Turkey is one of the most popular countries to visit, and it’s no surprise why. From the beautiful architecture to the delicious food (Kebabs! Baklava! Turkish tea! 
If you’re planning a trip to Turkey, you most likely want to save a few coins and make your dollar go further — you’re in luck! Traveling to Turkey on a budget is 110% possible, and I’m here to show you how.
Although Turkey is considered to be a budget-friendly destination, I wanted to test that theory and see how many ways I could save even more money — and now I’m passing those little nuggets of wisdom onto you! 
I present to you: 25 of the best ways on how to save money in Turkey.
Let’s check it out!
ARRIVING IN TURKEY
✈️ 1 – First things first: let’s actually get to Turkey before we can start saving money in Turkey! Turkish Airlines is usually my first choice for cheap airline tickets to Turkey because it’s a) the national carrier of Turkey and b) has major airport hubs across the entire country, which equals to budget-friendly deals.
When booking airline tickets to Turkey, my favorite websites are Skyscanner, Kiwi, and Expedia because they’re the easiest to use and have the most options.
Likewise, I recommend flying into Istanbul and using that as your starting point. Even if you’re planning to visit Antalya, Cappadocia, or another city, it’ll still most likely be cheaper to fly into one of the Istanbul-based airports (IST or SAW) and then take a domestic flight on Turkish Airlines, Sunwing, or Pegasus Airlines.
I talk a little more about this in my How Much Does It Cost To Travel In Turkey? post – click here to read it if you’re interested in a complete breakdown of my budget and prices in Turkey!
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💸 2 – Don’t exchange money in the airport, because the prices are outrageous. In fact, if you don’t get screwed over by the commission (usually 5%), you’ll probably get screwed over by the exchange rate. 
If you must, I recommend exchanging exactly how much you need for your taxi/Havas Bus/etc and then exchanging the rest of your money in the city, where the rates are considerably more favorable.
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📱3 – Buy SIM cards in the city – Just like in the example above with currency exchange, buying SIM cards in the airport is also a no no. The last time we were in Turkey (2020), sim cards were at least $30 USD in the airport (no matter which carrier you went with). if you can swing it, buy your SIM card when you’re in the city and you can save at least $20 USD.
DOMESTIC FLIGHTS IN TURKEY
✈️ 4 – Domestic flights in Turkey are really cheap. If you’re coming from a country where inter-country flights are expensive (*cough* USA or Canada 🥺), you’re going to be really surprised when you travel around Turkey. Let me give you just a taste of the delicious domestic savings:
Istanbul to Izmir (the “Los Angeles of Turkey”) for $22 round-trip
Istanbul to Nevşehir (Cappadocia) for $37 round-trip
Istanbul to Trabzon (beautiful unspoiled nature) for $50 round-trip
If you’re really keen on saving money, look for flights on Pegasus Airlines, which is Turkey’s version of a budget airline.
ACCOMODATIONS IN TURKEY
🏨 5 – Book your accommodation in advance – Did you know? The most popular accommodation website, Booking.com, doesn’t work in Turkey. If you’re physically located in Turkey, the website will block you from reserving accommodations within the country. Apparently there’s some issue with tax regulations, but that’s another story for a different time.
Anyway, back to my tip: I recommend booking your accommodations in Turkey in advance, so you won’t be running around in the middle of the night trying to find a hotel (or hostel) because you wanted to save a few Lira.
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📆 6 – Visit during the off-season – If you have a choice of when to travel to Turkey, I recommend planning your trip for March – May or October. Avoid June through the end of August, as that’s when families and students are out of school for the summer and on vacation.
You can save anywhere from 20% to 80% (!!) by booking in the off-season. To give you an example, I took the exact same hotel in Antalya (the Niss Business Hotel) and tried two different dates: the off-season (April 5 through 8) and the high season (June 7 through 10). The rest of the variables — including the room type, number of guests, and number of nights — stayed exactly the same.
