Cost Of Living For a Student in Turkey 2024
Average Monthly Expenditure
Currency: TRY
Average monthly spending for students in Turkey
How much money does a student need in a month to survive in Turkey?
Students in Turkey spend around 27,000 TRY per month on average. Depending on the lifestyle, a student can survive with a monthly budget as low as 4,100 TRY or as high as 180,000 TRY. Location is a very important factor and has a huge influence on expenditure and budget.
Prices and cost of goods and services in Turkey
Dining, food, and beverages costs
Fast food combo meal
Restaurant meal for one
Fine dining meal for one
| 350 TRY | 530 TRY | 2,100 TRY |
Cappuccino or latte
Grocery and market costs
Milk large bottle
12 eggs
Fresh whole chicken
Pack of beef
Medium bag of rice
Bag of tomatos
Bag of apples
Commute, travel, and transportation costs
20 minutes taxi ride
Average car full tank
Average car 1-day rental
Average car price
| 130,000 TRY | 260,000 TRY | 350,000 TRY |
Bus ticket one way
Car Service
| 350 TRY | 530 TRY | 1,100 TRY |
Utility cost (monthly)
Utility Bill - Student
| 160 TRY | 1,100 TRY | 7,200 TRY |
Internet and cable
Mobile phone charges
| 210 TRY | 350 TRY | 1,100 TRY |
Leisure and activities costs
Movie ticket
One month gym membership
| 420 TRY | 530 TRY | 1,100 TRY |
Cloths and accessories costs
Pair of jeans or pants
Woman dress
| 290 TRY | 400 TRY | 1,300 TRY |
Woman shoes
Men's shoes
Men suit
| 260 TRY | 330 TRY | 1,800 TRY |
Regular t-shirt
Housing costs / monthly rent
Studio apartment
| 4,400 TRY | 6,600 TRY | 18,000 TRY |
1-bedroom apartment
| 6,600 TRY | 11,000 TRY | 26,000 TRY |
2-bedroom apartment
| 8,800 TRY | 13,000 TRY | 35,000 TRY |
Housing costs / Buying
Studio apartment
| 880,000 TRY | 1.3M TRY | 2.6M TRY |
1-bedroom apartment
| 1.1M TRY | 1.8M TRY | 6.6M TRY |
2-bedroom apartment
| 1.8M TRY | 5.3M TRY | 11M TRY |
| $55,000 | $170,000 | $330,000 |
Furniture Costs
King Size Bed
| 5,300 TRY | 6,600 TRY | 8,800 TRY |
Double Bed
| 3,500 TRY | 5,300 TRY | 6,600 TRY |
Single Bed
| 3,100 TRY | 4,000 TRY | 5,300 TRY |
Living Room
| 5,800 TRY | 7,500 TRY | 26,000 TRY |
Dining Table
| 2,600 TRY | 3,500 TRY | 6,600 TRY |
Sofa or Couch
| 3,500 TRY | 4,800 TRY | 11,000 TRY |
Electronics and House Appliance Costs
TV Set
| 3,500 TRY | 5,300 TRY | 11,000 TRY |
Fridge or Freezer
| 3,100 TRY | 4,800 TRY | 6,600 TRY |
Washing Machine
| 4,000 TRY | 5,800 TRY | 11,000 TRY |
Stove or Cooker
| 3,800 TRY | 4,800 TRY | 6,600 TRY |
Mobile Phone
| 4,400 TRY | 5,300 TRY | 7,500 TRY |
Laptop or Computer
| 4,800 TRY | 5,800 TRY | 11,000 TRY |
How do students spend their money in Turkey?
We asked thousands of students about their spending habits and expenditure break down.
Housing and accomodation expenditure for students
Accomodation Cost18%
18% of total expenses on average (13% to 24%)
| LOW | $31 970 TRY |
| AVERAGE | $210 6,500 TRY |
| HIGH | $1,400 43,000 TRY |
| Per Month |
Students in Turkey typically spend from 13% to 24% of their total monthly expenditure on housing with 18% being the average. The average monthly spend on housing is 6,500 TRY with expenditure ranging from 970 TRY to 43,000 TRY. This cost mainly goes for rent but it also includes other accommodation-related expenses.
