Hello everyone. I’m a 40-year-old Turkish citizen living in Turkey. I’m a geography teacher, and because of my job, I have lived in many different cities across the country—places like Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara, Mugla, Bodrum, and Dalyan. In this post, I want to talk about some realities that many people outside Turkey don’t know.
Turkey has experienced a massive wave of migration since the Syrian civil war began in 2010. It’s estimated that between six and ten million people have come from countries like Syria, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan. Many of them work illegally. To be honest, Turks and Arabs are not very similar in terms of lifestyle and culture, so this situation has created tension in the country. Most of these migrants live in cities like Istanbul, Izmir, Kilis, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Mersin, and Konya. This has also significantly changed the country’s demographic structure.
Meanwhile, a large number of educated young Turks—doctors, engineers, nurses, and teachers from the Y and Z generations—have moved or are trying to move to countries like Germany, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. There are several reasons for this, but the most important ones are skyrocketing inflation, rents that nearly double each year, and the steady decline in living standards. In addition, the growing security concerns, especially in big cities like Istanbul and Izmir, caused by this rapid demographic change, are also a major factor.
Despite all these issues, Turkey remains an extraordinary country. It’s one of the few places in the world where you can experience four different climates—Mediterranean, continental, oceanic, and harsh continental. But if you’re thinking of moving here, my strongest advice is: stay away from Istanbul. Right now, it’s almost impossible to find a decent apartment in a good neighborhood for less than 200–250 USD per month. The population has exceeded 20 million, and traffic is a daily nightmare. The city is noisy, chaotic, and covered in dust due to endless construction.
And then there’s the earthquake issue. Scientists have been warning for years that a massive earthquake, probably stronger than magnitude 7, is expected to hit Istanbul. Because of this, many areas are undergoing what is called “urban transformation,” where old buildings are being demolished and rebuilt. However, neighborhoods like Beşiktaş and Kadıköy—places that are actually nice to live in—are filled with buildings that are more than 50 years old and not earthquake-resistant. The city’s layout has huge design problems: streets are narrow, open spaces are almost nonexistent, and in the event of a major earthquake, emergency aid would have an extremely hard time reaching people. It’s feared that if such an earthquake happens, more than a million people could die. People in Istanbul live with this anxiety every single day.
As for Izmir, it’s also located on the western Anatolian fault line, but it’s relatively safer and less crowded compared to Istanbul. I lived in Izmir for ten years and studied at Dokuz Eylül University. It’s a warmer city than Istanbul, but if you plan to live there, I recommend avoiding the city center. Instead, look for areas like Urla, Seferihisar (the first officially recognized “slow city” in Turkey), Çeşme, or Güzelbahçe. These are about 30 minutes to one hour away from the city center, filled with low-rise buildings, and therefore much safer in case of earthquakes.
Muğla is also one of the best cities to live in. It has the longest coastline in Turkey—over 1,200 kilometers—with many bays, peninsulas, and coves. Towns like Dalyan, Ortaca, and Bodrum are ideal places to live. Bodrum, in particular, is the most expensive district in the region; you could think of it as the “Beverly Hills of Turkey.” It’s a great place to live year-round, but unfortunately, the infrastructure is still lacking. Internet connections can be unreliable, and water cuts happen from time to time—even if you live in a villa worth 400,000–500,000 USD. Still, it’s a great place for investment because there’s simply no other place in Turkey quite like Bodrum—it’s one of a kind, comparable to Monaco in some ways.
If you’re considering the Mugla or Antalya regions, I recommend towns like Dalyan, Ortaca, Köyceğiz, Faralya, or Kaş. These areas are peaceful, have beautiful nature, and the people living there are generally well-educated and respectful.
If you’re not particularly interested in beaches and sunshine, Ankara is actually a very safe and well-organized city. It’s much more affordable than Istanbul, and life there is calmer and more stable.
