Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey with a population of over 15 million. Istanbul is known as the city of opportunities in Turkey and thus receives an active population shift each year. Living in Istanbul as a foreigner will give you more than you can imagine.
There are many reasons behind the popularity of the city. Istanbul is the economical, historical, and cultural centre of Turkey. Each year, Istanbul receives millions of tourists from all over the world.
If you move your live to Istanbul, various advantages and wonders will welcome you the moment you step into the city in the airport. If you use these advantages wisely for your safe, Istanbul allows you to grow unbelievably.
Don’t be misled by people who say life in Istanbul is difficult. It is true that some people have hardships, but this is a mere result of unwise actions and unplanned decisions. Istanbul offers only wonders to people who know how to use them wisely for their sake.
All big cities have problems of their own, but we can safely suggest that Istanbul includes a minimum amount of these hardships. Your life in Istanbul won’t be like in New York or London. It is not difficult at all to survive in Istanbul. Opposite, it is relatively easy to create a beautiful life for yourself and your family.
Before making this decision of moving to Istanbul, you probably have many questions in your mind. What are the living conditions like in Istanbul? Is Istanbul cheap? Is Istanbul safe? Are people nice to foreigners? What are the pros and cons of living in Istanbul? Is Istanbul a good city to live for expats?
You can find the answers to all your questions in this page and even more. First things first, Istanbul is a great city to lie for a foreigner. Istanbul offers endless possibilities and chances. Moving to Istanbul will be one of the best decisions that you have ever made.
Istanbul is very rich in history. It offers a colourful daily life. Anyone can have a wonderful life in Istanbul. Plus, buying a property in Istanbul won’t cost you a fortune. Actually, the property prices are cheaper than rest of the world in Turkey.
Reasons to move to this beautiful and gorgeous city that offers endless possibilities and advantages are more than what we can list here. However, we summed up these reasons to 8 materials of its historical wonders, various cultural activities, the opportunities it offers, the fact that Istanbul is a big city where you can access anything you need and want, the life costs, public services, weather language will be a barrier or not, and how colourful the daily life in Istanbul is
1. City of living history
Apart from being a big and popular city, Istanbul’s history roots back to early times. Istanbul has been used as the capital city by four great empires throughout the history: Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Latin Empire and Ottoman Empire. Each of these civilizations have left countless heritages, some of which are globally famous, attracting tourists from all over the world.
In Istanbul, you can find many gorgeous structures on a daily basis. Various interesting buildings, sculptures, mosques, and many other interesting things will welcome you in the city.
Hagia Sophia Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar, Basilica Cistern, Galata Tower, Rumeli Fortress, Dolmabahçe Palace are some of the places that will take you back in time. We strongly recommend you visit these places if you ever come to Istanbul.
These attractions have stories and legends of their own. The more you learn about them, the more of a liking and interest you will grow to have towards them. In Istanbul, you can visit these beautiful places alone or you can join the touristic tours that you can easily find each day. Their advantage is learning ever single interesting detail about the place you visit.
A life in Istanbul will offer you a life that is full of historical wonders. You will see beautiful structures even in your neighbourhood. We recommend you take long walks in the city. Flaneur teaches more than anything else does.
2. Grander cultural heritage
Another great advantage of living in Istanbul is the fact that you will be so close to numerous cultural activities. It is possible to attend big concerts and festivals as well as attending great theatrical performances or spending your weekends wandering around in art galleries, modernist museums, and historical exhibitions. Istanbul is a huge city to where many popular violin virtuosos, popular bands and artists often visit.
If you experience this city fully, you will understand why so many people are so founded about Istanbul. The city has a unique culture of its own. One of the main reasons behind this fact is its unique location. Istanbul’s culture is a mixture of Asian and European cultures.
Each neighbourhood in Istanbul offers something else. Some are very cheap and easy to live in while some are highly luxurious. Most of the rich people in Turkey live in Istanbul with the highest life standards.
3. Istanbul as the city of opportunities
Istanbul is a metropolitan city full of opportunities. No matter what your occupation is about, you will find chances to pursue it in Istanbul.
Istanbul is the centre of international business of Turkey. Thus, as an expat, you will be lucky to find great job opportunities. Even Turkish people have been moving to Istanbul to find better occupations throughout the last decades.
Also, it is safe to state that the interest rates are getting more and more lower, which creates the perfect conditions to start your own business. You will receive full support from the government for your entrepreneurship and grow your business quickly and easily.
If you are planning to move to Istanbul with your family, the only thing you should be concerned about won’t be your job opportunities. Your children will also get the best, world class, and contemporary education with the best schools.
Public schools are an option for you. They offer free education for all Turkish citizens. However, if you want your child to be educated in a more cosmopolitan environment or if your child doesn’t speak Turkish, private schools are the best choice for you.
Private schools usually charge annually. Most of these schools offer a variety of courses for all subjects and a through education. Your child will be educated by the most experienced and professional tutors in Istanbul.
Another important thing is the language barrier. The public schools offer 100% Turkish education. The same goes for the state universities as well. However, many university departments offer English education options as well. If you want to get an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in Istanbul, you will find many options in the best universities in Turkey.
