Real truth about living in Istanbul
Are you wondering what life in Istanbul is really like? In this article, I’ll show you why most residents both love and hate living in Istanbul.
All information in this article and more is also included in my YouTube video:
Overview real truth about living in Istanbul
To my mind, Istanbul is one of the most beautiful cities on this planet. But living in Istanbul is tough for most residents. In this video, I’ll show you the reality of life in Istanbul across 10 categories:
- Istanbul is huge in size
- Traffic is massive issue in Istanbul
- High cost of living in Istanbul
- Finding good-paying job very challenging
- Long working hours
- Enjoying Istanbul only one day per week
- Very crowded on Sundays
- Unpredictibality
- Love-hate relationship with Istanbul
- Real truth about living in Istanbul
1) Istanbul is huge in size
Let’s start with size. Istanbul is a massive city. In terms of land area, it’s more than 3 times the size of London. The most touristic districts are Fatih and Beyoğlu.
The green highlighted (see picture) districts along the Bosphorus are the most central and beautiful areas. To really enjoy life in Istanbul, most people spend time in these green highlighted places along the Bosphorus and Marmara Sea. Almost all other parts of the city are mainly residential.
It makes a big difference if you live in one of these beautiful districts along the Bosphorus or in the other parts of the city.
2) Traffic is massive issue in Istanbul
Traffic in Istanbul is a massive issue. In fact, the city currently ranks as having the worst traffic in the world. The average driving speed is just 20 kilometers per hour. Even short trips often take an hour.
Source ranking: https://www.cittimagazine.co.uk/news/congestion-reduction/istanbul-named-worlds-most-congested-city-for-2024.html
3) High cost of living in Istanbul
Next is cost of living in Istanbul. Living in Istanbul is relatively expensive when you compare income to expenses.
Typical middle-class jobs earn between 1.000 and 1.800 Euros per month.
Let’s have a look at rent for a 2-bedroom apartment. In the orange highlighted (see picture) middle class districts rent is between 600 and 800 Euros per month.
Check my video on cost of living in Istanbul for a detailed breakdown of the monthly cost of living in Istanbul.
4) Finding good-paying job very challenging
Let’s now talk about jobs. Finding a well-paying job in Istanbul is very challenging. Turkey has a young population. For every decent paying job, there are hundreds of applicants.
Check my video on job opportunities for foreigners in Istanbul Turkey if you want to learn more about it.
5) Long working hours
In the private sector, the standard workweek is 45 hours. Office jobs often mean 5 days a week and 9 hours per day. Operational jobs often require 6 working days a week.
Vacation days are also limited. In the first five years of employment, you only get 14 days off per year. This increases to 20 days after 5 years and 26 days after 15 years.
6) Enjoying Istanbul only one day per week
Most of the middle class can enjoy life in Istanbul only one day per week. During weekdays, people spend up to 3 hours a day commuting by car or public transportation.
Sunday is often the only day most people get to enjoy the city.
7) Very crowded on Sundays
Due to point 6, everywhere is very crowded on Sundays: Restaurants, cafés, shopping malls and in particular the Bosphorus promenades.
There is also a lot of traffic along the Bosphorus on weekends.
8) Unpredictibality
Life in Istanbul and in Turkey can change overnight. This applies especially to politics and the economy. For example, sudden currency devaluation has been a big issue for many years.
9) Love-hate relationship with Istanbul
Many residents love and hate Istanbul at the same time. They love it for its beauty – especially along the Bosphorus.
However they hate the grind of daily life: Traffic, the high cost of living and constant stress.
10) Real truth about living in Istanbul
And finally, here is the real truth. Living in Istanbul is amazing if you are affluent or rich.
If you can afford to live in one of the stunning districts along the Bosphorus and don’t have to worry about cost of living, then life in Istanbul can be truly beautiful. But this lifestyle is only accessible to a small fraction of the population.
You can explore other articles about Istanbul by clicking on one of the following categories: