Dirt Cheap Istanbul

Are you already in love with Istanbul? Are you drawn to the city of contrasts, whether it is east and west, night- and day-life, village and metropolis? You’re not alone. Travellers just as Turkish countrymen are magical attracted to the city once they tasted the water of the Bosporus …

Stand in Line and have patience
The good part: no matter if you are an EU or an American citizen, everybody can apply for a residence permit, if he or she wishes to stay more than three months. The bad part: in order to get one – whether it is for work or just “like that” – you have to work your way through a lot of paperwork, proof, that you have enough money and take your time to stand in line at the police station in Fatih. Only that the Turks don’t know how to queue… Check out http://yabancilar.iem.gov.tr for more information.

Costs of a place to stay starts at 250 euros
If you’re lucky and take your time to search for the perfect place, you can find a nice room in a shared flat between 250 and 400 euros a month. That is by far the easiest way as you pay the rent directly and in cash to your flatmate. If you plan on getting your own place, rents start at 500 Euro and you are required to have a residence permit. The Asian side is definitely cheaper than the European, deposits are usual three rents in advance, but consider that the water- and electricity-costs are comparably high.

Where to find a flat/apartment
If you have picked out your favourite mahallesi, that means city-district, walk around in search for one of the very frequent estate-agencies, so called “Emlak Ofisi”. If you can’t find one, check out http://istanbul.craigslist.com.tr, sahibinden.com or studioflats.info. If possible, ask a Turkish friend to deal with the landlord, because they always try to take advantage of foreigners… Figure out if there is a culture centre or library of your home country (or native language) and closely observe their bill-board (British Council, Institute Francais, Goethe-Institute …)

Making money in Istanbul
As most Turks don’t speak anything besides Turkish and some Basic English, try out as tourist-guide, in clubs and bars or check out which of your home country-companies have spin-offs in Istanbul. Foreigners with good education and basic Turkish skills are welcomed open-heartedly. To learn Turkish, try out dilmer.com or .tomer.ankara.edu.tr.

Best of luck!

Visiting European cities on a tight budget? Check out our other dirt cheap guides!

Amsterdam budget travel guide.
Barcelona budget travel guide.
Berlin budget travel guide.
Birmingham budget travel guide.
Copenhagen budget travel guide.
London budget travel guide.
Madrid budget travel guide.
Rome budget travel guide.
Vienna budget travel guide.