Electricity, utilities, energy, water, internet, and mobile expenditure for students
Cost of utilities6%
6% of total expenses on average (4% to 10%)
| LOW | $5.1 160 TRY |
| AVERAGE | $34 1,100 TRY |
| HIGH | $230 7,200 TRY |
| Per Month |
Utility expenditure like electricity, water, and gas in Turkey ranges from 4% to 10% of total expenses with 6% being the average for most students. The average monthly cost of utilities is 1,100 TRY with 160 TRY and 7,200 TRY being the upper and lower limits for a student of four.
Transport, fuel, and commute expenditure for students
Cost of transport and fuel4%
4% of total expenses on average (4% to 10%)
| LOW | $9 280 TRY |
| AVERAGE | $60 1,900 TRY |
| HIGH | $400 13,000 TRY |
| Per Month |
Fuel consumption and cost of transport depend heavily on whether a student resides near school and work, but roughly speaking a student would expect to spend from 280 TRY to 13,000 TRY in a month on commuting with 1,900 TRY being the norm for most students. This means that money spent on transport constitutes about 4% of total spending on average but can go as low as 4% or as high as 10%.
Food, groceries, and basic shopping expenditure for students
Food and Groceries Cost23%
23% of total expenses on average (17% to 27%)
| LOW | $26 810 TRY |
| AVERAGE | $170 5,400 TRY |
| HIGH | $1,100 36,000 TRY |
| Per Month |
The average outlay on groceries and basic houshold items for a typical student in a month in Turkey is 5,400 TRY. The cost of groceries can range between 810 TRY to 36,000 TRY. Students spend on average about 23% on food and groceries with upper and lower bounds of 17% and 27% respectively.
Healthcare and medical services expenditure for students
Cost of healthcare9%
9% of total expenses on average (6% to 12%)
| LOW | $7.7 240 TRY |
| AVERAGE | $51 1,600 TRY |
| HIGH | $340 11,000 TRY |
| Per Month |
Students in Turkey allocate 6% to 12% of their total monthly expenditure to healthcare including health insurance and out-of-pocket medical expenses. The average spending on medical services and clinic visits is around 9%. The range of medical expenses range from 240 TRY to 11,000 TRY with 1,600 TRY being the norm for most students.
Leisure and shopping expenditure for students
Cost of leisure and shopping3%
3% of total expenses on average (2% to 7%)
| LOW | $6.4 200 TRY |
| AVERAGE | $43 1,400 TRY |
| HIGH | $290 9,000 TRY |
| Per Month |
This category mostly contains discretionary or non-essential expenses but also some non-discretionary spending like furniture for example. The monthly expenses range from 200 TRY to 9,000 TRY with 1,400 TRY being the average. Speaking of percentages, that equates to 2% to 7% of total expenses with an average of 3% for most students.
Education and schooling expenditure for students
Cost of education and schooling18%
18% of total expenses on average (11% to 23%)
| LOW | $24 770 TRY |
| AVERAGE | $160 5,100 TRY |
| HIGH | $1,100 34,000 TRY |
| Per Month |
Spending on education can vary drastically between different students. On average, education constitutes 18% of the monthly expenditure of students with 11% and 23% being the lower and upper bounds respectively. The average reported education cost is 5,100 TRY per month with 770 TRY being the minimum spent amount and 34,000 TRY being the maximum.
Other Expenses19%
19% of total expenses on average (13% to 25%)
| LOW | $19 610 TRY |
| AVERAGE | $130 4,100 TRY |
| HIGH | $860 27,000 TRY |
| Per Month |
A typical and healthy budgeting structure
The 50/30/20 rule
Spending among different people can vary significantly based on factors such as their income, lifestyle,
location, and personal preferences. A commonly used guideline for budgeting is the 50/30/20 rule,
which suggests allocating your income into three main categories in the following percentages.