In the end, you can clearly see the difference: in the off-season, my accommodation would have cost me $109, while in the high season, it jumped up to $197. That’s a difference of 57%!
Best of all, since Turkey is located in the Mediterranean, you can still enjoy nice weather in the off-season – without the crowds and high prices.
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📸 7 – Avoid the Tourist Hotspots – No, I don’t mean avoid the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, or Grand Bazaar. I just meant that you should avoid booking an accommodation nearby!
Although it might seem convenient and close by, you’ll ultimately be spending more money on accommodations by staying in touristy areas in Istanbul, such as Sultanahmet or Taksim Square. To get the most out of your budget, I would recommend staying in the next neighborhood, such as Beyoğlu, which is about a 10 minute walk to Istiklal Street and Taksim Square.
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🏢 8 – Airbnb vs Hotels – There are people who are fiercely loyal to Airbnb, and then there are people who are fiercely loyal to hotels. However, I’m not going to force you to pick… because in Turkey, both are a good choice!
If you’re planning to stay in a city for a longer period of time (i.e. one week or more), I recommend checking Airbnb. Oftentimes, you can score a better deal than over hotels, since some Airbnb hosts offer discounts for week- or month-long stays. However, if you’re moving around a lot or staying in cities for a shorter amount of time, then hotels might be a better option: you won’t have to pay service fees for every Airbnb you stay at, and there are some amenities (such as #10 below!) that you can’t get from a traditional Airbnb.
Psst – Want to try Airbnb and get $55 off your booking? Click here to see more than 40,000 Airbnbs in Turkey and book your next getaway!
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😺 9 – …Or Try Housesitting – Speaking of long-term stays: If you have a flexible schedule and love pets, why not try housesitting? You’ll get a free place to stay in exchange for looking after cuddly cats, dogs, or other pets.
Check out the housesitting site I use here!
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🍽 10 – Look for Hotels with Breakfast – Finally, you can cut out a significant expense by choosing hotels that already include breakfast in the price. Need more convincing? Check out the photo above – a traditional Turkish breakfast is usually huge and the best in the world! You’ll be treated to dozens of different hams, cheeses, veggies, and more. Mmm.
TRANSPORTATION IN TURKEY
🚍 11 – The Cheapest Way to Get From the Airport is… Now that we’re got flights out of the way, let’s talk about getting from the airport to your hotel. There are probably hundreds of different companies that offer airport transfers in Turkey, but this can quickly add up.
Whenever I travel in Turkey, I like to take the Havaş Bus. There are three main reasons why it’s the best way to get from an airport to the center: They’re (almost) in every major city, they’re cheap, and they have regular schedules. This all adds up to budget-friendly convenience – Voila!
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💳 12 – Get Yourself the Card That Saves You Money – Usually when we think of cards, our minds go straight to credit cards… AKA cards that spend money.
One of the best ways to save money in Istanbul is to get an Istanbulkart (or a similar city-specific card, like Ankarakart if you’re in Ankara, BursaKart in Bursa, and so on…) if you’re planning on using public transport.
These city-specific cards serve as “reusable tickets” on buses, trams, metros, and ferries. In some cities, they can also be used to pay for public toilets and to buy tickets in museums!
This is one tip I wish I knew before I traveled to Turkey, because I could have saved so much money on the ferries and trams that I used to get from my hotel to places all around Istanbul. Want to know how much you can really save using an Istanbulkart?
A typical fare for public transport is 5 TLR per ride, but with an Istanbulkart, you’ll only pay 3TLR – a savings of 40%!
Besides saving money, the Istanbulkart can be used by multiple people (just wave the card, go through the turnstile, wave the card again, let the second person go through, and repeat for up to 5 people); you can make up to 5 connections within a 2-hour time period (perfect if you’re going somewhere far); and there are kiosks all around the city and in the airport.
