Cost to Retire in Bodrum Turkey

In this report, I will share the Cost to Retire in Bodrum Turkey including rents, utilities, groceries, restaurants, transportation, and other expenses for low to middle-range living costs.

Google Map

If you have been following me for years, you know I stay on the positive side of life. I see life through rose-colored glasses. In general, I only share places that I love or I believe you will love even if it is not right for me

Today I am going to do something a little different. I am going to share what I learned with my feet on the ground in Bodrum Turkey. Then, I will share how to avoid some of the headaches other foreigners report experiencing in Bodrum.

But don’t count out Turkey completely. Soon I will show another town we visited in Turkey that didn’t seem to have as many headaches. Subscribe now and ring the bell so the video pops up when it goes live.

Now I will show you the video Qiang and I took while we were in Bodrum.

If this is the first you have heard of us, you can browse hundreds of retire cheap reports all over the world on our Vagabond Awake YouTube Playlist they are organized by country.

Bodrum is stunningly beautiful like many other places in Turkey. The water is gorgeous and the central part of the tourist area is beautifully maintained. We just loved walking around the Bodrum waterfront and enjoying the beautiful boats and scenery.

In this report, I will share my retirement desirability factors such as Visa, Medical, Walkability, Internet, Food, Weather, Things to Do, Social considerations, Expat Community, Real Estate, and My Overall Retirement Desirability Score.

But first, I want to share my estimated costs of living converted into US dollars if the two of us moved to Bodrum Turkey year-round on a tight budget. We will also include more typical expenses that other ex-pats would spend to give you another data point.

Estimated Cost Retire in Bodrum Turkey

Rents: I found this furnished 1-bedroom Apartment advertised for rent for 20k Turkish Lira ($584 USD) per month for a long-term lease agreement. If you rent for a shorter period on Airbnb it would be much more expensive.

If you rent a larger home or townhouse long term the rent would be higher, starting around $1000 USD per month on up depending upon area and size.

Here is the process we use to find great apartments. So, we will show you a table of all expenses in a moment. We will use $584 per month for our lower rent estimate and $1000 per month for the middle cost of living estimate for expats who want more space.

Utilities: We estimate that the year-round average for our utilities would be about $48 USD per month. The utilities would cost more for the larger space, starting at around $82 USD per month.

Groceries: When possible, we would purchase fruits and vegetables from the Farmer’s Market, small shops, and street vendors to save money. But we would also shop in grocery stores for nonperishable foods and other things like shampoo and detergents. We estimate about $360 per month for groceries. Other expats are likely to shop more often in expensive grocery stores often spending more than $470 per month on groceries.

Restaurants: We would eat out twice per week mostly in more local-style restaurants a few blocks back from the beach averaging about $8 to $12 USD per meal per person and one or two splurges per month of $14 to 18 USD per meal per person. If you add all that up, we would spend around $280 per month for the two of us in restaurants We may have a beer here and there, but that is covered below in alcohol.

Other expats are likely to eat more Western-style foods in expensive expat-style restaurants and less in local-style restaurants, so they would likely spend more like $380 per month for 2 people in restaurants. It is lifestyle-dependent.

I will explain some of the techniques that a few of the waterfront restaurants use to overcharge you in Bodrum below, so make sure to learn about that so you know what to watch out for.

Cell Phone Data: The cost to get a prepaid sim card for your unlocked smartphone is about $38 USD per month which is almost 4 times as much as other towns in Turkey will charge you for a similar service. You pay $38 USD in Bodrum for service which will cost you only about $12 USD per month in other towns in Turkey. I will explain how to avoid that also.

Other expat couples are likely to buy two prepaid SIM cards so they would send $76 USD per month.

Laundry: Our apartment in Bodrum had a washing machine and our grocery prices include the cost of laundry soap so no extra cost for laundry.

Drinking Water: We didn’t see reverse osmosis delivery in 20-liter jugs here so we would probably get a Brita water filter for the refrigerator. The filter refills would be about $5 USD per month.

Internet: 60 MBPS up and down is about $18 USD for in-home wifi.

