Question: Is Turkey still a good place for a foreigner to live, or is its economy having difficulties?
“Is Turkey still a good place for a foreigner to live in or is its economy having difficulties?” We thought it would be a good idea to have opinions from foreigners living in Turkey to answer said question and asked our Facebook group members to share their opinions with us.
This is what they said about Turkey and their lives in this country.
Pia: For any foreigner with an income in another value than TL,it is very affordable. But they will have to look the other way when it comes to politics and democratic values.
Allyson: If you’re fortunate enough to own your property, then I think it’s still economically viable for those foreigners that are not earning TL, yes the country is in an economical crisis at the moment, but many other countries are facing hardship too; I’d still rather be in this beautiful country than in the UK. Politics will always be just that, the world over…
It depends on how much income a person has and what currency they have available, ie foreign rather than TL. For foreigners the exchange rates are very high at present and expected to remain high for the next few months at least. Although the economy is in turmoil for the foreseeable future I still think a foreigner can live very well in Turkey. It also depends what part of Turkey they choose to live in as to whether affordable rental properties are available.
Lesley: It is still affordable but check out carefully the area you pick. I’m on the mediterranean coast and property prices and rentals have skyrocketed in the last year or two. I have been here many years now and never regretted it.
Christine: On balance I think it’s a good place to live. I’m in the uk at the moment and it’s not until I get back the rose tinted glasses come off and I can see how mixed up the country is. I do think the politics in Turkey does need to be addressed though. Respect and family values still remains at the heart of most Turkish people. I do realise it is easier for those who have citizenship, have their own properties and earn foreign currency.
Jessica: Everybody’s circumstances are different, for some it could be fine, others not so much. If your financial situation isn’t stable then relocating anywhere outside of your home country is precarious at this time. If you are comfortable then turkey is one of many options, although maybe wise to wait and see how the election plays out first.
Craig: Turkey is still an excellent place to visit and to live in if you are from a country with a stronger currency. As for the political situation, I’m from the UK and the UK Prime Minister and his government are a bunch of incompetent, corrupt imbeciles that need put in prison at the earliest opportunity. The difference with Turkey is I can say that about the UK Government without getting arrested. I’m sure they would like to change that however!
Babs: The people the scenery and the atmosphere is second to none. The economy is screwed. Foreigners have suddenly become far better off than their neighbours and for me, this has not affected the way they treat me in the least…because they’re Turkish. Had my means in England done as well, everybody would have stopped talking to me now! I treat my neighbors to what I have and they treat me to what they have. If I can help them I do because what used to cost me £1 now costs me 50p and what used to cost them 10lira now costs them 50. I know I can rely on them to take me to the hospital in their cars, make me food once in a while, because I can’t cook help me lift heavy items and act as my translators if I need it and they know their animals will never go unfed if I can help it. They are a wonderful sharing community where I am and I have made the effort to learn some of their language….I sometimes think, from the look on their faces, that I may have mixed up a few of the words….buy hey, they do the same with my language too. My neighbours are my new family and I love every last one of them. Make friends with your neighbors as soon as you can, they were a godsend to me during lockdown and I like to think I have lightened their load a little bit too. I came to Turkey to embrace their culture ..not to bring mine to them. So if you have the opportunity to come, grab it with both hands. It’s been the best 5 years of my life so far
Allyson: Each and every one of us have to make the effort to mingle with the locals and the communities that we’ve chosen to live in; Turkish people are so welcoming/respectful and if we try to learn their language, including the mistakes we may make, then we may make them laugh a little, but they’ll embrace you too. My husband of 27 years is Turkish, we moved here together on a permanent basis 4 years ago, but due to business and the economy being better in the UK at present I’ve been living in his country on my own mainly and I still feel that I’m at home. The culture here is diverse and the politics are………, but if, as a foreigner you’re considerate of the country and it’s people, then you’ll earn the respect of your community. I first came to Turkey in 1995 and a hell of a lot has changed since then, but this is now my country too and I love and accept everything it has to offer.
