All The Pros and Cons of Living in Turkey

Turkey is beautiful country with friendly and helpful people, warm weather, clear skies, magnificent beaches and seas, delicious food and nature. Like every country Turkey has its pros and cons as well. If you are a foreigner who think of a long holiday or want to live in Turkey there are some aspects to it.

How is Life in Turkey?

Turkey is a vast country with 81 provinces, 3 seas, 7 regions and 2 different continents. If you are an adventurous thrill seeker or a nature loving calm person Turkey has something for everyone. Depending on what you want to experience, you can tailor your life according to your dreams. For example, Turkey has beautiful cities by the coastlines if you prefer to swim, hike and rest your head under a palm tree or it has gorgeous mountain when you want to climb, parachute, glide or just want to skateboard. It has one of the best food selections in the world ranging from simple breakfasts to grand meals including meat, vegetables, fruit, deserts, spices and seafood options. If you enjoy a good play or a musical you can always find a show you can go. Depending on where you decide to settle your experience can be quite relaxed and laid back or constant action with entertainment.

Job Opportunities

Pros: As a foreigner if you are experienced in a job, you can quite easily land a job in one of the three major cities namely İstanbul, İzmir, Ankara in Turkey. Generally depending on the job, the pay for foreign talent is quite lucrative. You can also work online or as freelancer without a visa while living in Turkey.

Cons: You need a Job Permit if you are not Turkish and this process can be a little tedious since you won’t be familiar with the Turkish laws and the bureaucracy needed for a job visa. However, you can always find a consultancy agency for this.

Living Standards

Pros: Living costs in Turkey is not expensive if you earn USD or EUR since the foreign currency is quite high versus the national currency TRY but you can also earn a quite good paycheck if you work for a respectable company as well. The basic living cost is around 10.000 TRY which is equal to 535 USD.

Cons: The devaluation of the Turkish Lira caused a high inflation in the last two years and the cost of living is still rising. Also, the property and rental prices are quite high in metropolitan cities if you want to live or work in these cities.

People and Culture

Pros: Turkish people are generally quite friendly and helpful all around. We love to people from other cultures and exchange ideas and chat together. Turkish hospitability is famous for a good reason and as a foreigner you are probably going to experience it with food offerings, helpful people and big warm smile. 

Cons: In Turkey generally most people can understand very basic English but if you are looking for a deep and meaningful communication, you might need check out expat communities since an average Turkish people might not be able to communicate with you effectively. Also there are traditions and customs unique to Turkish people so you might experience a culture shock until you get accustomed to.

Weather

Pros: Turkey has variety of weather types and you can pretty much guess the average temperature and the likely weather of each season with some exceptions. Turkey has 7 different regions, 4 of them by the shoreline and rest of them inland. Generally, in Turkey, winters are experienced mildly in Aegean, Marmara and Mediterranean Regions with mostly rains and minimal snow coverages while inland regions can experience snows lasting until summer months. So, depending on the person you are, you can find a suitable weather for yourself.

Cons: Having a variety of weather types means that you can travel from one city to another and experience a totally new weather in matter of hours. If you travel without checking the weather of the locations you are planning to visit you can be caught unprepared and even get sick. Also, due to the climate changes in the world, Turkey is experiencing some extremes such as mild droughts and floods so being prepared can be helpful in case of an emergency.

Social Activities

Pros: With 3 metropolitan cities, Turkey hosts quite good events ranging from simple book reading events to metal concerts or if you prefer a more sophisticated events, internationally famous plays, operas and much more are available to you for a decent price and magnificent stages. Mostly internationally noteworthy events happen mostly in İstanbul but there are local or small sized events in almost all of the cities of Turkey.

Cons: As I mentioned majority of the internationally noteworthy events takes place in İstanbul. So, if you prefer somewhere outside İstanbul you will have to travel and possibly spend a night there which can be somewhat expensive without a proper planning. Furthermore, being the most crowded city in Turkey, İstanbul is also very vast. Meaning that transportation can be hard depending on the location of the event and your travel route including the traffic density as well. 

Safety

Pros: Turkey has a low crime rate comparing to other countries. Firearms and weapons are illegal to own and carry in Turkey except the law enforcements. Turkish Police and Military is well armed and well spread too. You can walk at night and get to your destination safely. In Turkey, people often let their doors open in good neighborhoods since everyone looks for each other. 

Cons: Like every country has its good and bad places, Turkey has them as well. There are places which they are notorious for their criminal activities. So, if you plan a trip make sure to check out these places and try to stay away from them. Also, one more advice we can give is that when traveling be aware of the tourist scammers who can try to sell you worthless items for a fortune under the name of souvenir.