50% for needs and financial obligations
This category includes essential expenses like housing, utilities, groceries, transportation, and healthcare.
30% for wants and discretionary spending
This category covers discretionary spending on non-essential items, such as dining out, entertainment, travel, and other lifestyle choices.
20% for savings and emergency fund
This is the percentage that must be allocated to savings, emergency funds, and retirement accounts.
About financial planning, money management, and household budgeting
The 50/30/20 rule is used as a general guideline but may not be the best choice for all people. There are in fact many budgeting plans out there like the 70/20/10 and the 60/20/20 rules, all claiming to be the best. More important than all of this is to establish financial discipline by creating a budget tailored to your specific financial goals and situation. It is very important that your financial outflow be less than your income to maintain a healthy cash flow.
Affordable living in Turkey
Income and cost of living compatibility
We asked students one simple question and recorded their answers.
Is it affordable or economical to live in Turkey?
Around 46% of surveyed students think that living in Turkey is affordable with proper budgeting while 54% reported that it is just too expensive and not affordable even with frugality and thriftness.
Low-cost alternatives in Turkey
People are always looking for ways to cut down expenses and reduce expenditures. The hallmark of any affordable place is the availability of discount stores, bargain deals, smart or secondhand shopping, refurbished items, and couponing. We asked students how easily cost-cutting is and the answers were distributed as follows:
Plenty of low-cost options54%
Few low-cost options46%
Based on the survey, 54% of the students living in Turkey have no problem finding low-cost alternatives to support a frugal lifestyle while 46% think that thriftness is difficult due to scarcity in discount markets and secondhand outlets.
Emergency Funds For Students
An emergency fund is a financial safety net comprised of easily accessible savings set aside to cover unexpected expenses or financial emergencies, typically amounting to three to six months' worth of living expenses. We asked students of Turkey whether they have an emergency fund and the answers were as follows.
Yes44%
No56%
Based on the survey, 56% of the students living in Turkey said that they don't have an emergency fund while 44% said that they do.
Financial Literacy in Turkey
Financial literacy is the knowledge of concepts and principles related to personal finance that allow individuals to make informed decisions regarding their money such as budgeting, saving, investing, borrowing, managing debt, financial risk management, and planning.
Financial Leteracy41%
We asked student guardians and parents in Turkey whether they acquired any adequate personal financial training in their lives. Approximately 59% of the people who participated in the survey said that they are not well informed about the topics of budgeting, saving, etc., and just manage things based on their own experience, while 41% said that they know about the general principles of personal finance from sources other than their own experience.
Difficulty in Budgeting and Financial Planning
We wanted to understand whether students of Turkey have problems or difficulties in managing their expenditures and savings so we asked people one simple question: do you struggle with your personal finances? 55% of the participants reported that they indeed struggle in creating budgets and in organizing their finances while 45% said that they have everything under control.
Struggles with finance55%
Easily manages finances45%
Housing costs, accommodation, and housing affordability in Turkey
Rental costs and house/apartment prices can vary drastically between different areas and locations.
Rent Cost in Turkey
Monthly Rent Prices
Studio apartment monthly rent cost
| 4,400 TRY | 6,600 TRY | 18,000 TRY |
1-bedroom apartment monthly rent cost
| 6,600 TRY | 11,000 TRY | 26,000 TRY |
2-bedroom apartment monthly rent cost
| 8,800 TRY | 13,000 TRY | 35,000 TRY |
3-bedroom apartment monthly rent cost
| 11,000 TRY | 18,000 TRY | 48,000 TRY |
Furnished apartment monthly rent cost
| 21,000 TRY | 53,000 TRY | 110,000 TRY |
Townhouse monthly rent cost
| 18,000 TRY | 26,000 TRY | 75,000 TRY |
House monthly rent cost
| 21,000 TRY | 53,000 TRY | 110,000 TRY |
Villa monthly rent cost
| 26,000 TRY | 66,000 TRY | 110,000 TRY |
The monthly rental cost of a studio apartment in Turkey ranges between 4,400 TRY and 18,000 TRY, meanwhile the cost of monthly rental of a one-bedroom apartment can be anywhere from 6,600 TRY to 26,000 TRY. Two-bedroom rentals rate ranges between 8,800 TRY and 35,000 TRY per month. The monthly rental for a three-bedroom apartment ranges from 11,000 TRY to 48,000 TRY. The average rent of a townhouse in Turkey is around 26,000 TRY while house rental costs can be as high as 53,000 TRY per month. Finally, if you want to rent a villa, expect to pay anywhere from 26,000 TRY to 110,000 TRY per month.
