The Cost of Buying Property in Türkiye
606 homes from $150K to $50M, and an honest account of what sits on top of the asking price. Purchase costs in Türkiye are moderate by European standards and entirely predictable — the ones that catch buyers out are the annual costs, not the one-off ones. For the process these costs attach to, see the buying process.
What you pay to buy
A title-deed transfer fee, set nationally as a percentage of the declared value and customarily split between buyer and seller — though who actually pays it is negotiable and is worth negotiating. A compulsory valuation report from a licensed valuer. Notary, sworn translation and interpreter fees, which are modest but unavoidable for a non-Turkish-speaking buyer. Agency commission. And, on a new build, a one-off connection charge for utilities.
Rates are set by government and do change, so we quote the current figures for your specific purchase rather than publishing a number here that could be stale by the time you read it. What we can say is that the total is predictable within a narrow band, and any advisor who cannot itemise it before you commit is not doing the job.
What you pay to own
Municipal property tax, calculated on the declared value and paid to the local authority in instalments. Compulsory earthquake insurance (DASK), which is inexpensive and required. Buildings and contents insurance, which is not required and is a good idea anyway. And in any managed development, the monthly service charge — which is by a wide margin the largest recurring cost and the one most often left out of a buyer's arithmetic.
The service charge is not a fixed fact about a property, it is a function of what the development provides and how many of its units are sold. Two apartments at the same price in the same district can differ by a multiple. We publish the current figure on every listing that has one, and we will tell you what it was three years ago.
And what it costs to sell
The transfer fee applies again, and capital gains treatment depends on how long you have held the property and on your own tax residency — a question for an accountant in your home country as much as in Türkiye, and one we introduce people to rather than answering ourselves.
If the purchase was made under the citizenship programme, remember that the deed carries a three-year no-sale annotation. That is not a cost, but it is a constraint with a cost attached: it removes your ability to exit early, which is precisely when a badly chosen property becomes expensive. Choose accordingly — see the investment view.