Transportation: Bodrum has the Dolmus Bus system which are minibuses. Simply wave your hand to stop them, and the cost is less than 50 cents USD. The central part was all walkable so we didn’t ride the buses or taxis while here. We did take a taxi from the ferry port (we arrived from Athens by Ferry) to our accommodations for 230 TL ($6.72 USD). We also took a taxi (350 TL, $10.22 USD) to the larger intercity bus station when we left Bodrum to go to Fethiye. In both cases, the taxis used the meter so that doesn’t seem to be a problem in Bodrum. We estimate about $20 per month for taxis per month. Other expats might spend more riding taxis so I estimate $60 per month for them.

Alcohol (Optional): Domestic beer in grocery stores in Bodrum are about 72 TL ($2.10 USD). In bars and restaurants, the domestic beer ranges from a happy hour low of 80 TL ($2.34) to a high of about 180 TL ($5.26 USD) once the happy hour is over. So, we estimate about $160 per month on alcohol for the two of us.

Many other expats would spend a higher amount for imported foreign or craft beers in expat bars, so about $220 USD per month for 2 people assuming they are not into imported whiskey or wine.

Entertainment (Optional): We would budget about $200 per month for entertainment for the two of us. We generally enjoy doing more do-it-yourself kinds of entertainment so expats would spend a little more, maybe $300 per month, for 2 of them?

Estimated Costs Retire in Bodrum Turkey

Bodrum

Turkey

Lower

(USD)

Middle

(USD)

Rent

584

1000

Utilities

48

82

Groceries

360

470

Restaurants

280

380

Cell Data

38

76

Laundry

0

0

Drinking Water

5

5

Internet

18

18

Transportation

20

60

Total

$1353

$2091

 

 

 

Alcohol

160

300

Optional Total

$1513

$2391

 

 

 

Entertainment

200

300

Optional Total

$1713

$2691

We gathered this data with our feet on the ground here in September of 2024. The above lower estimated cost of living would be if the two of us lived in Bodrum Turkey on a tight budget. The middle estimate is just an example of what other expats might spend if they moved here.

To understand what it would cost you to live here, you must put your feet on the ground, see how you would choose to live, eat, and entertain yourself, and add it all up. It doesn’t matter what anyone else spends because we are all different.

Bodrum Turkey Livability Factors

After sharing my livability factors I will share how to avoid some of the headaches tourists experience in Bodrum.

Before you move anywhere outside your home country, make sure to create a list of things that you must have for your happy retirement. Here are my livability factors and I will rank each as high, medium, or low before assigning an overall retirement desirability score to Bodrum.

Walkability: High. Unless it is raining, we would walk everywhere in Bodrum. Bodrum is so centralized, that we would rarely need to walk more than 20 minutes to get where we needed for everyday purposes.

Internet: High. The in-home wifi in our apartment was 33 MBPS down and 18 MBPS up. Good enough for us to do Zoom calls, upload YouTube videos, and watch Netflix. We were also able to use our cell phones as hot spots when we were out of the house together.

Food: Medium. In most of the world, restaurants on the water are priced higher than restaurants away from the water. That is true here also. You will find small family-owned restaurants in neighborhoods a few blocks back with dishes for $5 to $10 USD, but not on the water. If we lived here, we would tend to cook more than we would in other parts of the world to keep our total food budget within reason. Some of the restaurants in the tourist areas have predatory behavior. I will explain how to avoid that behavior in a moment.

Weather: High. Daily highs average from 58F (14C) in January up to 89F (3C) in July. Nightly lows average from 49F (9C) in January to 74F (23C) in July. The Sea next to the city keeps it cooler than interior cities in the summer. The best time to come is June through September. The rainy season is November through February.

Things to Do: Medium. Bodrum is highly focused on tourism which can be good or bad depending on your perspective. Being around people on holiday can be good because they are excited and want to try new things, party, have fun, and spend money. But it can be bad because it tends to force prices higher. Besides obvious tourist things like island hopping, swimming, scuba, and water sports, there is live music, people watching, nightlife, beach life, cultural tours, coffee shops, shopping, and a bit of ancient history.

Social Considerations: English is widely spoken in Bodrum, especially in the tourist-facing businesses. The people are very friendly and helpful here. I don’t believe you will face any additional challenges because you are a foreigner once you learn how to the headaches I share below.

