Is Turkey Expensive To Visit? My Stay And Eating Experience
Is Turkey Cheap 2024?

In a country like Turkey, whose currency is the lira and is always subject to inflation, expensiveness and cheapness have different definitions. Before I travelled to Turkey, I thought that It was a affordable country, but when I talked to its people, I realized that It is affordable—but only for some!
Is Turkey expensive for tourists?
Table of Contents
- Is Turkey expensive for tourists?
- Which is the cheapest and most expensive city in Türkiye?
- The cost of staying in Istanbul, the most critical cost of every tourist!
- Is it expensive to eat in Turkish restaurants?
- The cost of a taxi, expensive both for the people of Istanbul and for tourists!
- Can I travel to Turkey on a budget, or is it more suitable for luxury travel?
Whether travelling to Turkey is expensive or cheap depends on the country you live in. For me, who had travelled to Turkey from USA and had dollars with me, Turkey was a very cheap country.
Turkey is considered a cheap tourist destination for the people of Europe and North America, and the people of these countries can travel to Turkey at a low cost and enjoy their vacations there.
As a result, if your country’s currency is one of the most valuable currencies in the world, such as the Euro, Dollar, Pound, Dirham, etc., you can easily travel to Turkey cheaply. If your country’s currency is of low value, such as the Iranian rial, Dinar or Afghan, you should prepare yourself for an expensive trip to Turkey.
Which is the cheapest and most expensive city in Türkiye?
According to the latest report on the worldpopulationreview, Turkey ranks 186th among the most expensive countries in the world.
Like in any other country, I witnessed that prices differ from city to city or even neighbourhood to neighbourhood in Turkey. For example, the cost of my stay and living in Istanbul was more than in Antalya, and in Antalya, it was more than in Izmir.
I did a little research on the most expensive and cheapest cities in Turkey. With the experience I gained during my life in this country, I realized that the most costly cities in Turkey are Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya, Izmir, Bodrum, and Kusadasi, which many tourists travel to. You should know that living in all these cities was cheap for me because I had taken dollars with me to Turkey.
The cheapest cities in Turkey include Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır and Tongli, which I did not visit, and I only heard from the people of Istanbul that these cities are among the cheapest cities.
The cost of staying in Istanbul, the most critical cost of every tourist!
Since Istanbul’s costs were low for me, I always tried to stay in the best hotels to experience a memorable trip. For example, I stayed in hotels such as YOTEL Istanbul Airport, Hampton by Hilton, La Casa de Airport Hotel, etc., which cost $200, $100, and $50 per night, respectively. For 4-star hotels, The costs were acceptable.
But if these costs are too much for you and you want to spend less for your stay, you can stay in hostels or 3-star hotels, whose costs are between 10 and 30 dollars per night.
Is it expensive to eat in Turkish restaurants?
Food prices vary between restaurants, so I’m providing an average cost to give you a general overview of the cost of food in Turkey.
Usually, when I was in a hurry and wanted to buy a burger or a pizza, I would spend about 7 dollars, but when I went to a luxury restaurant, I would spend about 20-30 dollars for the main course, dessert, and various drinks.
For example, the cost of a doner kebab with barley juice, fruit juice, salad and dessert was about 25 dollars for me in one of the restaurants on Istiklal Street. The beer I had cost about $1, but there were also craft beers that cost about $8.
The cost of a taxi, expensive both for the people of Istanbul and for tourists!
Taxi is the only thing in Istanbul that was expensive for me too. I paid about 600 lire ($20) to go from Istanbul airport to the city centre, which is a lot for a taxi.
Other means of public transportation in Istanbul were cheap. The subway costs about 14 lira (50 cents) each way.
Can I travel to Turkey on a budget, or is it more suitable for luxury travel?
Traveling to Türkiye is cheaper and more economical than traveling to other European countries. If you want to travel to a European country but don’t want to spend a lot of money, Turkey would be my first suggestion.
You can enjoy travelling to Turkey even at a low cost; just read the following articles for more information.
- FREE ATMs In Istanbul
- Is There Free Wifi At Istanbul Airport?
- Duty Free In Turkey
- Best Things To Do In Antalya For Free
Of course, if you have enough money, you can stay in the best hotels in Turkey and experience a luxury trip in Turkey that you can experience in a few places in the world. If you are looking for a luxury trip to Türkiye, I suggest you read the following article.
In the final analysis
The costs I mentioned in this article were related to Istanbul, the most expensive city in Turkey; if you want to go to towns like Cappadocia, Ankara, etc., your costs will be lower.
Before travelling to Turkey, you should choose your desired city and plan your trip accordingly. If you have problems planning your trip, share your problem with me in the comments section so that I can answer you as soon as possible.









