Moving to Turkey in 2023: dispelling fears about real estate, language barrier and others

Various life circumstances and situations encourage many citizens to want to find a more comfortable country for moving to a permanent place of residence. To buy property in Turkey for expats may become a great solution. Of course, moving to another country is accompanied by certain difficulties: adaptation, employment, financial costs, a different mentality, arranging a new home, choosing an educational institution, a language barrier, etc. Nevertheless, all this can be solved, and every year there are more and more foreign migrants in the territory of the republic.

Let’s talk in more detail about the pros and cons of living in Turkey: what you will have to face, whether there will be difficulties with the language, education and accommodation.

Standard of living

The country is well-known for:

• favourable climatic conditions, unsurpassed landscapes, good ecology;
• high standard of living;
• quality health care and education;
• the friendly attitude of the Turks towards foreigners;
• a wide range of offers on the real estate market at attractive prices;
• relatively easy to obtain a residence permit and citizenship by TAPU (property right).

Despite high inflation and a rapid increase in prices for all groups of goods, in general, life in Turkey is cheaper than in EU countries with a similar level of development.

The cost of living consists of several points:

• food costs;
• utility bills;
• medical care;
• transport costs;
• leisure activities.

With regard to education, this item of expenditure is intended for citizens whose children will attend a private school. The cost of education may vary depending on the educational institution and the age of the child, so check this point on the spot. If we are talking about a public Turkish school, children receive free education.

It is also worth considering the cost of clothing, shoes, and accessories. It all depends on the choice of store; you can visit the website of one of them right now to get acquainted with the prices.

Language barrier

In the process of residence, foreigners easily master the Turkish language and after 2-3 years they speak it quite tolerably. In addition, anyone can sign up for language courses. Speaking about moving to Turkey with children, there is a choice for them too! In Turkey, there are both private schools where instruction is conducted in English, and public schools where lessons are conducted in Turkish.

Jobs in Turkey

In terms of work, the situation is, of course, ambiguous. Life is good in Turkey, no doubt, if you are one of those who work autonomously. Among the most demanded professions:

• IT specialists;
• medical workers;
• engineers;
• teachers.

Employment in Turkey in these areas is provided to any foreigner who is associated with one of these activities. There is also a need for good manicurists, hairdressers and other professionals from the beauty industry. With other professions, it is somewhat more difficult to officially find a job; therefore it is rational to conclude an agreement with the employer in advance, so that later there are no nuances.

However, many foreigners who have savings prefer to make money by investing in Turkish real estate. And this is a completely justified option, since houses and apartments in Turkey have high liquidity and can quickly pay off. By investing in real estate on the territory of the Republic of Turkey, the owner can always rent it out and receive passive income or resell it after a while and make good money, because resort housing prices are growing every year.

The cost of housing in Turkey

The Turkish real estate market is represented by a wide selection of apartments matching every taste and budget. The cost of comfortable apartments 1 + 1 starts from €100,000, and the housing is rented on a turnkey basis, that is, with a completely finished renovation:

• fine finish;
• walls painted in light colours;
• flooring (porcelain stoneware, laminate);
• entrance and interior doors;
• double glazed windows;
• kitchen set;
• modern plumbing.

When buying an apartment worth $75,000 or more, a foreigner has the right to apply for a Turkish residence permit with the prospect of citizenship. The main thing is that the property is located in an open area for obtaining a residence permit. You can see the list of closed ones on the website of the Turkish Migration Service.

A residence permit based on TAPU is issued for a period of 1-2 years and requires further extension. When your total period of residence in the country reaches 5 years, you can apply for citizenship, having prepared in advance for the Turkish language exam.

If you purchase one or more properties in the amount of €400,000 or more, you have the right to issue a Turkish passport as soon as possible – within 4-6 months. In this case, there is no language exam.

Keep in mind that for the same property, citizenship is issued only once, that is, if someone has already applied for citizenship of the country using this property, you will be refused.

In general, living within the Turkish Republic is to the liking of most foreigners, and only a small part of them return home. Here are some of the reasons: rejection of the Turkish mentality, spontaneous approach to moving to a new country, unwillingness to leave the comfort zone, etc.

If we compare the pros and cons of living in Turkey, then from the negative points we can single out the need to get used to new realities, where everything is new and unfamiliar, and from the positive points – living in a warm, developed and prosperous country, good investment prospects, obtaining a residence permit and citizenship, accessibility sea all year round.

Real estate in Turkey

Turk.Estate website allows you to choose property in Turkey both to use as your personal residence and as an investment asset. Taking in account your budget, you simple decide on the housing preferences and the search system of the website will allow you to quickly find a property of your dreams.