First time in Istanbul — how much money to bring?

So you are going to visit Istanbul for the first time and not sure what to expect. You have never been to this part of the world or may be just have not been here for a long time. Let’s say you will come for 3, 4 or 5 days and you want to visit some museums, cafes, probably use trams, metro or ferry and want to take Bosphorus trip. So where do we start from? How much really does it all cost and what amount of money ro bring for your trip?

It’s not a secret that in last two years the prices in Turkey have increased a lot like in many other places so it’s important to know how much does it all cost — from tram tickets to restaurant food.

We will not despair and postpone our trip to Istanbul until better times (but will there be such times?) and just prepare carefully, facing the truth 🙂

So, our guide includes typical food prices and dining costs, ticket prices and transportation expences, average trip costs and examples of what travelers usually spend money on (but although this point will be different for every individual).

Visa for Republic of Turkey

The cost of E-visa can vary from 20$ to 100$ — to see the exact amount visit official web site https://evisa.gov.tr/en/

To say briefly — If you are an EU citizen with a valid passport, then you can visit Turkey without a visa. Your stay should not exceed 90 days.

Citizens of most of the countries can apply for a visa, among them also Canada, United States of America, China, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, Australia, Mexico and many others.

The process of obtaining a visa is quite simple — submit an application before traveling on the online portal for obtaining electronic visas. It is much easier, faster and cheaper to do this online than to waste time waiting for a visa on arrival. A regular tourist visa allows you to stay in the country for up to 90 days during a 180-day period.

Accommodation Budget in Istanbul

When we say «hotels in Istanbul» — we will primarily mean prices for hotels in the tourist areas of the city, namely Sultanahmet and the surrounding areas, Istiklal (Beyoglu) and everything nearby Karakoy. It is necessary to take into account that you can find a hotel cheaper than in Sultanahmet, but it will take about two hours to get to the sights. Also,

if you want to save money, you should plan your vacation in the low season, search for special offers or book everything in advance.

Prices for hostels in Sultanahmet or Taksim start from 39 USD (and these are very modest, not always the most comfortable hostel options). And nicer hostels start from 49$ per night.

Prices for apart-hotels in Sultanahmet or Taksim are on average from 60 USD per day, but these are average options. Yes, there are apart-hotels from 42-50$, but here everyone looks at their needs and comfort, as well as how conveniently the accommodation is located.

Hotel prices in Sultanahmet or Taksim start from 76 USD and are close to apart-hotel prices. For 95-110 USD you can already find a comfortable hotel, with breakfast included and good location.

Prices for Airbnb apartment located in good area near subway station starts from 120 USD per night, for example — this nice flat in Yeşilköy area, just 5 min walk from waterfront with embankment and 5 min walk from subway station.

Money in Istanbul

Turkish Lira is the official currency of Republic of Turkey.

So, it’s better to pay in local currency, because if you pay in dollars or euros, the exchange rate when paying for goods or in a restaurant will always be unfavorable for you. To avoid unpleasant situations and fraud as much as possible, it is better to pay in local currency.

Approximate Exchange rate:

The following banknotes are in circulation: 5, 10, 20, 100, 200 TL and coins (5, 10, 25, 50, 1 TL).

Also, you can pay credit via debit card.

Istanbul Public Transport Prices in 2025

*Prices updated for 2025

Briefly:

To pay for public transport we need an Istanbulkart or its alternative — Istanbul City Card.

• A ride on Havaist from Istanbul Airport to Sultanahmet or Taksim is about 280 TL (7,64 USD)
• The cost of the Istanbulkart is 130 TL (3,6 USD)
• A single ride on the Istanbulkart is 27 TL (0,73 USD)
• A ride on the Marmaray metro is 59,76 TL (1,64 USD)
• A ride on the ferry to the Princes’ Islands (Şehir Hatları) is 88,38 TL (2,4 USD)
• The cost of a taxi (and I do not recommend using it — see here why) is the simplest (yellow) — the cost of boarding is 42 TL (1,15 USD), each kilometer is 28 TL (0,76 USD). But I don’t recommend to use a taxi because in most cases it is a scam.

Now, let’s calculate how much you can spend on travel per day. For example, you take the tram to Eminönü pier (27 liras), and from Eminönü take the ferry (38.11 liras) to Kadıköy. There you walk and take the ferry back to Eminönü (38.11 liras), and then take the tram again to Sultanahmet (27 liras). In total, one person will spend 130.22 TL (3,55$)  on such travel.

