a portion of food in exchange for plastic bottles.

Features of the local cuisine

The menu of a restaurant located at a popular Turkish resort always differs from traditional cuisine. At food-service establishments, almost every dish is adapted to tourists' taste preferences.

The character of life in Turkey has been shaped by the influence of several cultures - Arab, Balkan, Mediterranean, and Caucasian. Religion has also significantly influenced the makeup of local dishes. Because the vast majority of the local population practices Islam, pork dishes are quite hard to come by in this country. Meat dishes are mainly made from lamb or chicken. Beef and veal are also considered rare guests on the tables of the native population.

Baklava is the most popular dessert in Turkey. Quite recently, local pastry chefs started making a cold version of baklava, soaked in a milk syrup and served with fresh berries.

Climate and nature

Turkey's coastline is washed by four seas at once: the Sea of Marmara, the Aegean, the Black Sea, and the Mediterranean. This geographic position has had a major effect on the country's climate.

The temperature at the Black Sea coast resorts is considered the most comfortable. Here the thermometer rarely climbs above 26-28 degrees Celsius in the summer months. By comparison, air temperature on the Mediterranean coast can reach 40 degrees Celsius in the hottest months.

Turkey's busiest tourist season lasts on average 5-6 months (from May through October inclusive). It's during these months that tourists come to the country for short stays (no more than 30 days). Autumn-winter travel is chosen by foreigners looking to combine saving money with spending the winter in more comfortable conditions.

The best cities to live in Turkey

Istanbul is Turkey's most lively city. According to local residents, this city never sleeps, day or night.

Istanbul's districts and their infrastructure are rightly considered the most developed. If you're planning to move to Turkey, we recommend paying close attention to this city. It's home to a large number of foreign company offices, as well as many shops, shopping centers, and food-service establishments.

In addition, Istanbul has the best private clinics, as well as international-standard schools and state universities.

Want to visit Turkey as a tourist? Choose Antalya. This is one of the country's most popular resorts, and it can also double as a great city for personal growth and for expanding the reach of an established business venture.

Well-developed infrastructure, clean beaches, and a fairly mild climate - all of this describes Antalya. Weighing the pros and cons of moving to this city, it's worth noting that renting housing here doesn't differ much in price from renting an apartment in Istanbul.

Ankara is Turkey's capital. Even though the city's population exceeds 6 million, rental prices here are much lower than in Istanbul and Antalya. Its distance from the coast is the main reason housing is more affordable.

Life in Turkey: pros and cons

Essentially, all the information presented so far falls into the category of advantages of living in Turkey. So in this section of the article, let's talk about the drawbacks.

The main downsides of living here include:

• the lack of central heating: in winter, homes are heated using air conditioning units, which significantly raises utility bills;
• a poor driving culture: road users frequently break traffic rules, so it's fairly easy to get into an accident here;
• high air temperatures: the local climate isn't suited to every foreigner, so it's worth assessing your own health before moving.

In addition, earthquakes occur relatively often in Turkey. Experienced investors recommend paying attention to residential complexes built in compliance with earthquake-resistance standards.

Life for Russians in Turkey: tips and reviews

A huge number of citizens from countries that were once part of the Soviet Union live in Turkey. This mainly means there's no language barrier.

Russians most often choose to live in the following cities:

• Istanbul;
• Ankara;
• Antalya;
• Alanya;
• Izmir.

These are precisely the cities settled by a Russian-speaking population. However, for those who want to step outside their comfort zone, it's advisable to start the process of integrating into Turkish society as soon as possible. Learning the language, communicating daily with the local population, and embracing the nuances of Turkish culture - all of this helps you adapt more quickly to new living conditions.

Is it worth moving to Turkey? The answer to this question mainly depends on your monthly income and whether you can work remotely. For a reasonably comfortable life in Alanya, every working family member needs to earn at least 60,000-70,000 rubles (about $800-1,000) a month. If it's about moving to Istanbul, the recommended monthly income rises to 80,000-90,000 rubles (roughly $1,100-1,200) a month.

How to get citizenship by investment?

Participating in investment programs is the best way to obtain citizenship. Investing funds in the country's economy allows official status to be processed in an average of 6-8 months.

Today, Turkish citizenship can be obtained through:

• purchasing real estate;
• investing in an operating business venture;
• opening a deposit account at a local bank;
• purchasing government bonds and units in an investment fund;
• registering a business, provided it creates more than 50 jobs.

Most investors, within the investment program, choose to buy property. This route not only lets them earn extra income from renting out the unit but also acts as a safety net for the investor in the event of unforeseen economic or political situations back in their home country.