Apartment and house prices in Turkey
Cost of buying a property
Studio apartment price
| 880,000 TRY | 1.3M TRY | 2.6M TRY |
1-bedroom apartment price
| 1.1M TRY | 1.8M TRY | 6.6M TRY |
2-bedroom apartment price
| 1.8M TRY | 5.3M TRY | 11M TRY |
| $55,000 | $170,000 | $330,000 |
3-bedroom apartment price
| 5.8M TRY | 8.8M TRY | 26M TRY |
| $180,000 | $280,000 | $830,000 |
Townhouse price
House price
Villa price
The average price of a studio apartment in Turkey can range from 880,000 TRY to 2.6M TRY depending on location. One bedroom cost can be anywhere from 1.1M TRY to 6.6M TRY. A villa can cost you 58M TRY on average with prices ranging from 11M TRY to 88M TRY.
If you're leasing or purchasing, housing costs in Turkey will probably constitute your biggest expenditure, yet it's an area where you wield considerable influence. This is due to the substantial variance in housing prices across communities. Keep in mind the location of your workplace and the accessibility of essential amenities to prevent negating the savings from lower rental rates with increased transportation expenses.
House / apartment prices to income ratio
Property price to income ratio
( average property price / average monthly income ) x 100
| 32 | x91 monthly income | 195 |
Property prices in Turkey can be x91 to x195 multiples of the monthly income depending on the property and the income of the person. On average, property prices are approximately x91 multiples of the average monthly salary in Turkey.
Rent to income ratio
Rent to income ratio
( monthly rental / monthly income ) x 100
The average rent-to-income ratio in Turkey is around 29%. This means that people pay 29% of their income for rent. Those figures can range from 19% to 39% depending on the salary, location, and type of property.
The housing-to-income ratio is a very important metric to evaluate and measure how affordable living is in a particular area, city, or country since housing comprises the biggest chunk of expenditure. A higher housing to income ratio means that the place is relatively expensive. The figure by itself does tell much. It only starts to make sense when comparing the housing to income ratio across different locations.
Housing affordability index
The housing affordability index measures how affordable accommodation is in a particular place. This can measured in multiple ways, the most common being housing expenditure to total expenditure ratio and the rent to income ratio. The housing expenditure ratio is a figure reported by individuals on the percentage they allocate for housing. Rent to income ratio is calculated by dividing the average monthly rent by the average income. Because these values are both percentages, we can find their average and get the best of the two worlds.
Housing Affordability Index
27% Property Taxes
Real estate owners pay property taxes to local tax authorities, which are determined by the assessed value of their property. Typically, these taxes are paid once a year. Property tax funds contribute to community development, financing infrastructure improvements, public services, and local education initiatives.
Home Maintenance Costs
Home maintenance costs encompass various expenses associated with the upkeep and repair of a residence. These expenditures include regular tasks such as lawn care, pest control, and HVAC system servicing, as well as occasional repairs and renovations like fixing leaks, painting, or replacing appliances.
| 81 TRY | 1,100 TRY | 11,000 TRY |
Urban vs. rural living costs
Urban living typically entails higher housing and transportation costs due to demand and limited space, while rural areas generally offer lower housing expenses but may have higher prices for goods and services. The differnce in rental rates between urban areas and rural areas can be as high as 300% in some cases.
Monthly costs and expenses of energy and basic utilities in Turkey
Utilities expenditure can vary slightly between different areas and locations.
