Food Prices in Turkey 2025: The Real Cost of Living Guide

Forget everything you knew about the “dirt cheap” Turkey of five years ago.

It is now late 2025, and the economic reality on the Bosphorus has shifted dramatically. Inflation isn’t just a headline on the news; you feel it with every beep of the checkout scanner. For tourists, prices are still often lower than in the UK or Eurozone, but the gap is closing fast. For expats and locals, the weekly grocery run has turned into a strategic mission.

In this article, we won’t just list boring statistics. We are giving you a practitioner’s survival guide for shopping in Turkey. We compare the real world prices between supermarket chains (like Migros or Carrefour) and the traditional weekly farmers’ markets (Pazar) to show you what life in 2025 actually costs.

The 2025 Snapshot: Where We Stand

To truly understand purchasing power here, you have to look at the income. The net minimum wage (Asgari Ücret) for 2025 was set at 22,104 TL. That might sound like a decent chunk of change compared to the 4,000 TL of a few years back, but living costs have exploded in the same breath.

Here is the unvarnished truth about the prices you will see on the shelves right now.

The Staples: Basic Survival Costs

Prices for basics fluctuate wildly depending on whether you grab the store brand or a premium label. However, if you walk into a standard supermarket like Migros today, these are the average prices you should budget for:

Insider Tip: Locals almost never buy oil in 1-liter bottles. The 5-liter tins (often hovering around 400-490 TL for sunflower oil) are significantly cheaper per liter. If you are staying long-term, buy in bulk.

Speaking of dairy, if you are overwhelmed by the options, check out our guide to the best 28 types of Turkish cheese to make sure you’re buying the right stuff for your breakfast spread.

Fruits & Vegetables: Supermarket vs. The Pazar

This is where you can save the most money. In supermarkets, produce is often polished and pretty, but you pay a premium for it. At the weekly street market (the “Pazar”), you can find seasonal goods for 20-30% less.

The Banana Trap: Imported bananas (“İthal Muz”) often cost double the price of local ones (“Yerli Muz” from Anamur). The Turkish bananas are smaller, but honestly, they are often sweeterand your wallet will thank you. If you are near the borders, specifically Edirne, the market dynamics can be even more intense; see our 2026 survival guide for shopping in Edirne for a deeper dive into market culture.

Meat & Poultry: The New Luxury

Meat has become the number one driver of grocery inflation in Turkey. Many families have drastically reduced red meat consumption or switched entirely to chicken. Beef (Dana) is expensive, and pork is essentially non existent in standard supermarkets.

• Ground Beef (Dana Kıyma): 350 TL 500 TL per kg (Varies by fat content and shop).
• Beef Cubes/Gulasch (Dana Kuşbaşı): 450 TL 650 TL per kg.
• Whole Chicken: approx. 90-100 TL per kg.
• Chicken Breast (Fileto): 170 TL 210 TL per kg.

Street Smart Move: Locals often queue up at state regulated outlets called Et ve Süt Kurumu or the Agricultural Cooperatives (Tarım Kredi Kooperatifleri), where meat prices are capped and significantly cheaper than private butchers.

Dining Out: Restaurant Prices in 2025

Is eating out still cheap? Yes and no. A simple meal at an “Esnaf Lokantası” (a tradesmen’s cafeteria) is still affordable, but prices in tourist hotspots have reached European levels.

• Döner Kebab (Meat): 180-280 TL (Wrap/Sandwich).
• Chicken Döner: 100-150 TL.
• Burger Menu (Fast Food Chain): 250-350 TL.
• Dinner for One (Mid Range): 400-700 TL (excluding alcohol).
• Turkish Tea at a Café: 15-35 TL.

If you are planning your overall budget, remember that food is just one part of the equation. Check out our guide on transportation in Istanbul to see how getting to the restaurant might cost almost as much as the appetizer.

Digital Grocery & Delivery

Turkey is incredibly advanced when it comes to digital shopping. Apps like Getir, Yemeksepeti Market, and Migros Sanal Market often deliver groceries in minutes. The prices are usually identical to store prices, plus a small delivery fee.

It is convenient, but be carefulthose small delivery fees and “impulse add ons” add up quickly.

The Verdict: Expensive or Affordable?

For those earning Euros or Dollars, Turkey in 2025 remains a comparatively affordable destination, especially for services and fresh vegetables. However, imported goods, red meat, and electronics have become undeniably expensive. The key to saving money is to live like a local: shop seasonally at the Pazar, hunt for discounts, and avoid the obvious tourist traps.

Planning a longer stay? Keep an eye on the Ramadan Calendar (and subsequent holidays), as markets and shop hours often shift dramatically during these times.