Turkiye cost of living score cut as lira weakness fails to offset food inflation

We cut Turkiye's cost of living score from 7.8 to 7.1 on Country To Live. The country is still cheaper than Western Europe for many movers, but the easy "everything is cheap in lira" story is harder to sell in mid-2026. Supermarket bills are the main reason.

This is an editorial score for people comparing countries on our site. It is not a bank rate, a tax quote, or a promise that your rent quote from 2024 still holds.

Why we changed the score

• Food inflation is still running hot. TUIK consumer price data through June 2026 shows food and non-alcoholic drinks among the fastest-moving parts of the basket. Weekly market runs that felt manageable two years ago now need a bigger lira stack, even in secondary cities.
• Dollar and euro help less than they used to. Nominal USD/TRY and EUR/TRY levels look generous on a currency app, but TCMB reference rates do not buy the same basket they did when many expat blogs were written. Imported goods, energy-linked items, and fresh produce reprice quickly; foreign income converts to fewer real meals and fewer "cheap night out" weeks.
• Housing is uneven, not universally cheap. Istanbul, Antalya, and coastal hubs still charge premium rents in hard currency terms. Ankara and Izmir can be kinder, but newcomers often underestimate utilities, building fees, and deposit friction on top of headline rent.
• We did not touch other bars this round. Safety, residency pathways, and entertainment scores stay as they were. Turkiye can still be a strong pick for culture and location, but the monthly spreadsheet got tighter.

What the number means on our site

Cost of living on Country To Live measures how far a typical international mover's money goes on rent, groceries, transport, and daily life. A 7.1/10 keeps Turkiye in our "good value" band, but below peers such as Bulgaria or Georgia for pure budget stretch right now.

Open the Turkiye country page for the full scorecard, or put Turkiye in our compare tool next to Greece if you are weighing Mediterranean options. Browse all country scores to see where Turkiye sits after this cut.

Before you plan a move

1. Price your actual basket, not the meme. Track a two-week grocery list in your target neighborhood. Food is the line item that moved our score.
2. If you earn in USD or EUR, stress-test a weaker conversion. Budget as if the lira gap narrows again; do not assume today's rate locks in cheap living forever.
3. Split city from country. A 7.1 national score does not mean every district in Istanbul feels affordable.

We will publish another update if food inflation cools for several months or if purchasing power for foreign earners clearly improves.

This note explains our editorial scoring only. It is not financial, tax, or immigration advice.