A Guest Article by Marina Bütün
Before I present a clear calculation of the current verifiable income required for a residence permit application for everyone, a brief explanation of why it is no longer quite so simple to obtain a residence permit – and sometimes even a renewal.
Let’s go back into the past:
Around the years 2012 to 2016, there was an immigration boom in Turkey involving retirees who could just about prove the required income of 500 euros per person at the time. I remember well how many came from Germany – we had a construction company for single-family homes back then, and many asked us about rental apartments. Because of this, I still know how many wanted to emigrate to Turkey. Here, they were jokingly called German „economic refugees“ because the pension in Germany was too little to live on, but here one could live like a king.
That was a good 10 to 13 years ago, and not only has everything become more expensive in Germany, but Turkey is also no longer a „banana republic“ as it was in the 90s. Is it really just about „hyperinflation“?
It is often written – most recently in the Bavarian newspaper Merkur – that due to hyperinflation, German emigrants can no longer live here. This means that 15 years ago, an amount for 3 people at 500 euros each would have been sufficient to obtain a Turkish residence permit (short-term). Converted into Turkish Lira for two people, the rate was approx. 3 TL per Euro = 4,500 TL for this total amount of 1,500 Euro.
During the same period, I had couples here who also had this amount per month at their disposal; depending on the year of construction, rents for old buildings started at 100 euros per month, new buildings averaged approx. 250 to 300 euros, and villas were 500 euros without a pool.
This means that with 1,500 euros, a house for 500 euros could certainly be rented by two people without it hurting, because the remaining living costs such as utilities (electricity/water) and food (except meat and cheese) were incredibly cheap. However, it was also the case that this only applied to domestic goods, not imported goods from Europe.
Anyone keen on those paid more, just like today. The fact is simply – just because it was once that way in Turkey, it doesn’t stay that way for the next 50 years. This applies not only to this country – things change everywhere.
Why the financial situation in Europe and Turkey is changing
The political wind has shifted; Turkey is becoming increasingly modern, investing heavily in the country, including its own defense – after devastating earthquakes, masses of apartments were demolished and rebuilt.
Investments cost money, infrastructure costs money; everything that is renewed and done in a country in the world costs money – accordingly, it costs money for the citizens in taxes. Taxes that are increased also increase prices. That is one thing – I won’t even go into other things like national debt, interest rates, or the import of goods now, because regarding the residence permit, you can see the reason below in a single everyday example – without politics.
And Germany? It is getting older, and in the last ten years, a lot has changed, also in the wake of the Ukraine war. State spending has risen, while at the same time, reforms such as raising the retirement age are being discussed. At the same time, Ukrainian refugees receive social benefits, which further burdens public budgets and intensifies social debates.
In Turkey, there were also Ukrainians who fled the war. In particularly sought-after regions like Antalya, the additional demand for housing caused rents to rise significantly. Apartments that previously cost about 300 euros were sometimes increased to up to 1,000 euros. Since there is no statutory rent index per square meter in Turkey as there is in Germany, the market in some regions developed into an environment that is difficult to regulate. In the meantime, regulations have at least been introduced for excessive residential complex utility costs, which obligate property management companies to limit price increases.
Utility costs of apartments in Turkey
Anyone who rents an apartment in a „Site“ – i.e., a residential complex with a pool, fitness center, gardens, etc. – automatically pays the monthly utility costs as part of the rent, which the landlord then pays to the property management. Cheap sites in our area are at a monthly amount of 2,500 TL – i.e., 50 euros; in Istanbul, scandals were recently shown with monthly fees of up to 30,000 Lira plus rent. A stop has been put to this, but it is clear that although the owner pays these amounts, they will factor them into the rent contribution.
What is also not cheap is electricity. The state pays almost half of it if you do not exceed a certain kWh number on average per year, but even if this subsidy is given – just run an air conditioning unit in the house daily from morning to evening in summer, and sometimes also at night in midsummer, plus other power sources like the refrigerator, dishwasher, and washing machine, you are usually looking at 60 to 70 euros per month; this also applies to the coldest months of the year.
This means that a „cold rent“ (base rent), which on average in Antalya is no longer 250 euros but somewhere around 550 to 600 euros or more, is no longer affordable for a person willing to emigrate with a 550 euro monthly pension who wants a residence permit – there is no money left to live on. This is part of the reason why there are currently so many rejections of residence permits (Ikamet), both for first-time applications and renewals – individual cases are checked, not flat rates. This used to be possible, but not anymore today.
