The cost of living in the UK is rising fast. Inflation has reached a 40-year high of 9.4% and it is expected to reach 13% by the end of this year. War in Europe is causing petrol prices to reach record highs and food prices to increase for everyone, but how do other costs still measure up? Even energy tariffs are dealt with differently by European governments. In the latest piece of a series looking at the most popular countries, we take a look at Turkey.
Turkey has long been sought for its highly affordable cost of living, and between May 2022 and May 2021, a British buyer exchanging £500 received more than 50% extra in Turkish lira – the equivalent of almost £167 extra - for their pounds. Holidays on the Turkish Riviera have been popular this summer but if you’re buying a property, the differential is dramatic.
Buying a home in Turkey
For David and Irene Robertson who loved from Edinburgh to Didim at the end of last year, the cost of living is ‘less than half’ of what it was in Scotland. The retirees bought a brand new four-bedroom home with their budget of £115,000 (without a mortgage) through the estate agent Turkish Connextions.
“When five of us went out for a Turkish brunch recently it cost us less than £10 for five people!” says David, 64, a retired truck driver. “The earnings are much lower here so if you shop and eat like a local – rather than going to a big global chain like Starbucks – it’s very affordable. We use buses a lot (25p each) and walk as much as possible and manage to live on Irene’s state pension, without touching our savings,” says David. “I’m a kept man!”
Transport
Because cars are one of the few things that can be very expensive they either uses the excellent local buses or they might pay £4 for a taxi into the city centre. Of course petrol has also increased in Turkey, due to oil prices, so that’s another good reason not to own a car.
Household bills
Their internet is around 600 lira (£29) per six months, council tax less than £40 council a year and the highest electricity bill they’ve received so far is £28 a month – in April it was £6 a week after the Turkish government reduced the cost of electricity – but that may increase. “At least we don’t have to pay private healthcare either as we are able to use the Turkish national health service,” adds David. “Irene has a psysiotherapist that costs £7.50 an hour. In the UK we had been paying £35.”
Read more
- Cost of living in Spain
- Cost of living in France
- Cost of living in Portugal
Food
All the local food they buy has also had a good impact on their health. “Ready meals are not a thing here,” says Irene, 67, a former manager at Ladbrokes. Without takeaways and processed food, David lost 2.5 stone.
“Cost savings aside, we love it here, the people are so friendly and it’s the best move we ever made,” says David. “We don’t feel we are doing without anything by living on such a smaller budget.”