For example, you go from Sultanahmet to Dolmabahçe Palace, then to Ortakoy Mosque, then visit Galata Port and go to a hotel in Sultanahmet: a total of about 80 liras (2,19$) per person.

The second alternative is the unlimited Istanbul City Card. It will be usefull for those who like rich travel program in terms of visiting a large number of attractions, and, accordingly, use transport a lot. That is, you bought a card, for example, for three days, and use transport without a limit, plus, you can buy a card with several museums included in it. You can read more about this type of card here.

Cost of food and drinks in Istanbul

This is my favorite topic 🙂 Because it was hard to imagine such prices, but here they are. What I especially like about all this is that many places have started to openly save money, the service has not become better, the food has not become tastier, and at the same time, the prices have increased significantly. Nobody tryes to improve service in order to attract customers.

And note that many places have started to include a 10% service fee immediately in the bill! Pay attention to this.

So, it’s the time to visit municipal cafes and canteens — the same food but lower prices.

Please note:

I indicate real prices that can be found in the city. If someone did not find them or encountered deception — and, unfortunately, this also happens — this does not mean that the prices indicated are not true or that they deceive always and everywhere. I also have no idea what people who do not live in Istanbul and do not encounter what they are talking about every day write on other platforms.  Thank you.

Cost of food within tourist areas in 2025

Food budget starts from 23-33$ (850-1200TL) for one meal for two persons

*Meal for two persons in a mid-range Turkish restaurant: 1500-1700 TL (41-47 USD)

This cost (without alcohol drinks) is the minimum that you will have to spend. You can order some main dish, big salad and some starters.

*The cost of meal in a restaurant with a beautiful view, popular restaurant or internaitonal food cafe: 2000-3500 TL (55-96 USD)

This cost is also minimum amount without alcohol drinks. Restaurants and cafes located by the sea, popular cafes with international cuisine, as well as restaurants with terraces and views of the Bosphorus always have higher prices.

Let’s be realistic and calculate what you can have a snack or a full lunch within tourist routes (but I recommend moving away from them).

Cost of lunch In Sultanahmet area:

• The famous cutlet house Tarihi Sultanahmet Selim Usta — a portion of cutlet with a side dish — 380 liras, lentil soup 100 liras, drink 50 liras.
• A cafe with Turkish cuisine near Sirkeci station (closer to the Egyptian Bazaar) — urfa durum medium 380 TL, vegetable salad 120 TL, drink 50 TL. So if we move a little further away from the popular tourist spots and go to a cafe or dürüm house — the prices wıll be a little lower.
• In the restaurant with a terrace and a sea view (not far from Sirkeci station and Gulhane Park) a portion of sea bass with a side dish is 1000 lira, adana kebab is 700 lira, rocket salad is 500 lira, Cold baklava dessert is 420 lira, light alcoholic cocktail is 800 lira *these are the prices of a specific restaurant. In total, you will spend at least 3200-3500 lira for dinner.
• Tip: look at places where the names include Sosyal Tesisleri or Lokanta. For example, if you walk down the Hippodrome Square, under the Catladikapi Arch (Çatladıkapı) and cross the road (Kennedy Boulevard), you will find yourself in the municipal canteen Çatladıkapı Sosyal Tesisleri — it looks like a cafe, overlooking the sea. And here are the real prices of tthis place: a portion of cutlet 270 lira, meat with vegetables 370 lira, grilled sea bass portion 370 lira, vegetable salad 80 lira, fish soup 120 lira, kunefe dessert 140 lira, Turkish coffee 70 lira.

Cost of food near Istiklal street:

• Mado is known for their delicious ice cream made from goat milk, but the there are also food menu with average prices. For example, caesar salad with chicken 380 TL, durum 380 TL, coffee 160 TL.
  A dener kiosk on Istkilal Street: chicken dumplings, French fries and ayran — 270 TL.
• Saray Muhallebecesi cafe chain: salad with chicken 320 TL, salad with meat cutlets 370 TL, durum with chicken 360 TL, chicken kebab 420 TL, quince dessert 180 TL
• The famous wet hamburgers of Kızılkayalar are located near Taksim Square. Hamburgers 100 TL, drink 50 TL.