Energy, electricity, water, gas, internet, and mobile cost in Turkey
Utility Bill Cost / Electricity + Water + Gas / Student
| 160 TRY | 1,100 TRY | 7,200 TRY |
Internet and cable cost
Mobile phone bill and charges
| 210 TRY | 350 TRY | 1,100 TRY |
Because most utility bills club electricity, water, and gas costs in one bill, we can't provide a breakup for each type of utility and will display electricity, gas, and water as single cost.
The average monthly energy and water consumption of students is around 1,100 TRY. The cost of internet and WiFi ranges from 260 TRY to 700 TRY with 530 TRY being the average internet bill. Finally, the average monthly mobile charges is around 350 TRY but can range between 210 TRY and 1,100 TRY depending on consumption. Mobile charges include both calling minutes as well as data packages.
Energy / Utility expense to income ratio
( monthly utility expenses / monthly income ) x 100
The average utility-to-income ratio in Turkey is around 6%. This means that people pay 6% of their income for energy, water, internet, and mobile charges. Those figures can range from 3% to 10% depending on salary and location.
Food Prices, Dining Expenses, and Grocery Costs in Turkey
Grocery / Food expenditure and prices can vary drastically between different areas and locations.
Prices and cost of goods and services in Turkey
Dining out, food, and beverages costs. Price variations for common food items.
Fast food combo meal price
The average price of a regular combo meal at a fast food outlet or chain like McDonald's, Pizzahut, or KFC in Turkey is approximatly 110 TRY with meal cost ranging from 53 TRY to 180 TRY. The typical combo meal consists of a burger, french fries, and a drink.
Restaurant meal for one price
If you are planning to have a nice meal at a mid-range restaurant, expect to pay anywhere between 180 TRY and 530 TRY with 260 TRY being the average price of a plate for one person at a regular restaurant in Turkey.
Fine dining meal for one price
| 350 TRY | 530 TRY | 2,100 TRY |
The price range of a meal at fine-dining restaurant is 350 TRY to 2,100 TRY with the average cost being 530 TRY for one person. This is what you would expect to pay a top-tier diner in Turkey.
Beverage prices, cappuccino, latte etc..
The average price of a regular beverage like cappuccino or latte at Starbucks, Costa, or similar coffee shops and cafes in Turkey is around 70 TRY. Price ranges between 44 TRY and 110 TRY depending on the type of beverage, the size, and optional add-ons.
Grocery and market costs
Large bottle of milk price
The average price of a large bottle of milk in Turkey is 42 TRY. The maximum what you would pay for milk is 53 TRY and the minimum being 35 TRY depending on the brand of milk and other properties.
12 eggs price
A dozen eggs costs around 35 TRY on average with 26 TRY and 53 TRY being the lower and upper limits respectively.
Fresh whole chicken price
The price range of a fresh whole chicken in Turkey is between 60 TRY and 110 TRY depending on the size of the chicken and whether it is oraganic or not. The average price is approximatly 77 TRY.
Pack of beef price
The price of a regular pack of beef or meat is around 110 TRY. A pack of beef contains around 1Kg or 1lb depending on packing.
Medium bag of rice price
A bag of rice in Turkey costs around 39 TRY on average with prices rangeing between 28 TRY and 55 TRY depending on the brand and quality.
Bag of tomatos price
A bag of tomatoes costs anywhere from 11 TRY to 26 TRY. A bag of tomatoes denotes 1Kg or 1lb depending on location.
Bag of apples price
A bag of apples costs 25 TRY on average. A bag of apples denotes 1Kg or 1lb depending on location.
Grocery and food expenditure to income ratio
( monthly grocery expenses / monthly income ) x 100
The average grocery-to-income ratio in Turkey is around 27%. This means that students spend 27% of their income on grocery and basic household items. The expenditure can range from 19% to 33% depending on salary and location.
Expenditure on food and grocery for students
Students' spending on grocery ranges from 810 TRY to 36,000 TRY with the location, income, and size of the student being the most determinite factors.
