Cost of utilities in Turkey

Buyers of real estate in Turkey should understand the costs of maintaining it in order to calculate their monthly budget in advance.

In the Republic of Turkey, foreign homeowners bear the same utility costs as local residents. How much it costs to maintain an apartment in Turkey is the topic of our new article.

Types of utilities in Turkey

In Turkey, as in other countries, the cost of maintaining an apartment is represented by standard payments that are charged monthly to all homeowners.

Utilities in Turkey are:

• Light
• Water
• Gas
• Heating
• Internet and telecommunications
• Caring for the local area

Tariffs vary by province, but not as noticeably as, for example, in Russia.

After purchasing the property and re-registering the TAPU, the owners will have to enter into agreements with utility service providers. The procedure is mandatory and not free. For example, during the initial registration of a subscriber for the supply of electricity, you will need to pay about 2,500 TL and make a deposit of 500 TL. After relocation or cancellation of the contract, the entire deposit amount is returned to subscribers who pay on time. For registering a contract for water supply and registering meters, owners pay approximately 500 TL, plus a deposit of about 250 TL.

In the case of long-term rentals, residents enter into contracts with utility services in their own name and pay their own bills every month.

Energy consumption is paid according to actual monthly expenses. Apartments and houses are equipped with metering devices - water, gas, electricity meters.

Important! The cost of utilities in Turkey is lower than in many European countries.

Electricity

In 2024, electricity tariffs in Turkey are determined by several factors:

• volume of monthly consumption, according to metering devices;
• conditions imposed by the supplier;
• at what time of day the resource is consumed - during the day, during peak hours, at night;
• type of real estate (residential, commercial premises).

There are both private organizations and the national energy company in the Turkish energy market. The total price of electricity for subscribers of the state supplier in 2024 is:

Tariffs vary across the country, so to obtain up-to-date information, we recommend studying the Energy Atlas of Turkey - this is a special Internet portal where current tariffs are published. Detailed information is also provided by the service provider’s employees when applying for a contract.

In addition to the conditions of the companies, several electricity tariffs are used in Turkey:

• Night (Gece ​​Endeks) - from 22:00 to 06:00
• Daytime (Gündüz Endeks) - from 06:00 to 22:00
• Peak Endeks - from 17:00 to 22:00

During the day and during peak hours, a higher index is used than at night.

It should be noted that several types of taxes are included in the total electricity bill.

Thus, the cost of electricity in Turkey includes the following payments:

• electricity price;
• for distribution services;
• taxes BTV, TRT Payı, Enerji Fonu;
• VAT (KDV).

Let's decipher the abbreviations of the listed types of taxes:

• KDV or Value Added Tax - The amount depends on the consumer's energy costs, administrative fee and other costs on the account.
• BTV is a tax, the amount of which corresponds to the tariff group calculated by active energy for the municipality at the consumer’s place of residence.
• TRT Payı - calculated in accordance with Law No. 3093. The law determines the rate for radio and television - about 2% of active energy.
• Enerji Fonu - the payment is 1% of active energy, according to Article Annex 2 of Law No. 3291. The amount is transferred to the energy fund of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of the Republic of Turkey as financial support for various facilities, research and development.

If we add it up, the amount of tax payments in addition to the costs for consumed electricity will be about 15–40 TL.

In fact, the cost of electricity in Turkey is calculated individually for each user. Despite the fact that electricity tariffs are among the lowest among EU countries, this expense item usually takes up the majority of monthly utility payments. On the one hand, a lot of energy-intensive household appliances are installed in each apartment, and on the other hand, long and hot summers, the lack of central heating means that air conditioners work in the apartment for cooling or heating almost all year round.

In order to save money, many apartment owners use energy-saving lamps, if possible, improve the energy-saving characteristics of their housing and install solar panels.

The average monthly payment for electricity in Turkey is about 700 TL.

Water

How much water costs in Turkey is decided at the level of municipal authorities. That is, there is no general tariff system for the country as such.

When calculating, regardless of the region, the final price of a cubic meter of water in Turkey depends on two factors:

• volume of consumption,
• type of object (residential or non-residential real estate).

Here are several current water supply cost tariffs in 2023:

• In Izmir, the total price of 1 cubic meter of water (water supply and wastewater) for residential premises is about 20.08 TL with a consumption of less than 10 cubic meters per month. If consumption is 11–20 cubic meters per month, the price tag is higher - 25.67 TL/m3. For consumption over 21 m3, the tariff rises to 48.07 TL/1 m3.
• Different rates apply in Istanbul. If consumption is 16 m3 per month, then homeowners pay about 14.61 TL/m3. At higher monthly costs, a cubic meter of water will cost 21.95 TL.

All apartments have water meters, according to the readings on which monthly consumption and payment are calculated. In addition to the cost of water, several taxes are included in the bill:

• KDV or VAT,
• Atık Su - tax for sewerage,
• ÇTV Katı Atık - solid waste tax.

These taxes typically increase the bill by 40–50%.

Good to know! There is no centralized supply of hot water in Turkey. That is, homeowners use individual boilers to heat water.

Gas

In Turkey, most regions are not gasified, since a significant part of its territories is located in a warm climate zone. The price of gas is several times higher than, for example, in Russia. Gas costs in Turkey in 2023 are about 4 TL/1 m3.

Most people prefer to use electric space heaters for space heating and electric cooktops for cooking. In some cities, homeowners purchase gas cylinders the old fashioned way. This cylinder is enough for a small family for 2-3 months. The cost depends on the region.

In gasified areas, gas is used both for heating and water heating, and in the kitchen. But in fact, gas is not cheap for homeowners - about 700–1,400 TL monthly, depending on the area, number of residents and consumption.

