Hello everyone. I鈥檓 a 40-year-old Turkish citizen living in Turkey. I鈥檓 a geography teacher, and because of my job, I have lived in many different cities across the country鈥攑laces like Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara, Mugla, Bodrum, and Dalyan. In this post, I want to talk about some realities that many people outside Turkey don鈥檛 know.
Turkey has experienced a massive wave of migration since the Syrian civil war began in 2010. It鈥檚 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鈥檚 demographic structure.
Meanwhile, a large number of educated young Turks鈥攄octors, engineers, nurses, and teachers from the Y and Z generations鈥攈ave 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鈥檚 one of the few places in the world where you can experience four different climates鈥擬editerranean, continental, oceanic, and harsh continental. But if you鈥檙e thinking of moving here, my strongest advice is: stay away from Istanbul. Right now, it鈥檚 almost impossible to find a decent apartment in a good neighborhood for less than 200鈥�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鈥檚 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 鈥渦rban transformation,鈥� where old buildings are being demolished and rebuilt. However, neighborhoods like Be艧ikta艧 and Kad谋k枚y鈥攑laces that are actually nice to live in鈥攁re filled with buildings that are more than 50 years old and not earthquake-resistant. The city鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 also located on the western Anatolian fault line, but it鈥檚 relatively safer and less crowded compared to Istanbul. I lived in Izmir for ten years and studied at Dokuz Eyl眉l University. It鈥檚 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 鈥渟low city鈥� in Turkey), 脟e艧me, or G眉zelbah莽e. 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.
Mu臒la is also one of the best cities to live in. It has the longest coastline in Turkey鈥攐ver 1,200 kilometers鈥攚ith 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 鈥淏everly Hills of Turkey.鈥� It鈥檚 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鈥攅ven if you live in a villa worth 400,000鈥�500,000 USD. Still, it鈥檚 a great place for investment because there鈥檚 simply no other place in Turkey quite like Bodrum鈥攊t鈥檚 one of a kind, comparable to Monaco in some ways.
If you鈥檙e considering the Mugla or Antalya regions, I recommend towns like Dalyan, Ortaca, K枚yce臒iz, Faralya, or Ka艧. These areas are peaceful, have beautiful nature, and the people living there are generally well-educated and respectful.
If you鈥檙e not particularly interested in beaches and sunshine, Ankara is actually a very safe and well-organized city. It鈥檚 much more affordable than Istanbul, and life there is calmer and more stable.
