The city of Diyarbakir is one of the largest Turkish cities located in southeastern Turkey with the Syrian border. The cost of living in Diyarbakir is relatively low considering its nice location. It is located on the Tigris River and gained its name from the Arabs “Bani Bakr Bin Wael” who settled in it after the Islamic conquest during the reign of Muawiya Ibn Abi Sufyan.
It is the second largest city in Anatolia, and the majority of its inhabitants are Kurds. Diyarbakir is characterized by its low prices, especially the prices of foodstuffs. It is also distinguished by its residents ’adherence to religious traditions and customs. You can get to know more about the historical sites of the city here (https://www.ktb.gov.tr/EN-113920/diyarbakir—historical-ruins.html). Let’s get to know more about the cost of living in Diyarbakir in details.
Accommodation cost of living in Diyarbakir
Accommodation is always a challenge, especially when it comes to large cities.
If you aren’t planning to buy an apartment but rent one then the average cost per month for a one-bedroom apartment in city center is 850 TL and 2000 TL for a three-bedroom apartment. If you’re looking for something cheaper you can rent outside the city center for 625 TL per month for one-bedroom apartment and 1500 TL for a three-bedroom apartment.
Check this guide about how to pick a home efficiently in Turkey
Food and groceries cost of living in Diyarbakir
Food is actually one of the cheap affordable things in Diyarbakir, unlike accommodation. You can find here a detailed grocery list:
Milk (1 liter): 3.8 TL
White Bread (500 g): 1.75 TL
Rice (1 kg): 11 TL
Eggs (12 pieces): 8.6 TL
Cheese (1 kg): 26.67 TL
Chicken (1 kg): 18.5 TL
Meat (1 kg): 85.33 TL
Apples (1 kg): 6.17 TL
Banana (1 kg): 10.07 TL
Oranges (1 kg): 3.42 TL
Tomato (1 kg): 4.8 TL
Potato (1 kg): 3.65 TL
Onion (1 kg): 3.44 TL
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught): from 10.5 TL to 20 TL
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle): from 14 TL to 25 TL
Cappuccino (regular): 11.2 TL
Coke (0.33 liter bottle): 3.33 TL
Water (1.5 liter bottle): 1.85 TL
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range): from 30 TL to 60 TL
Cigarettes 20 Pack: 15 TL
If you would like to save some extra money when it comes to buying food commodities, it is recommended that you buy from large stores that have promotions and discounts such as “Bem”, “Shock” and “Carrefour”. You can also use visa cards in the purchase of various goods, especially online, they also provide discounts on airline reservations. Another option would be buying from the weekly market located in the city as it provides a good saving amount when purchasing weekly needs.
Transportation cost of living in Diyarbakir
Luckily, transportation is relatively cheap in Diyarbakir, and the best way to go around it. It is also very clean, convenient and fast with a variety of vehicles and means. There are busses, sea busses, shared taxis, tram, metrobuses, metros, cable cars, and ferries. One way ticket in public transportation can cost 1.88 TL. A pre-paid transportation card costs 100 TL.
If you have a car, 1 liter of gasoline would cost you around 6.59 Turkish liras. If you want to take a cab, the basic tariff would be 5.25 at times of high demand and 3 TL in regular times and for each kilometer you add around 3 Turkish liras.
If you are planning on buying a car, a Volkswagen 1,490KW would cost 110,000 TL and a Toyota 1,619KW would cost 103,000 TL.
To save on transportation expenses, you can buy a prepaid card such as the “Blue Card”, which is the most affordable card. There is also “Akbel Card”, which is characterized by the possibility of recharging it, it is sold in many stores in Diyarbakir, such as grocery stores and small kiosks scattered around public transport stops, ferries and the metro.
Utilities and bills cost of living in Diyarbakir
By comparing the household bills in Diyarbakir with other European cities, you would find that it is relatively cheap. Which is also an added plus to living in Diyarbakir and allows for a low cost of living budget.
Basic utilities for an 85-meter square apartment per month is 300 TL.
Water and sewage: from 50 to 60 TL per month.
Internet cost per month for 6mb per second 80 TL.
You can also get monthly maintenance services that ranges from 50 to 500 TL per month depending on services provided.
For mobile phone calls, one minute can cost 1 TL.
Dining out cost of living in Diyarbakir
Dining out and trying cultural foods is a very important thing to add to your cost of living budget so that you get to experience important cultural sides through food, you can find here a price guide:
Meal in a cheap restaurant for two: 16.2 TL
Three-course Meal for two People in a mid-range restaurant: 60 TL
Fast Food Chains: 20 TL
Sports and other leisure activities cost of living
The average cost of 1 month gym subscription is around 180 TL.
Renting a tennis court to play with friends on weekends would cost around 25 TL an hour.
If you fancy a movie, going to a cinema would cost you 15 TL for 1 ticket.
Shopping Cost of living in Diyarbakir
Shopping comes at a convenient price, you can but a pair of jeans at the price of 215 TL from a famous chain store. A summer dress for 93 TL. A medium quality sneaker for 400 TL. Men’s shoes for 325 TL.
Child care can cost around 1500 TL per month for a child in the age of pre-school and younger. A primary international school would cost 20,000 TL per year.
Medical care in Turkey is relatively of low cost, as governmental hospitals provide a discounted service for Turkey residents as long as they have a proof of identity or refugee identification card. This would serve well in planning your cost of living in Diyarbakir.
All in all, Diyarbakir is an amazing place to live in, with its amazing nature, modern residential areas, and very convenient cost of living.