Safety Considerations: Crime is fairly rare in Bodrum, and is mostly limited to petty crime. Nothing valuable should be in an unsecured pocket, front or back, and don’t leave valuables out in the open. Here are my thoughts on how to remain safe all over the world. Also, the US State Department issues travel advisories for each part of the world which you should be aware of. Turkey is level 2 right now, “Excercise Increase Caution.” We often travel to level 2 locations, so this was not a concern for us, but you should be aware nevertheless.

Expat Community: Here are a few Facebook pages that cater explicitly to English-speaking expats living in Bodrum: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. These online expat communities are great for learning things that expats want to learn when they first move overseas. You will often find that someone has answered your questions recently so don’t waste their time by asking it again before searching for and reading answered questions.

Medical: Medical: Medium. This healthcare international comparison index ranks Turkey 63rd in the world, 6 spots better than the United States which ranks 69th. There are different ways healthcare is rated, but this one seems to be considering quality of care in relation to what patients are charged.

If you decide to move here, make sure to ask around for referrals and establish relationships with doctors for your special needs based on the feedback you have gotten from others who have used their services. The above Expats Facebook pages may be a good source for that information.

Of course, the best hospitals are often in the larger or capital cities so you may need to go to Istanbul for problems from time to time.

Tourist Visa: The Turkish Government now has an eVisa webpage that both Qiang and I used to determine that we did not need an eVisa before flying to Turkey. But you should check before you fly because rules change all the time. Many countries including Americans and Malaysians can stay in Turkey 90 days upon entry. We had an exit flight and accommodations ready to show officials upon entry but they did not ask to see either. They stamped both of our passports allowing 90 days upon entry.

Retirement Visa: There is no retirement visa for Turkey. On paper, there are several visas available, but the one that seems to be still working efficiently is called the property purchase visa. But you have to be very careful to make sure that you pick a property that fulfills the minimum purchase price and is in an area that qualifies. According to this source, the minimum purchase price is now $200k USD. If you decide to use the source link shown, please complete your due diligence because I do not know this source personally. Turkey also has marriage visas, family visas, student visas, work visas, language course visas, and business visas, but they are delayed and refused often so do not seem as dependable. However, the right immigration lawyer may be able to thread that needle for you.

Rather than promoting any particular immigration lawyer I read about online, I would request a referral to a lawyer on one of the Expat Facebook pages I shared above. I would ask the expats for an immigration lawyer who they have already successfully used to get their residence permits for Turkey. I would not pay someone to help get me residency until I have confirmation from an expat who used their services to successfully gain residency.

Real Estate: Apparently, foreigners can own real estate in Turkey if they follow the appropriate procedures. I found this apartment online for $175,000 USD well outside the central area of Bodrum. Prices are expensive in Bodrum.

 

I would not buy real estate in a foreign country until I have lived there for an extended period of time making sure I loved it after the honeymoon period. I would also hire a lawyer who has no conflict of interest with me. Do not use a lawyer recommended by your real estate broker or your local lover. I would seek a referral from an expat who has used that lawyer’s services to successfully buy real estate in Turkey.

Bodrum Turkey Overall Desirability Score: Medium. I love the natural beauty of Bodrum but the high level of tourism here would be more than I would want to deal with on a daily basis. But subscribe now because the next place I share in Turkey seems more livable than from my perspective.

However, if you really love Bodrum, I have a few ideas about how to make it more bearable for daily life. Okay, here we go.

How to Avoid the Bodrum Tourism Headaches

There are great restaurants in Bodrum and there are predatory restaurants in Bodrum. If you don’t take the time to figure out the good ones you might be disappointed. Let me explain.

Restaurants: You have to read the Google Reviews before you sit down at any restaurant. A restaurant with a 4.5 overall score could be a predatory restaurant. So you have to click the lowest reviews button on a restaurant’s Google reviews to understand what other tourists are complaining about.

Main Idea: If a restaurant has recent bad reviews about price, quality, or other predatory behavior, then do not eat there.

Here are the types of comments you may see if you click the “lowest reviews button” on a predatory restaurant:

Predatory Behavior: “The waiter asked if I would like bread as he delivered my entree. I thought the bread would be free since the entree was 20 Euros, but he charged me 6 Euros for 2 small bread rolls.”