Tony: Where to start? A beautiful warm ( hot ) climate country with generally, very friendly and helpful people. Also unlike most Western European countries, people are still respectful of each other and older citizens. Would we live in Turkiye? Well, we do, for over 6 months in the year. Would I live in Turkiye full time? Yes, but my better half won’t, family you see! When we bought our 1st Turkish property prices were comparably inexpensive compared to Spain for example. But, property prices since the pandemic have rocketed ( like a lot of countries I know) and now property is in fact comparably more expensive than Spain for example. So ,Turkiye no longer offers comparably inexpensive property purchase? Providing that you are not reliant on Turkish lira ,the actual cost of living is reasonable too, food, utilities, council tax etc are comparably not expensive , if one is used to Western European cost of living ( including the UK ,the cost of alcohol though is actually now, on par with the UK. I can only give my view, as a property owner, with the cost of renting property in Turkiye now, I wouldn’t entertain living there if renting as a foreigner. Unfortunately the poor Turkish have no choice in the matter? Downside’s, the politics and the terrible standard of driving ( even compared to some of the idiots on UK roads.
Riitta: Nice to live here when money will come abroad but it is difficult to precast the future in economically and politics. We have a lot of discussions among the Fiinns also and country is not positive when talking economic. This has ment that a lot of people have sold their homes. New people dont like situation where you cant precast situation. Also children dont want to travel to Turkey they want to go to Europe instead. Also systems should make easier to foreigners to get services in English, Russian. German, Arabic. Foreigners have used to use internet and make things through internet and not going to que in bank, offices. There is big risk when talking houses and you can’t get any info before you have bought the house. There is no paper that shows depths of aidats, what has to be repaired in the buildings. It is not one term when you buy the house. Also the taxes why not using system that one city is one taxi area and you have computer system and you have just one number where to phone. You get taxi easily home instead of taxi bells. In Finland we have very good system that nobody can’t use taxes so that tax people don’t know that. We have system where computer shows how many kilometers driven totally, service, with customer, empty, how many customers, all reports come after each tour. They go directly monthly to tax-office. You can use credit cards without any problem.
Shaz: I don’t know if I qualify to answer this question As I still consider myself new and still learning and adjusting (it’s been almost year and half since we shifted here). I’m nature lover so I’m in love with this beautiful country… I’m glad I moved here and me and my kids can enjoy lovely weather and natural food.
Economy is bad everywhere not only here. It all depends what we are looking for and what are our goals and Priorities. Me and my husband was making handsome money in dubai decided move here and honestly we don’t regret. Once again it’s important to what currency we earn. Still I would say it’s much cheaper here instead of living in Uk or dubai. Only problem I would say is I feel lonely as I love communication but here it’s hard due to language barrier so once we learn language or live in area where we can communicate with others it’s amazing.
Debbie: I love living here in Türkiye . As a pensioner and property owner things aren’t too bad for me at the moment but who knows what’s around the corner .
If things get worse I will face them along with the Turkish people . My only complaint is that I don’t speak enough of the language to become a citizen . I’m still trying to learn .
Khaled Afif: For me, the whole world is in a big mess, so given the choice, I will still choose Türkiye and Fethyie for the obvious reasons; sea, greenery, food, mostly kind people, diversity and freedom of how to live my life, etc. Economy is rough specially for my turkish brothers and sisters, and hope it recovers soon inşallah.
Elaine: Sorry I missed this yesterday but here’s my thoughts if not too late. Turkey is a beautiful country with so much to see and do for all tastes and mostly lovely helpful people. If you have a foreign income it is still very cheap with the exception of property prices but these should hopefully stabilise in the not too distant future. Most countries are experiencing economic problems at the moment so in that respect Türkiye is no different from anywhere else.
M: I agree on most counts but think Turkey is much more in trouble in the economic department than many or most other countries. Although I agree it is a global issue I think this economy has tanked. And inflation is insane.
Susie : Late to the party but here are my thoughts. Yes Turkeys economy is an interesting and much debated topic however many countries are struggling economically at the moment. Turkey is such a big and varied country that the economic issues affect areas in a different way. For foreigners living here who have an income or pension in dollars, euros or sterling then Turkey offers a much more affordable life then perhaps our home countries at this moment in them. How that will be if the lira strengthens and prices stay the same I don’t know. However what Turkey offers is a quality of life like no other. That also must be taken into account. The price for quality of life can’t be balanced on spreadsheet and ultimately that is why many foreigners have adopted Turkey as their home is for the quality of life it offers
Editor’s note: We thank all our friends for having provided this valuable feed back – WE ARE HAPPY TO HAVE YOU IN THIS COUNTRY.