In 2023, the Turkish authorities gave discounts and subsidies for a certain amount of gas consumed to ease the burden of payment for the population.

Heating

There is no central heating in Turkey. In the southern regions of the country, where the weather is dry and hot most of the year, there is essentially no need for a centralized heat supply. However, in some central and northern provinces the temperature can drop to -5 ℃ at night.

Therefore, residents use several options for heating their premises:

• Installation of a communal boiler. In this case, a boiler room must be provided in the residential complex. Residents come to an agreement and buy equipment together. The boiler not only heats the house, but also heats the water. Coal, gas, pellets are used as raw materials. It is often cheaper for residents to purchase coal than gas.
• Installation of gas boilers in each apartment. This method of heating residential premises is possible if a centralized gas supply is provided. In addition, it is desirable to have a separate room in the apartment, for example, a storage room, where you can install the equipment.
  

The main advantage of heating using an individual boiler is the ability to independently regulate the temperature in the rooms. But owners should take into account that heating the apartment with a gas boiler will lead to a significant increase in the amount of utility bills.

In addition to gas heating appliances, the installation of electric boilers is practiced.

• Use of autonomous furnaces and boilers. The equipment runs on different types of fuel. Basically, boilers are installed in private houses of old housing stock. In new residential complexes, this outdated heating method has not been popular for a long time.
• Electric heaters and air conditioners. The most popular option for heating rooms in apartments by the sea, since in coastal regions, even in winter, the temperature rarely drops to +10 ℃. Installing electric batteries allows you to heat rooms to a comfortable temperature. But even in this case, property owners should prepare for higher amounts in utility bills.

As you can see, how much heating costs in Turkey depends entirely on how the apartment is heated. If gas is used as a resource, be guided by the current tariffs for residential premises in your region. For homes where air conditioners and electric heaters are the main source of heat, the current electricity tariffs are relevant.

Internet and telecommunications

In addition to utility bills in Turkey, as in any other country, owners pay for the Internet and telecommunications (television and home telephone).

In the Republic of Turkey, users often purchase Internet and telephony services in the form of package offers. But it is possible to connect the Internet or television separately.

In Turkey, there are several large companies operating in the market that provide Internet communications. The main providers are TTNet (Turk Telekom) and Superonline (Turkcell). The remaining small firms, as a rule, are intermediaries of TTNet and Superonline.

Connection conditions, quality of services and tariffs are approximately the same in all Internet companies. Monthly payment, depending on the selected service package, is about 350–400 TL.

In Turkey, a contract for the supply of Internet is concluded for a long period - a year or two. The first two months of use, under the terms of current promotions, are often free. In case of early termination of the contract, you will have to pay a fine to the provider in the amount of several monthly payments. In addition, a penalty will be charged for late monthly payments.

Providers also provide service packages that include both Internet and television.

Installing a home telephone is not so interesting for foreign citizens. Since most foreigners use mobile communications. Smartphones brought from abroad will work in the country for 120 days. During this period, you need to either purchase a new phone in Turkey, or register an existing one and pay a tax of 20,000 TRY. If you do not do this, the phone will be blocked. The blocking will be automatically lifted after leaving the republic.

How to pay utility bills in Turkey

Foreign owners should calculate in advance the monthly budget for the maintenance of their property, as well as figure out how to pay for water, electricity and other utilities in Turkey.

Payment of utilities in Turkey is possible in several ways:

• At Centerpoint. Perhaps the most traditional way to pay for utilities in Turkey is to go to the representative office of the company that supplies this or that resource to consumers. You will need to spend some time waiting in line, deposit money into the cashier and receive a receipt. Today, this option for paying for water, gas, and electricity is not the most popular in Turkey. Since it involves wasting your own time traveling to the office and queuing.
• At PTT State Post Offices. There are postal service branches in literally every district and in all small towns of Turkey. You can pay utility bills on any weekday from 8:30 to 17:30. RTT allows you to pay any bills, including Internet and television. All you need to do is go to the nearest post office and spend a few minutes making the payment.
• Online payment via bank. Today, this is the fastest and easiest way to pay for utilities in Turkey. The subscriber must have an account in one of the Turkish banks. Having a current account allows subscribers to create an account or electronic account through which they can carry out transactions on a computer or via a smartphone. Online banking apps have an automatic payment feature, meaning your utility bills will be paid automatically.

An additional way to pay for utilities is in Şok chain stores.

What happens if you don't pay utilities?

Not paying utility bills in Turkey is a downright bad idea. This issue is strictly controlled by the state at the level of local municipalities. If payment is late after 15 days, communications - water, electricity - are automatically turned off, and meters are sealed.

The provision of utility services can be resumed after full repayment of the debt, payment of the accrued late fee and the state contribution for the service of reconnecting communications.

Let's summarize. So, how much does a communal apartment cost on average for residents in Turkey? The amount of payment for utility services provided depends on several factors:

• characteristics of energy saving housing;
• installed household equipment (gas, electric stoves);
• type of electric lamps;
• frequency of use of technology and other conditions.

On average, monthly utility costs for a family of 2–3 people are about $50–$150.

In addition to the listed expense items, rent in Turkey includes the so-called aidat or maintenance of the local area. Aidat is paid by all owners of apartments in residential complexes, the territory of which has internal infrastructure (swimming pools, playgrounds, barbecues, SPA, gyms, 24-hour security and much more).

Consider the associated maintenance costs before purchasing property in Turkey. If you have any questions, Altop Real Estate specialists will provide you with all the information and help you choose an apartment by the sea in Turkey, focusing on your wishes and goals.