The cost of living in Mersin is highly affected by different aspects. Mersin is an important tourist city in Turkey, located in the south of the country and overlooking the Mediterranean coast. It is an important port in Turkey, and it depends mainly on this port for its economy, which is an important international center for ships heading to Europe. You can get to know more about Mersin port through this link (https://en.mersinport.com.tr/).
It also has many industrial zones and free zones, which significantly reduced the unemployment rate in Mersin and created many job opportunities for local residents and expatriate workers. Mersin also ranks tenth among Turkish cities in terms of population overcrowding. This made the cost of living in the city medium in its cost compared to other Turkish cities.
Accommodation cost of living in Mersin
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 1000 TL and 1350 TL for a three-bedroom apartment. If you’re looking for something cheaper you can rent outside the city center for 683 TL per month for one-bedroom apartment and 883 TL for a three-bedroom apartment.
Food and groceries cost of living in Mersin
Food is actually one of the cheap affordable things in Mersin, unlike accommodation. You can find here a detailed grocery list:
Milk (1 liter): 3.38 TL
White Bread (200 g): 2 TL
Rice (1 kg): 6 TL
Eggs (12 pieces): 7 TL
Cheese (1 kg): 23.33 TL
Chicken (1 kg): 17 TL
Meat (1 kg): 51.6 TL
Apples (1 kg): 3.5 TL
Banana (1 kg): 6.5 TL
Oranges (1 kg): 2.6 TL
Tomato (1 kg): 4.5 TL
Potato (1 kg): 3.5 TL
Onion (1 kg): 3.25 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): 10 TL
Coke (0.33 liter bottle): 2.25 TL
Water (1.5 liter bottle): 2 TL
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range): from 30 TL to 60 TL
Cigarettes 20 Pack: 15 TL
Transportation cost of living in Mersin
Luckily, transportation is relatively cheap in Mersin, 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 2.5 TL. A prepaid transportation card costs 200 TL.
If you have a car, 1 liter of gasoline would cost you around 6.5 Turkish liras. If you want to take a cab, the basic tariff would be 4 Turkish liras and for each kilometer you add around 3.7 Turkish liras.
If you are planning on buying a car, a Volkswagen 1,490KW would cost 122,500 TL and a Toyota 1,619KW would cost 110,000 TL.
Utilities and bills cost of living in Mersin
By comparing the household bills in Mersin with other European cities, you would find that it is relatively cheap. Which is also an added plus to living in Mersin and allows for a low cost of living budget.
Basic utilities for an 85-meter square apartment per month is 325 TL.
Water and sewage: from 50 to 60 TL per month.
Internet cost per month for 6mb per second 63 TL.
You can also get monthly maintenance services that ranges from 50 to 500 TL per month depending on services provided.
One minute of a mobile phone call costs 1 TL
Dining out cost of living in Mersin
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: 14 TL
Three-course Meal for two People in a mid-range restaurant: 50 TL
Fast Food Chains: 17 TL
Sports and other leisure activities cost of living
The average cost of 1 month gym subscription is around 150 TL.
If you fancy a movie, going to a cinema would cost you 15 TL for 1 ticket.
Shopping Cost of living in Mersin
Mersin has many distinct markets as it is a first-class industrial city that contributes a large percentage to Turkish exports of various products that are exported to 130 countries around the world and meets the local market’s need for high-quality goods. Notice that the prices of Turkish products are lower in Mersin than other Turkish cities.
Shopping comes at a convenient price, you can but a pair of jeans at the price of 172 TL from a famous chain store. A summer dress for 117 TL. A medium quality sneaker for 235 TL. Men’s shoes for 175 TL.
Child care can cost around 950 TL per month for a child in the age of pre-school and younger. A primary international school would cost 25,000 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 Mersin.
If you’re planning to work in Mersin, the salary averages at 3000 TL after tax reduction.
All in all, Mersin is an amazing place to live in, with its amazing nature, modern residential areas, and very convenient cost of living.
