Cost of living, but also ease of living

with 3k which equals 98.000 Turkish Liras (minimum wage in turkey is 17.000) of course you'd live comfortably. What do you all do to get paid that much while working remotley?

I worked in the past, quite heavily, I just live (my wife) from savings, embarrassing, but I do not work at all.

We just spend our money, I would like to be a millionaire. I am not.

My pensions largely are due at 65 (for some countries I worked is later).

You can consider me being lazy (and I am right now). But before 30 I worked 14/16 hours per day, after 30 to 40 it decreased to 12/14, after 40 it was just 12 per day. After 50 I became a consultant (few hours per day) together with some luck of property we bought and sold in Hungary we can live quite well.

One might be jealeous (which I understand).

I am not a genious person, but practical.

I told my wife even when we were in Luxembourg, once we saved EUR 500 K we move (first 7 years in Hungary and now in Alanya). Should be fine until we die (together with the pensions)

@cdw057 As a side note, health could be better (hence the non-working), health care in Turkey is very fine though (even if expensive)

@admissionbursa Honestly we are the perfect expats, not working, just spend. I love Turkey and especially their people. OK things have become much more expensive, but we can take it.

Where we live (Mahmutlar/Alanya) everything is crawling distance (unlike places where I lived before (Netherlands, UK, Luxembourg, Hungary))

Service is excellent (in general), cigarettes are cheap ( 3 packages per day), alcohol price is relatively fine, restaurants are not very international, but VERY good and within 500 m radius minimum 10 locations (minimum 5 of them we like)

Supermarkets in abundance (SOK, A101, BIM, MMM, Coop, ...)

Normal Market (for my wife) also in walking distance.

So much choice!

@cdw057 Good on you, you have worked hard and deserve living comfort now. Can i ask you about your health insurance in turkey, how much you pay yearly?

@mnaghbash You can go with SGK after residence afer a year, but what I feel being insured by private companies is better. We are 2 (me 61, my wife 53) and we pay around EUR 250 per month, but I have to say excellent service.

For western Europe is not too bad, but it still charges budget.

Unfortunately I spent 5 days in hospital (almost nothing to pay (apart from one of the Covid test)), but good service I have to say.

Me and my wife came back to give some presents to nurses. (Even if I do not like at all to be at a hospital).

Epilepsy (I was so happy that they confirmed that was no alcoholism), Trombose, ... but were the main topics, many medications to take, but that is life.

Many people in the hospital speak English and very, very accomdating.

I can smoke outside, however alcohol in the hospital is not allowed.

Good that there are many young people in Turkey to work in a hospital.

I have to say unlike for example The Netherlands, or Hungary.

@cdw057

Thanks for your reply,

what is SGK?

Is your private insurance with that rate is only for turkish residence?

SGK is the national insurance for locals (but after a year also open for expats) I would think, I believe it is around EUR 70 per person (so for a couple EUR 140). As an expat this is a possibility, but service might be not as good. We are with Allianz (others might also be good).

Please be careful with which institutions work with your company. Just call, unfortunately our hospital is one hour away (but that is fine, I have to say with ambulance it is just 30 minutes)

@cdw057

Thank you.

@mnaghbash I have SGK health insurance which are eligable after having a residense card for 1 year. I have been to the hospital on multiple occasions getting services like MRI's, Ultra sounds. Just had a biopsy of the prostaste gland and possibly face two operations as an example, and was not charged a dime. When I first started with this plan in July of 2022 the monthly cost was 1250 TL/month ($96.00 usd) and now is 4000 ($133.00). The reason for the small increase is due the the exchage rate going from 13 TL for 1 us dollar to what is now 30 to 1. A i ahve been more then satisfied with the quality of care and treament. A great number of doctors that operate here are US trained doctors. Health care is is a multi billion dollar business, and you thousands of forigners coming here on vacation to take advantege of it.

When you enter Turkey to retire you are required to have health insurance and private health insurance can be very expensive but if you are over 65 it is not required. The public hospitals will serve in that case at a small cost until you can get the SGK Insurance plan. If you are amrried your spouse is also covered at no extra cost and also your children up to the age of 18 I believe.

Hope this helps in answering your question. Text me anytime if you have additional questions, i would be happy to answer them if I can.

Dennis

@mnaghbashSGK is a publikchealth care insurance plan and from what I understand will cover you for almost any medical procedure.

Hi Dennis, are you still living in Kusadasi? How have things changed for you over the last few months in terms of overall cost of living, in terms of USD?

Are you staying to speak a little Turkish?

@dncole4156

Hi Dennis, thanks for detailed information on medical insurance.

i have also noticed many people from UK visit Turkey to have medical treatment as due to low cost and good quality - mostly are cosmetic or plastic surgery/treatment.