Koç University, Boğaziçi University, Istanbul University, Yıldız Teknik University or Galatasaray University are only some of these universities, some of which are even listed in the best universities in the world.
4. The biggest metropolitical city of Turkey
Istanbul is the highest populated city in Turkey. A high rate of its population is constructed of the people who has immigrated from the other cities in Turkey or from the other countries. Hundreds of people follow opportunities Istanbul offers and move to this great advantageous city each year to find better life qualities and almost none to few of these immigrates regret their decision.
However, as big and crowded as it is, Istanbul is surprisingly safe of a city. Even though Istanbul is the largest metropolitan city in Turkey, the crime rates are very low, which you should admit being very rare in the whole world.
Of course, crime does happen time to time but where does it not? Compared to the biggest cities in the world, Istanbul is one of the cities where your safety should not be an issue for you.
5. Surprising affordability
It is true that Istanbul is not the cheapest city in Turkey to live. All and all, it is the biggest city in Turkey. However, as a European, your money will be highly valuable in Istanbul.
Most of the settlers usually spend the most money for rent. The other expenses are not any more of an issue than the rest of the country.
Thus, we can safely say that properties in Istanbul are very valuable. If you invest, you’re your property will gain an unbelieve value in short time.
If you compare the property prices in Istanbul with those of of 5 years ago, you will be shocked to see how much of a value they have gained.
The government keeps investing in Istanbul with big projects and with each of them, both the city and the properties inside gain an increasing value.
Thus, it is wise to invest in a property in Istanbul now. As a foreigner, you won’t be obligated to live in the villa or apartment you have bought. You can rent your property and live somewhere else. Using your villa or apartment only seasonally is also an option.
6. Advanced public services make life nothing but easy
Like we have mentioned, the government likes to invest in Istanbul. In Istanbul, you will see this fact clearer than ever. The streets are all clean despite the high population in the city.
For transportation, there are various alternatives. Istanbul is located in two both Asia and Europe. There are many alternatives to pass to the other continent. You can use sea busses, ferries or Marmaray. Through the latest, you can have an interesting and enjoyable transportation experience passing under the Istanbul Bosphorus.
Other transportation means are buss, tramway, subway, domus, and taxi. Transportation in Istanbul is very cheap and thanks to these multiple solutions, the population won’t be an issue while getting around in the city.
When it comes to the health services, it is useful to state that you will again have many options to receive a treatment. If all you need is a primary health care, you can visit a sağlık ocağı, which you can find in each neighbourhood. Thanks to these instructions, you won’t need to get an appointment from the big hospitals. Here, you can get a general examination, vaccination, and first-aid services.
The bigger hospitals also offer a wide-range of treatment alternatives for all issues. You can visit a state or private hospital to get any health services. Healthcare is held relatively high in Turkey and thus health care in Istanbul Turkey is very cheap and accessible for all parts of the society.
You must have heard about the healthcare department of Istanbul University: Cerrahpaşa, which receives many patients from all over Turkey and Istanbul for healthcare and treatment. Cerrahpaşa is famous all over Turkey for its quality healthcare.
Another great thing about Istanbul worth mentioning is the countless libraries you can find. If you are enthusiastic about books and literature, you will find thousands of books in these libraries, most of which are free. All you need is going to be a simple registration and afterwards, you can benefit from a wide range of books in all languages.
7. Language won’t be an issue
As we have mentioned language, it is useful to talk about how your life is going to be like in Istanbul as an expat. Istanbul is a cosmopolitan city where thousands of expats live freely. It is possible to find hundreds and even thousands of foreigners living in Istanbul without knowing Turkish.
The cosmopolitan environment makes it possible to live here only by speaking your mother tongue. Istanbul is the centre of international relationships in Turkey and thus, you can lead your life easily without speaking Turkish or only by knowing the simplest phrases to introduce yourself or ask for a direction.
However, if you want to fit in the society better, you will have endless opportunities to learn the Turkish language. The Turkish people are very friendly, and they also love helping and befriending foreigners. It will be only easy for you to find people to practice the Turkish language with.
Plus, there are many instructions that will help you improve your language skills. You can register to a language course and get an education from the most qualified teachers. Also, you can get Turkish lessons from students as well, which will be very cheap for you.
8. Colourful city with colourful life
Istanbul is a city for everyone. Here, you can find various activities that you will surely enjoy. The daily life in Istanbul includes a routine pass between Asia and Europe through many means.
In Istanbul, there are countless cafes, bars, pubs, restaurants and so on. You can spend your weekends fishing as well.
The concept cafes offer its visitors many interesting activities and decorations. If you are interested in board games, for example, there are many board game cafes for you. With a reasonable prise, you can play games all day with your friends.
It is safe to say that there are many hobby shops in Istanbul as well which sell many decorative and recreational items for all interests.
If you get bored of the routines, you can easily find yourself in the lively night life of Istanbul. The night life of Istanbul famous all around Turkey for its grandiosity.
When considering moving to a whole new country and city, you mustn’t skip to consider its climate. Istanbul offers a wide range of weather each time of the year. No matter if you like warmer climates or if you find peace in a rainy weather, you will find what you like in Istanbul. You won’t miss the snowy days either.
