Istanbul cost of living
December 7, 2009 8:17 PM   Subscribe

Cost of living in Istanbul?

Hi,

I'm trying to find a quality international cost of living estimate without spending a ton of money...I'm currently living in Washington DC and probably moving to Istanbul. Anyone care to shed some light for me? Thanks !!!
posted by saraindc to Work & Money (7 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
I tried to find similar information several years ago when I was thinking of relocating to Istanbul. I was not able to find much information, perhaps because Istanbul is not as popular a city to relocate to as, say, London.

I would call the American embassy in Ankara or the consulate in Istanbul and tell them you are an American who is thinking or relocating to Istanbul but that you are looking for cost of living information. They may have information they can send you or may know of an online resource.
posted by dfriedman at 8:35 PM on December 7, 2009


You might try to look up some blogs of people living in Istanbul (maybe expats or foreigners working there) read their archives, then contact them and ask your questions.

I did this when I was going to study abroad in China -- I read the blog of an expat in the city I was going to be studying in, contacted him, and learned a lot about the place. In the process, I found someone to show me around when I got there!
posted by Theloupgarou at 8:54 PM on December 7, 2009


Have you looked at any of the popular travel forums? Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree and BootsNAll.com are two good ones. I've found that for any major city, the Thorn Tree usually has at least one expat and a few locals living there who can offer this type of advice.
posted by lunasol at 10:38 PM on December 7, 2009


It'll depend on various factors, like whether you speak Turkish, understand Turkish food, and plan on living centrally. I felt like the cost of living was about half the cost of living in Paris, while the Turkish people earned about one quarter what Parisians earn (comparing skilled jobs like bankers, professors, engineers, etc.). So Istanbul will be significantly cheaper if your being paid in the U.S.

Istanbul has some features that dramatically decrease the quality of life compared with similarly sized cities :
(1) Public transportation and traffic sucks, cabs are cheap of course, but traffic still applies. I loved the boats from a touristic point of view, but they are not always very practical.
(2) International food options are extremely limited and poorly executed, so forget about French cheese or Sushi. I'd consider this less problematic if you are vegetarian, as Turkish vegetarian and fish options are quite good.
(3) Wines are low quality and extremely overpriced. Liquors are merely overpriced. Almost all beer is either Effes, Tuborg, or Carlsberg, which all suck.

I imagine you are aware of various interesting historical sites and such, but one other interesting point is that many restaurants, bars, and clubs in Istanbul are actually on the tops floors of buildings, which gives a nice view. Ironically, this resulted from the partition of the Ottoman Empire, which also cost Turkey all their wine making expertise.

Btw : I've know multiple foreigners who simply did not get paid for work they did in Turkey, as Bilgi University attempted to violate Turkish immigration law, and ultimately failed to pay them. I also heard stories about companies skimping on national health insurance contributions even for Turkish people. Again, no problem if your being paid in the U.S.
posted by jeffburdges at 2:04 AM on December 8, 2009


There are a bunch of ex-pat blogs coming out of Istanbul, but not too many define the cost of living. My friends were working in NGOs until two years ago, making wages in the area of USD$ 750-$1000 a month. From this they were able to rent a flat in the trendier Beyoglu or Cihangir districts and eat out modestly, but not really able to sock much money away for a rainy day. Costs - especially food - are rising, but consider that most Turks make a lot less than that amount per month.

Check out Craigslist for Istanbul: http://istanbul.craigslist.com.tr/ Many of the apartment listings are "priced for foreigners"... especially in the districts I mentioned, around Taksim, but remember, everything in Turkey is negotiable. Everything. Also, make sure you know whether a flat is in a "conservative" neighborhood in which Muslim values are more strictly adhered to. The Fatih neighborhood, for example, is less expensive, but you won't find many shops selling beer, and not too many Westerners choose to live there.

Also: learn Turkish. Repeat: learn Turkish at a school in Istanbul. It really helps, and is not as difficult as one might believe when you are living there and need it every day.
posted by zaelic at 2:16 AM on December 8, 2009


Best answer: Hey! I'm an expat currently living in Istanbul, so hopefully I'll be of some help.
It would be helpful if you let us know what kind of a lifestyle you want to lead. A small flat in Kağıthane is going to be a hell of a lot cheaper than a nice furnished place in Nişantaşı. If you shop at the pazar, eat local food, and cook most of your food from scratch, you can probably get away with spending less than $100 a month on groceries. But imported items can be really costly. I saw a can of soup the other day in Carrefour, it was Campbell's Tomato Soup, for 10 lira! ($6.50 USD). Foreign cheeses (almost everything you're used to, cheddar, mozzarella, Parmesan...) are really pricey, bottled sauces, and most other imported, prepared items are super expensive.

Apartments range in price. I have a friend who has a cute little 3 bedroom flat and she pays somewhere around 500 TL a month ($330ish). But there are other places in more upscale areas that are going for well over 3000 TL.

Bus rides are about a buck or two a trip. Taxis are more expensive, but sometimes more convenient. A 5 minute trip costs about $2.75, and I can take the 45 minute trip from the city center to my neighborhood for about $33.

Like others have said, learning Turkish is absolutely essential. Thankfully it's a rather easy language to learn. You'll have a much better time negotiating about prices for things if you can speak it. And also, I'm still kind of shocked at how few people here speak English, even at the more touristy places like Starbucks.

A night on the town can be as expensive as you want it to be. You can get a .33l Efes for 3 or 4 TL, some places offer 4 TL tequila shots. I was at a place the other night in Tünel, where a RedBull Vodka was 25 TL, which is normal.

You can eat out at a local restaurant (kebap, döner, kümpir) for a couple bucks. There are all the usual fast food places like McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Subway... and the prices there are about equal to American prices.

If you could post some more information, like if you'll be living alone, what kind of job you'll have, what your eating/entertainment styles are, how old you are, etc.

And if you have any more specific questions, you can PM me and I'll do whatever I can to help you out. Istanbul is an incredible place, and I hope you get to discover that yourself!
posted by hasna at 4:07 AM on December 8, 2009 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Thanks to everyone for their advice! I was looking for an estimate to use for salary negotiation purposes, but I've largely advanced in that conversation anyhow and now these types of details are very useful and appreciated.

I'll be in an international development/finance position, I'm 25, will be living alone... I look Turkish, people think I am until I start to talk...I'm fine with living a relatively local-style life (local food etc) and will use extra money to splurge on regional travel and maybe someone to come clean once a week (any estimate on what that would cost?) I'd like to have a 2-bedroom apartment in a safe area, and don't plan to keep a car. I'll be working on the red line so would want an apartment located close to it with a reasonable commute. Safety is a big concern, and I'd like a relatively young, 'happening' neighborhoood but need to find liquor is not too big of a concern.
posted by saraindc at 7:04 PM on December 8, 2009


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