Why You Pay More for Everything at the Airport – Are Prices at Istanbul Airport Expensive?

Airport food is notoriously expensive, and it’s not by accident. Over the past few decades, terminals have transformed from simple departure halls into full-blown shopping centers. When flying became cheaper after airline deregulation, more passengers started spending long hours inside airports — turning them into prime commercial spaces. That shift pushed airports to prioritize retail and dining revenue over anything else.

Although many airports claim to use fair “street pricing,” those rules are easy to bend. Vendors can pick the highest city prices as their reference, resulting in markups that often reach 50–80%. High operational costs — strict security, pricey renovations, long opening hours, and revenue-based rent — also contribute to inflated menu prices.

Competition is limited too. Despite the variety of logos, many airport restaurants and shops are owned by a few large companies, creating an illusion of choice and pushing prices up even further. Add in long waiting times, boredom, hunger, and stress, and passengers become the perfect captive customers.

A handful of airports do enforce genuinely fair pricing, but globally, the trend leans toward higher commercial profits — meaning travellers continue paying a premium for even the simplest snacks.

How’s the Situation with Istanbul Airport of Turkey?

Based on recent reports and traveler feedback, İstanbul Havalimanı (Istanbul Airport) is generally considered to be a rather expensive airport — especially when it comes to food, drink and other terminal purchases.

Why many call it expensive

• Several recent analyses rank Istanbul Airport among the most expensive airports in Europe for food and beverages.
• Reports describe basic items — even water, snacks or a banana — being sold at prices “shockingly above” what you’d pay in a city or at many other major airports.
• Some travelers and media refer to it as “the world’s most expensive airport” (for food/drink) because of these steep prices.
  

What contributes to those high prices

• High operational costs, expensive rents for airport businesses, and limited competition (since choices within the airport are handful and usually controlled by large operators) — these get passed on to buyers.
• The captive audience effect: passengers waiting for flights are essentially “captive consumers” — with few alternative restaurants or shops outside the terminal — which airport retailers rely on when setting high prices.
  

But “expensive” depends on what you compare it to

If you compare Istanbul Airport to typical local markets or modest city cafés in Türkiye — it’s definitely expensive. Even compared with other international airports, many travelers say the markup at Istanbul Airport feels excessive. That said, some outlets (e.g. vending-machine snacks or simpler, lower-cost counters) sometimes offer slightly more budget-friendly options — but those seem to be the exception rather than the norm.

Bottom line: Istanbul Airport is widely seen — by both international media and passengers — as an expensive airport, particularly in terms of food, drink, and convenience purchases. If you travel through there, it’s wise to expect higher prices than in the city and either plan ahead or bring snacks.

What data says about IST vs other airports

• A recent comparative analysis of 17 European airports found that Istanbul Airport ranks first in Europe for food and beverage costs — more expensive than airports in Berlin, Frankfurt, London-Luton and many others.
• Example: a half-liter bottle of water at Istanbul Airport was recorded ~€6, vs ~€5.9 in Berlin and ~€4.75 in Frankfurt under the same study.
• Coffee and snacks are also markedly higher: espressos around €6 and cappuccinos up to €9; a croissant or ham-and-cheese sandwich ~€16.5 — far above typical European airport or city-center prices.
• In some “fast-food chain” menus (e.g. burger + fries + drink) the price at Istanbul Airport can be 2 to 4 times more expensive than similar meals outside the airport or at other airports — a frequent complaint by travellers.
• Travellers and media have gone so far as to call Istanbul Airport “one of the most expensive airports in the world for food and drinks.”
  

What this comparison shows

Istanbul Airport is consistently more expensive than many other European airports when it comes to everyday items like water, coffee, snacks, and fast-food meals. The differences are often substantial — not small markups, but price levels many passengers call “shockingly high.”

If you fly through there, expect to pay well above “street-level” or what you’d spend at a typical city café or supermarket — and often more than at many comparable foreign airports.

Comparison between Istanbul Airport and Some Major European Airports

Here’s a quick 2025 snapshot comparing a few common items — water, coffee, sandwich/beer — at Istanbul Airport (IST) versus typical prices at some major European airports, showing how expensive IST tends to be.

* “Other European airports” refers to airports like those in Berlin, Frankfurt, Brussels, London-Luton — not a single airport.

Because alcohol and meals vary a lot by country and tax, beer / meal prices tend to fluctuate more, but reports still show IST on the high end.