Solution: Assume everything is 5 times more than it should reasonably be when you don’t know what it costs. Ask to see the menu before you say yes to anything. Ask, Is the bread included with my entree?

Predatory Behavior: The waiter asks, Would you like a glass of house wine with that? Solution: The wine might cost 12-15 Euros, so ask to see the menu before you say yes to anything.

Predatory Behavior: “The waiter asked if I would like potatoes or salad with your 30 Euros entree?”

Solution: You should reply, which one is included with my 30 Euros entree and which one costs more?

Predatory Behavior: “You order a beer and a Redbull without asking prices, and the bill comes back 27 Euros.

Solution: Never order anything in Bodrum until you see the printed price on the menu.

Predatory Behavior: “You order 25 Euro entree and the bill comes back for 36 Euros.” You complain and the waiter says, sorry, that was last year’s menu I gave you by accident. With inflation here now, that dish is now 32 Euros.

Solution: When you are handed a menu in any restaurant in Bodrum, ask if all of the prices on the menu are correct.

Predatory Behavior: “You ask for the check and it says you can pay in Turkish Lira or Euros.” But when you get home and calculate the exchange rate, it turns out they did the conversion wrong and they charged you 10 extra Euros.

Solution: Never pay in Euros unless you check the conversion rate in advance.

Best Solution: No matter how great the restaurant’s score is on Google, click the “lowest reviews button” and read how other people were treated, and do not patronize any of these predatory behaviors. There are enough honest restaurants in Bodrum to keep everyone happy. No is no good reason to pay people to treat you poorly.

SIM Cards: You read online that you can get a local Turkish sim card for about $12 USD for 30 days with 30GB of data. But when you start visiting SIM card sellers in Bodrum, they all want $38 USD.

Predatory Behavior: You show the online advertisement that says the 30-day SIM card for tourists is $12 dollars but all of the SIM sellers say they can charge whatever they want. After 5 stores you give up and pay the $38 USD because you want to be able to Google Restaurant Reviews before you eat anywhere.

Solution: Buy the SIM card when you land in Istanbul before taking your second flight to Bodrum.

What would it cost you to live in Bodrum Turkey?

To get a better understanding of things you should add to our estimated cost of living watch this video: 9 Reasons You Can’t Retire on $1000 Month Overseas.

Most people will likely be unable to retire for the lower range estimate above. I give example reasons why in this report. Plus, this other report explains how to avoid coming home early with your tail between your legs.

Also, if you are going to try to retire cheap offshore, make sure to read my report, the Two Biggest Risks of Retiring Early for Cheap Offshore, which explains why you should have emergency funds available for unexpectedly large expenses.

You should also add anything to the above table that you spend money on in your home country that is not listed in the above table. Presumably, you find those things necessary in life. To do that, visit the Numbeo Bodrum and add anything not mentioned in the above table.

Never move anywhere until you have visited first personally to verify the living costs for your lifestyle and needs. I am not guaranteeing these prices. These are just my notes and estimates from the time of my visit and this post. Your costs will likely be drastically different depending on your lifestyle and the time since this post.

Many of the expats we meet living overseas are self-insured for medical care. That means that not everyone buys health insurance when they move overseas. That probably sounds crazy to many of you.

I didn’t carry medical insurance for most of my first 17 years living overseas. But last year I bought medical insurance. If you are wondering what it costs and what it covers, watch my medical insurance video is at this link. This is not an affiliate link.

More typical expat living costs in Istanbul Turkey range from about $2000 to $4000 per month. But people spending that much often have higher savings, incomes, or pensions. They often report spending more on accommodations, entertainment, eating out more, traveling, and alcohol. Many also have more expensive cars, houses, or apartments.

Bodrum Turkey History and Today

Bodrum was founded by Greeks centuries before it was captured by the Persian Empire in the 4th century BC. The city was then ruled by Hellenistic forces for generations until it was taken over by Rome in the 2nd century BC.

The city was mostly lost from history until the Bodrum Castle was built in the 15th century. In the 16th century, Bodrum fell under the control of the Ottoman Empire. The Bodrum economy remained mostly fishing and sponge diving until Tourism took over in the 20th century.