Paying only 3TLR to travel from Europe to Asia? That’s definitely cheaper than an airline ticket ;)
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🚕 13 – Download This App to Avoid Getting Scammed – While there’s no magical app to get rid of (taxi) scams, you can avoid the majority of them by downloading the BiTaksi app.
BiTaksi is one of the most popular taxi apps in Turkey. The app is very similar to Uber and lets you summon a taxi with one tap. You’ll see the driver’s name, photo, licence plate, and review on the screen, as well as contact options (calling or messaging) and a live map with the taxi’s ETA. The best part is that you can opt to pay in cash or credit card, which lets you save your precious paper bills for some souvenir shopping at a bazaar.
Psst — want to learn the most common taxi scams in Turkey? Check out my 17 Things To Know Before Traveling to Turkey by clicking here!
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🚍 14 – Consider Taking an Intercity Bus… – Turkey has one of the best bus systems that I’ve come across during my travels. Traveling around Turkey by bus is cheap and comfortable: the majority of Turkish busses are newer models that come with reclining seats, plenty of space, and includes baggage. There are hundreds of departures from virtually every city, including overnight busses for longer journeys, and most tickets will set you back only a few dollars.
I like to use this bus website, which has cheap bus tickets in Turkey. It’s comfortable to use, has a wide variety of filters (arrival/departure, price, fastest bus, etc.), and you can book tickets directly.
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🚗 15 – …Or a BlaBlaCar… – One thing that I was surprised to learn was that BlaBlaCar is very popular in Turkey. If you’re looking to save even more money, you can use the app to find drivers who are going to the same city as you and split the cost of the journey.
Who knows who you’ll join along the way? A friendly commuter from Bursa to Istanbul? Or a group of friends planning to spend the weekend going from Antalya to Cappadocia? That’s half of the fun of using BlaBlaCar. :)
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🚙 16 – … Or Even Renting a Car – Although I usually don’t like to rent cars when I travel (Traffic! Drivers! Super expensive!), renting a car in Turkey was totally different.
Even if you’re on a budget, renting a car in Turkey is a great option if you’re planning to visit multiple cities at once (i.e. a road trip through Turkey) or want to do day trips on a budget (such as İzmir to Pamukkale).
Compared to the cars I rented in other countries (The United States, New Zealand, Western Europe, etc.), I would say the price of a car rental in Turkey is super cheap.
You can find deals for as low as $10 USD per day (!!), as well as weekly or monthly discounts. In fact, during the three times I rented a car in Turkey, the average price came out to around $30 USD per day. If you really wanted to, you could even go camping in your car and save money on accommodations in Turkey!
If you’re thinking of renting a car in Turkey, I have a whole post that goes into detail about the rental process, what car to get, what to know before you drive, and more — click here to read it!
FOOD
🌯 17 – Try the Street Food! – I’m going to let you in on a little secret: I was completely scared to try street food during my travels (before I “trained” myself in Taiwan and ate allll the night market food, but that’s another story
I know, I know. Street food kiosks and street vendors might look intimidating at first, but I promise that you can get some really yummy (and cheap!) deals. Obviously do your due diligence beforehand and take a good look at the kiosk — is it relatively clean? Are the ingredients fresh? Is there a line of locals ordering food? If it checks off all the boxes, go ahead and try that street shawarma or kebab!
To give you a quick example: One of the best kebabs we’ve ever tried in Istanbul cost around 20 TLR (about $3 USD) and it was at this small hole in the wall cafe near the edge of Beyoğlu. Compare that to the typical prices of kebabs in restaurants around the touristy spots, which can cost around 50 to 60 TLR (about $10 USD) or more!
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🗺 18 – Go Outside of Tourist Areas – Speaking of tourist areas…
If you want to save money in Turkey, one of the best tips is to eat where the locals eat. That means taking a tram or walking a few streets away from the hotspots and popping in to a local cafe or bakery.
I read somewhere that due to high rent and prime locations, restaurants near tourist attractions can charge up to a 70% markup on dishes. Could you imagine if you had to bump up your food budget by 70%?