Official Rule (Law / Guideline) Ikamet
For the short-term residence permit, the following applies officially:
One must prove „sufficient and regular financial means.“ These are based on the current minimum wage.
It becomes more concrete in many practical cases:
Often, approx. 580 USD / month (equivalent to 530–550 €) per person is expected.
The difference:
Official sites show the legal theory, but expat groups show the legal practice with discretionary power for the case workers processing the applications. The reality in practice is decisive!
Now comes the most important point:
There is NO fixed Euro limit written in the law. Since I can remember, an amount has been set in Dollars every year, which is settled in Lira depending on the exchange rate.
Additionally new:
The authorities check „sufficient“ in every individual case, and the decision lies with the province and the case workers. It has become particularly strict since 2023/2024. This is called a discretionary decision.
Why many affected people speak of 850 € in Facebook groups:
- Inflation & cost of living
- The official „minimum“ limit has realistically become too low
- Authorities calculate more realistically (unofficially)
- Rejections for „insufficient income“
Particularly for:
- Touristic stays
- Older applicants
- Renewals
It is something like a „safety surcharge“ by the authorities. Many de facto demand:
700–900 € per person
Or: lower income + bank balance as compensation
Important: The combination counts
One should not only have income. Accepted are, for example:
- Pension
- Salary
- Bank balance
Authorities often calculate like this: „Is the monthly budget plausible?“ and not just „Is the minimum wage reached?“
Realistically speaking:
The official orientation is indeed around 500–550 €, similar to the Turkish minimum wage, but the practice from 2025/2026 anticipates around 700–900 € per person.
Alternative:
Less income and savings, but as mentioned, this is a matter of discretion for the authorities. There is no clear uniform number online because it is not officially fixed.
My tip: Calculate with at least 800 € / person or, for example, 550 € pension plus bank balance for 1–2 years; then you are on the safe side.
Cost of living – what is included?
I am often asked if I can say whether 1,000 euros a month is enough to live here in Turkey. My answer: I cannot answer that, as everyone:
a) lives differently
b) has different requirements
c) has more luxury-oriented thinking than their neighbor
d) drives a car or not, drinks alcohol daily or none, smokes or doesn’t smoke, buys a lot of meat or none, needs a lot of food or little.
Therefore, I can only give an example:
Let’s assume the monthly maximum amount for a couple that eats mixed beef or chicken daily – we reach 7,000 TL (approx. 140 euros) per month for meat – the remaining costs for electricity, water, and other food, then we are at well-calculated 20,000 TL per month for two people, which makes about 400 euros a month in costs – without rent and without hobbies, travel, or eating out, etc.
Whoever owns their own property is „done“ here, and whoever doesn’t, depending on the region and size of the apartment, still has to bear between cheap 15,000 to 25,000 TL cold rent (in my Dalaman region, 10 km from the beach – not Antalya or sea view) – making around 500 euros cold rent – an APARTMENT probably with 2 bedrooms – not a house with a garden. This means, rounded up, you are at 1,000 euros – without alcohol, as that is not included in the groceries.
In addition, there is a significantly higher rent in cities like Istanbul or Ankara, Izmir, and of course, an increase for the location if you want to see the sea from the balcony.
So, if we start from the „basis“ of 1,000 euros for 2 people, the apartment is probably not in a direct tourism hotspot, probably also not directly by the sea, and accordingly has no sea view or perhaps only from very far away on an upper floor, and the couple moves rather over short distances for shopping and does not constantly travel around Turkey.
But anyone who dreams of a penthouse with a sea view or a villa with an infinity pool directly with a sea view will not get by with that – unless he can buy the villa, and whoever can do that also has more than just 1,000 euros a month at his disposal.
This means:
Mobile phones, mobile phone costs/contracts, alcohol, cigarettes, fuel, car tax, car insurance, repairs, other insurance, pet food, hobbies, travel, entrance fees for museums, etc., are not cost-of-living expenses – they are added on top.
Whoever has a dog or several pets must also calculate for food, which for foreigners certainly does not consist of leftovers, but of good pet food brands that also cost money – Example: 1 can (daily dose) of Pedigree dog food costs under 1 euro in Germany, but here minimum 2 euros if it’s cheap, often even double or triple (I have a dog, I know the prices).
THE AUTHOR
The author Marina Bütün has lived on the western coast of Turkey, across from the Greek island of Rhodes, since the early 2000s. Since 2020, she has published numerous books related to Turkey, including the guidebook *Emigrating to Turkey* and the authentic family novel *The Bride from the Ottoman Empire*.
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