Turkey's appeal is real but specific: affordability, climate and culture score well, while a major 2026 survey ranked it near the bottom overall. Here's the honest picture.
InterNations' 2026 Expat Insider survey placed Turkey 29th out of the 31 countries ranked — among the three lowest-rated destinations overall. That's worth stating plainly rather than burying it, because the honest picture is more useful than a one-sided sales pitch: Turkey's appeal is real, but it's specific, not universal. People who settle there and stay tend to be drawn to a particular set of things, while the overall ranking is pulled down by factors that matter more to some residents than others.
Real affordability, especially from foreign income
Overall living costs in Turkey typically run 40-50% below equivalent cities in Western Europe or North America. Relocation guides put a comfortable 2026 budget at around $1,200 a month for a single person, $2,000 for a couple, and $2,500-3,000 for a family of four. In Istanbul, renting runs $700-1,200 for a single person depending on the district; a three-bedroom apartment in central Antalya runs around $970. For anyone earning or holding savings in dollars or euros, that gap is substantial and real.
Climate and an easy social life
InterNations' own survey highlighted climate and public transportation as genuine bright spots, and specifically noted that making local friends tends to be relatively easy in Turkey compared with many other destinations — a real, documented counterpoint to the lower overall score.
A deep well of culture and history
Istanbul straddling two continents, Cappadocia's cave landscapes, the Aegean and Mediterranean coastlines, and a genuinely ancient layered history — this is a real, substantial draw that shows up consistently in why people choose Turkey over a more conventional European relocation.
The honest picture: why the overall ranking is low
The 2026 survey's low overall score for Turkey was driven mainly by labour-market and economic conditions — it ranked last of all 31 countries for Working Abroad, 61% of foreign residents rated the Turkish economy negatively, and roughly a third of respondents earn less than $12,000 gross a year. The survey also flagged real limits on freedom of expression and political stability. For someone planning to work locally or build a career in Turkey, these are genuine, documented reasons for caution. For a retiree or remote-income buyer who isn't seeking local employment, several of these specific drags matter much less directly — but the broader economic and currency picture below still applies to everyone.
Currency: the one thing every resident has to manage
Turkish annual inflation was running above 30% year-on-year in early 2026, and the lira has fallen from roughly 1.8 to the dollar in 2013 to over 42 to the dollar in 2026. For residents earning in lira, that erodes real income steadily. For those earning or holding savings in euros or dollars, lira depreciation can actually increase local purchasing power — but the standard, repeatedly recommended approach is to keep savings in a multi-currency account in USD or EUR and convert only what's needed for the weeks ahead, rather than holding meaningful sums in lira.
FAQ
Is Turkey a good place for expats overall? It depends heavily on what you're optimising for — the 2026 InterNations survey ranked it low overall, driven by labour-market and economic concerns, but cost of living, climate and ease of making friends scored genuinely well. Is it affordable? Yes, substantially so for anyone earning in dollars or euros — living costs typically run 40-50% below Western Europe. Is the currency a risk? Yes — Turkish inflation has run above 30% and the lira has depreciated sharply over the past decade; the standard advice is to hold savings in foreign currency. Is it easy to make friends locally? According to the same 2026 survey, yes — it's one of the areas where Turkey scored well despite its low overall ranking.
How we help
We help you weigh Turkey honestly against other markets based on what you're actually optimising for — lifestyle cost, climate, or a specific city — and connect you with advisers who can help structure finances around currency risk. Informational only, based on published survey and economic data; individual experience varies and these figures update periodically.