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The average monthly cost of living for a four-person household in Istanbul, referring to the total amount a family needs to cover essential monthly expenses such as housing, food, transportation, utilities and other basic needs, climbed to ₺106,034 ($2,476.67) in November, the Istanbul Planning Agency (IPA) reported.
According to the IPA’s "Istanbul Barometer" survey, which tracks the city’s economic and social conditions, the average cost of maintaining a four-person household in Türkiye’s largest city rose by 1.06% from the previous month’s ₺104,927, marking a 40% year-over-year increase.
The figures captured rising pressure on household budgets, especially in categories that affect families with school-age children. Education expenses recorded the steepest annual jump at 100.7%, reflecting tuition, supplies, and related costs.
Housing expenses, which cover rent and utilities, rose 60.4% compared with the same month last year.
The agency noted that these two categories continued to shape the broader increase in the cost of living for urban households.
High inflation continues to strain Turkish households’ budgets, as November’s better-than-expected monthly figure of 0.87%, the lowest since May 2023, brought annual inflation down to 31.07%, yet consumer prices continue to rise across the country amid persistent pressures.
On the other hand, the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions’ (Turk-Is) monthly report found that a four-person household in Ankara needed to spend ₺29,828 on food alone in November to maintain a healthy and adequate diet, a level commonly referred to as the "hunger threshold."
The report also noted that when food expenses are combined with other obligatory household costs, including clothing, rent, electricity, heating, transportation, education, and healthcare, the total reaches ₺97,159.
While the strain on Turkish citizens continues to grow, the government and labor unions are continuing talks to set the 2026 minimum wage, which is considered a benchmark rate in Türkiye because it is estimated to directly affect about 9.5 million workers who earn around that level.
Projections point to an increase of about 25% that would lift the current monthly wage from ₺22,104 to roughly ₺27,500, and a final decision is expected soon.
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