Presently, about 200,000 people live in and around Bodrum, but 5 million tourists visit per year with most staying for less than a week. That means about 100,000 tourists come and from Bodrum each week for 52 weeks per year. But mostly concentrated in the high season.

Online sources report Turkey has experienced significant inflation over the last 5 years: 2020 12%, 2021 19%, 2022 72%, and 54% in 2023. This extreme inflation has caused some Merchant and Restaurant practices we had never seen in prior visits to Turkey.

So be careful if you decide to visit Bodrum. You must read Google’s reviews of restaurants before ordering any food. In predatory restaurants, bars, and merchants you will be expected to pay 2 or 3 times what their printed menu states.

The Google reviews will tell which establishments are practicing predatory behaviors. In general, the further away you get from the tourist areas, the less likely you will experience this sort of predatory behavior. But you must never sit down anywhere until you read the reviews.

Bodrum Walking Tour

Google Map

Halikarnas Mausoleum: The 45-meter (148-foot) Mausoleum stood over Bodrum for 16 centuries from the 4th century BC to the 15 century AD when parts of the ruins were used to build the Bodrum Castle. The Mausoleum was built in honor of Mausolus, an Anatolian from Caria of the Persian Empire. A series of earthquakes had shattered the columns by the time the ruins were used to build the castle.

Bodrum Antique Theatre: The Bodrum Theatre is attributed to the reign of the same Mausolos Anatolian from Caria of the Persian Empire during the 4th century BC. It was enlarged by the Romans in the 2nd century AD to hold about 13000 people.

Bodrum Bazaar: This is just a spot on the above map that will show you where to go to see the large Bazaar where you can shop, eat, and enjoy your time in Bodrum.

Bodrum Castle: was built starting in 1402 and onwards, by the Knights of St John. The castle has four towers, the English, the French, the German, and the Italian towers, for the nations responsible for building each tower. The castle was taken with Bordrum by the Ottoman Empire in 1523.

Bodrum Beach: There are beaches between here and the Bodrum Castle.

Where we stayed in here in Bodrum

We stayed at this apartment on Airbnb for $46 USD/night because I wanted to be within walking distance of everything in Central, plus it is just a block from the beach. If we moved here and signed a long-term lease, I would actually be happier being further away from the water in a less touristy neighborhood.

How we got to Bodrum Turkey from Athens Greece

We took the overnight Ferry at Blue Star Ferries from Athens Greece to Kos Island Greece (PIRAEUS – KOS Route) including a room and bathroom for 111.50 Euros per person. We arrived the next day at Kos Island and enjoyed a day at the beach on Kos Island before at Papas Beach Bar. Then, we took the 30-minute afternoon ferry from Kos Island to Bodrum Turkey for 20 Euros per person. We took one of the (metered) taxis waiting out front of the pier upon arrival to our accommodations for 230 TL ($6.72 USD).

Restaurants, Services

Restaurants, Bars (Turkish Currency 32 to $1 USD)

Köşem Cafe (Irish Corner): Grill chicken 350, vege pizza 380, beer 180

Köfteci Restaurant: Lentil soup 100, rice 90, kebab 250

Nazik Ana Restaurant: 1 portion of vege dish 170, 1 portion of beef ball 170

Bodrum Masali Cafe: Memenen 230, lentil soup 110, free tea

Dinc restaurant and cafe: Adana kebab 380, vegetarian meal 280, Efes 500ml 150

Bodrum Turunç Cafe: Happy hour beer 130

Soso Bodrum: Happy hour beer 85 + 10% service fee

İstanköy Cafe Bar Restaurant Beach: Happy hour Beer 100

Services

Official Turkey eVisas: Check before buying a flight since some countries need a formal visa process.

MMM Migros: Supermarket where we bought groceries.

Bodrum Bazaar: Tuesday: Textiles and Gifts. Wednesday: Handicraft and Local Farmers Market. Thursday: Fruits and vegetables. Friday: Fruits and vegetables. Sunday: Antique Market

Bodrum otogarı ( Bus Terminal): Where we took the bus to Fethiye Turkey when we left. Buses leaving for all other regions of Turkey depart from here.

Local Bakery: Try the local bread and treats.

Turk Telekom: Where we bought our SIM card. 1290 TL, 25GB, 30 days