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🍺 19 – Have a ‘Beer Budget’ – Although it’s completely legal, alcohol is very expensive in Turkey (unless you’re staying in an all-inclusive resort).
If you like to have a drink or two while traveling, it’s best to budget beforehand so that you can set aside enough money to try a few local beverages (like Rakı!). Note that imported drinks will cost more.
Did You Know? Rakı is the national drink in Turkey and was created in the Ottoman empire back in the 19th century. Mustafa Atatürk, the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey, was very fond of rakı and would drink it while strategizing with his closest advisors.
ACTIVITIES
🚶♂️20 – Add a Free Tour to Your Itinerary – If you’re looking for ways to save money on tours in Turkey, why not consider taking a free walking tour?
Most ‘free tours’ are on a pay as you wish scheme, which means that you can tip the tour guide however much you think the tour was worth. This way, you’ll get to see the most important historical sites and tourist attractions without breaking the bank — and help out an enthusiastic local who loves to show off his or her city!
Free walking tours are all around Turkey, from the handful of free walking tours in Istanbul to Izmir, Antalya, Ankara, and more.
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💰 21 – Or Opt For a Budget-Friendly Tour – Not all tours are created equal! I used to think that all guide tours were expensive and overly informational, but that’s definitely not the case — especially in Turkey.
If you prefer a more structured or themed tour, I recommend scrolling through GetYourGuide and checking out the options there. They have more than 800+ guided tours in Turkey, from walk tours to get acquainted with a city to food tours, nature hikes, multi-day tours, and more. Here are some of my favorite tour picks around Turkey:
Coffee tasting in Istanbul || ATV tour in Cappadocia || Boat tour in Kusadasi || Village tour near Marmaris
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🔁 22 – Look for Cheaper Alternatives – Finally, don’t settle on the first tour or activity that catches your eye! It seems counterintuitive, but if you do a little research, you can usually find a more budget-friendly alternative.
Case in point: One of the most popular activities in Istanbul is to go on a Bosphorus cruise. Unsuspecting travelers can pay up to $20 for “official tickets” from resellers that crowd around near the port, but if you take a few minutes to Google, you’ll find that you can buy the same ferry ticket for only $3 at the official Şehir Hatları kiosk at Eminonu pier.
SOUVENIRS
🛍 23 – Buy Souvenirs in Stores – If you don’t want to pay exorbitant prices on souvenirs from tourist stores, you can save money by taking a trip to your local grocery store (like Migros or Carrefour). There, you can find authentic Turkish tea, coffee, rahat lokum, candies, and other delicious treats — some with very pretty designs! — without the high markup of typical stores.
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🔖 24 – Don’t be Shy – Get Out There and Bargain! – Many tourists who visit Turkey are either shy to bargain or unfamiliar with the entire process. Don’t miss out on great deals – sharpen your bargaining skills by practicing haggling the prices down at large markets like the Grand Bazaar!
Here are two little hacks that I learned along the way:
📍 Usually, the actual price is somewhere around 50% of the price that the shopkeepers quote you. So if an item is quoted at 100 TLR, the actual price is somewhere around 50 to 60 TLR. Try to get as close to this price as possible (respectfully!
📍 If the shopkeeper is firm on his price, see if you can do a bulk deal instead (i.e. buy five magnets for the price of four)
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🧾 25 – Do All of Your Shopping in One Go – There’s a neat little shopping ‘hack’ that not too many people know about: If you spent more than 120 TLR (about $20 USD) in qualifying stores, you can a refund of all the money that you spent on taxes for those goods. (I did this in Iceland and got a nice chunk of change back!).
If you want to learn more, here’s the official website that explains tax free shopping in Turkey in more detail.
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Header image: Pinterest // Efes – Mert Kahveci // Hotel – Agoda // Housesitting cat – Iz & Phil // Turkish tram – Alwin Kroon// Ice cream man – Roxanne Desgagnés // Aga Sofia – Pinterest