Cost of food & drinks in Istanbul

Food prices

• Traditional Turkish breakfast on plates for 2 persons — 700-1300 TL (19-36 USD)

A traditional Turkish breakfast on plates is an opportunity to have a delicious meal in the morning and to experience the local culture. The cost of breakfast depends on many factors, including the location of the cafe. In a small, simple cafe, you can have breakfast from 800 lire, and in a beautiful place by the sea, almost the same breakfast can cost 1,700 lire.

• Turkish breakfast for one person — 270-350 TL (7,4-9,6 USD)

Breakfast for one person, as a rule, consists of a large plate with different ingredients — eggs, vegetables, olives, herbs, cheeses, jams and simit or borek.

• Simit or Açma — 15 TL (0,4 USD)

Traditional Turkish pastries — simit or achma — are plentiful on the streets of the city. You can easily spot the carts of the simite merchants — they are sure to be in Sultanahmet, Istiklal and other crowded places.

• Street food snack — 100-300 TL (2,7-8 USD)

By street food, we mean inexpensive and fast. It can be a small portion of roasted chestnuts or corn, a few stuffed mussels, toast with cheese or something similar.

• Turkish baklava (with pistachio): 100 g — 140-160 TL (4 USD)

The cost of baklava is also depends on where you buy it — for example, baklava from well-known manufacturers is more expensive and tastier. Here are some of them: Hacı Bekir (Ali Muhiddin Haci Bekir), Hafız Mustafa, Karaköy Güllüoğlu.

Drink prices

• A cup of Turkish coffee — 70-170 TL (1,91-4,6 USD)

Turkish coffee is definitely worth a try in Istanbul. Coffee brewed on sand is especially interesting.

• Turkish tea — 20-70 TL (0,54-1,9 USD)

Rich and fragrant Turkish tea can be drunk not only in cafes, but even during a ferry trip.

• Cappucino — 80-250 TL (2,2-6,8 USD)

The cost of cappuccino can vary significantly — it depends both on the grains used for cooking, on the method — machine or barista preparation and the place where you you drink it.

• Small water bottle — 5-15 TL (0,14-0,4 USD)

Cost of transfer and sim-card in Istanbul

• Airport shuttle (Havaist) to Sultanahmet and Taksim 7,5 USD (275 TL)

The Havaist is the official shuttle service between Istanbul Airport and popular areas. The advantage of this type of shuttle is that it does not make many stops like regular bus, it also has a luggage compartment and WiFi. Payment is accepted by cash or card (depending on the route)

• Private airport transfer starts from 42$

If you prefer comfort, and you don’t want to waste your vacation time looking for transportation, it’s better to use a shuttle service.

• Local SIM card 43,7 USD (1600 TL)

Most operators in Turkey offer a standard travel package, so tourists are limited in their choice of SIM cards. In addition, recently there has been a price increase, so there is no point in buying an expensive local SIM card for a few days.

• Turkish electronic sim-card starts from 4,5 USD (165 TL)

With an electronic SIM card, tourists get access to the Internet from almost any country and do not overpay for roaming.

Cost of activities & entertainment in Istanbul

There are many things to do and places to visit in Istanbul: historical sites, guided tours, Bosphorus ferry or private boat tours, concerts and activities such as Turkish coffee making classes and etc. For example, some activities are worth paying a bit more, like visit to historical hamam or whirling dervishe show.

We have compiled a list of Istanbul museums entrance fee — so you can find them here.

• Istanbul E-Pass — 183,49 USD

E-pass allows you to visit more than 100 different sites — palaces, museums, boat trips, provides audio guides, tickets for events and ferries. This is a convenient option for those who want to explore the city as much as possible. The card is valid for 5 days.

• Museum Pass Istanbul — 105 EUR

This museum card allows you to visit folowwing museums without queues: Topkapi palace, Archaeological Museum, Galata tower, Maiden’s tower, Mosaic museum, Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, Rumeli fortress, Galata Mevlevi Museum. If you want to visit these particular places so it’s worth bying Museum pass.

• Ticket to Whirling Dervishes dance show — 32 USD

One of the most memorable experiences may be the authentic Mevlevi Sema ceremony. The mesmerizing dance of the spinning dervishes will immerse you in an amazing atmosphere.

• Hammam treatment — starts from 40 USD

Why visit hamam during your Istanbul trip? Because it’s nice place for relaxation: keep warm by sitting on the göbek taşı (central massage platform), take a washing procedure with kese (bath glove) and enjoy your köpük masajı (bubble massage).

The most famous hammams are: Hürrem Sultan hamam located near Hagia Sophia, Çağaloğlu hamam — just 5 minutes away from Sultanahmet tram station, Kılıç Ali Paşa hamam located in Beyoğlu in 10-minute walk from Galata Tower.

• Bosphorus Tour on the ferry — starts from 640 TL (17 USD) for long tour and from 340 TL (9 USD) for short tour

This price of the tour belongs to the city carrier Şehir Hatları with large ferries. Their long tour takes 6 hours with Anadolu Kavağı village  (and Yoros castle) visit. So this kind of tour takes almost all day as ferry departs at 10:35 from Eminönü pier and returns at 16:40.

• Bosphorus Dinner cruise — from 21 USD
• Bosphorus Tour with Audioguide — 8 USD
• Private Bosphorus Yacht with tour guide and snacks — 320 USD

Other Istanbul costs

• Public restrooms 5 TL (0,14 USD)

Keep in mind that there are free toilets at mosques, but they are not always clean. So if you prefer clean restrooms — there are a lot of them in tourist places, they look like an orange or green trailer with appropriate markings. Fee entrance is 5 TL and you should pay with Istanbulcard. Also, there are another type of restrooms where you can pay with cash.

• Tips — 10%

Until today, it was common to leave tips if we speak about cafes or same places. But recently, the tip amount, or rather the service fee, has been included in the last line in the receipt, so be careful. This line can be denoted as «Servis ücreti».

• ATM fees — 0-4%

Most ATMs in Turkey charge a withdrawal fee, usually a percentage of the transaction amount rather than a flat fee.

The fee structure changes regularly, so you can check different ATMs to see which percentage of the commission is lower.

How much does it cost to travel to Istanbul?

The average budget for a day in Istanbul for a traveler:

• 60 USD (2200 TL) — on meals (breakfast in hotel)
• 4 USD (150 TL) — public transport
• 81 USD (3000 TL) — hotel per night
• 30-96 USD (1100 — 3500 TL) — sightseeing

Thus, for one day you will need about 225 USD and five day in Istanbul will cost you around 1125 USD (41 231 TL). This includes accommodation in 3* or 4*- star hotel, food (but with breakfast in hotel), local transportation and sightseeing.

 

Category	Budget	Mid-range	Luxury
Accomodation	80$	140$	682$
Transportation	4$	28$	70$
Food	60$	87$	163$
Sightseeing and Tours	60$	100-200$	300$

 

Is Istanbul expensive to visit?

Istanbul is a beautiful and vibrant city where travelers from all over the world come. Here you can find a lot of interesting places — museums and palaces, fortresses and cisterns, cathedrals and mosques. Istanbul is not a cheap city, and the more places you want to visit, the more you will have to spend. It is very easy to exceed the planned budget in Istanbul:)  But here is what you have to do to minimize costs:

Tips for saving money in Istanbul

1. It is worth applying online for e-visa in advance than wait and spent more for visa on arrival
2. Book a hotel with included breakfast — it will save your money and time (instead of morning search for some place to eat breakfast).
3. Eat in municipal cafes and canteens like locals do — same dishes of trukish cousine but much lower prices
4. Buy Istanbulkart for transport payment — trams, ferry, metro and bus fares will be much cheaper than with single-use tickets.
5. Try not to use a taxi to avoid unnecessary expenses and scam.
6. Decide which attractions you would like to visit and then then make a choice which card to buy — Museum Pass or Istanbul E-pass.
7. It makes no sense to buy a local SIM card — it’s more profitable to buy an electronic one.
8.  If you want to go to Istanbul during high season — book your hotel and plane tickets in advance — the sooner the better.

Realistic Expectations for Your Travel Budget

As with any trip, you should have realistic ideas about your budget before traveling to Istanbul. To do this, you need to think in advance about how you see your vacation in this city. Istanbul is huge and you can find a lot of interesting things here, and your expenses will depend on what you would like to do. It does not mean that with low or mid-budget you don’t have a chance to enjoy your trip — absolutely not. Because here in Istanbul you can find a lot of alternatives like — ferry Bosphorus tour instead of yacht tour, nice municipal cafes instead of overrated restaurants, Museum card instead of instead of paying for each ticket separately and etc.

Just make a small plan before your trip — write down what you want to do and what places you prefer to see to determine an approximate budget.