Am I Mad to Retire to Turkey?

Tell people you’re retiring to Spain and not only will people understand the reasons behind your decision, but chances are they’ll know someone else who’s done the self same thing or maybe they’ll even be thinking of following in your footsteps…but tell people you’re retiring to Turkey and your decision will be met with so much derision that you’ll start to ask yourself ‘am I mad to retire to Turkey?’

But don’t begin doubting your decisions just because others are slow to catch on to the wealth of opportunity that Turkey represents for retirees – simply read the five key reasons outlined in this article about why retiring to Turkey is such an excellent choice for an increasing number of retirees, and then you can reel off the reasons why you’ve made the decision to become an expatriate in Turkey to anyone who questions you!

1) Property in Turkey – even in the most desirable Mediterranean resorts – remains affordable.  Many British and Western European retirees have built up a considerable amount of real estate related wealth in their current home to allow them to sell up, head to Turkey and buy a comfortable, detached villa home within easy distance of all essential amenities and facilities because property in Turkey is incredibly favourably priced.

The fact that the wider world is beginning to see the attraction of Turkey means that property prices are starting to lift nicely – therefore if you do retire to Turkey today and decide in ten or fifteen years time that you’d like to move on or even move back to your country of domicile, chances are you’ll be able to resell for a handsome profit and ensure you can live comfortably in your next location too.

2) The cost of living in Turkey is so incredibly attractive.  Local produce is sold in weekly markets even in the most expensive resorts at very low prices, and if you always favour markets and smaller vendors of everything from your daily bread to your Sunday joint you will save so much money over supermarket prices and not only that, if you establish a rapport with such vendors you will always be well looked after.

Even expensive items such as cigarettes and alcohol are cheaper in Turkey especially if you buy local wines, beers and spirits for example…and when it comes to household goods, pretty much everything you can think of from the material for your curtains to the washing machine in your kitchen is manufactured in Turkey, so again – stick to local names and you’ll save so much money!

Eating out is often cheaper than cooking for yourself at home; petrol, electric and water are cheaper in Turkey than in the UK for example and if you’re on a tight budget in retirement you can work far more comfortably with that budget in a low cost, high quality country like Turkey than you ever could in Spain for example.

3) Politically speaking Turkey is a stable democratic nation and socially speaking the Turkish people are very considerate towards their elders.  There is a vein of respect that runs through the nation from parliament right down onto the street and not only are Western retirees welcomed into the community they are often befriended and looked after by their Turkish neighbours.  No one need ever feel isolated in Turkey and even if you pick up no more than the basics of ‘please and thank you’ in Turkish your local neighbours will go out of their way to help you.  For some people this is initially overwhelming and Britons especially feel they have to return every compliment or meal or small gift given – but that is not expected…what is expected is that anyone moving to live in Turkey fits in and respects the community around them which involves no more than a friendly ‘hello’ and the occasional shared cup of coffee for example.  In practical terms and as a bottom line what this means is if ever you are in the slightest difficulty all you have to do is ask and help will be given

4) The climate in Southern Turkey is pretty much perfect!  The temperatures never fall below freezing in the winter and even in the summer when the thermometer can reach the high thirty degrees centigrade there are cooling breezes from the sea that take the edge off the heat.  Precipitation is not excessive even in the winter and anyone who suffers from cold or damp related ailments such as arthritis will almost always witness an alleviation of their symptoms in a country like Turkey.

5) Now that Turkey is becoming so well known as an exciting and interesting place for a holiday, as a good place to invest in property and also as an emerging nation approaching EU membership in the medium term, the accessibility of the nation from across Europe and beyond is improving.  You can get cheap flights to airports across Turkey meaning that it is an easy country for friends and family to visit you in and what’s more, taxis, buses and internal flights are all also highly affordable meaning that when you retire to Turkey you can still afford to explore the rest of the stunning and fascinating country even if your pension income is not as favourable as you’d like.

In conclusion – no, you’re not mad to retire to Turkey – you’re simply innovating and leading where others will no doubt begin to follow in greater numbers in the short to medium term.  In the future it’s highly likely that Turkey will become a favourite location for retirees simply because of the reasons listed above, which let’s face it are far from exhaustive – meaning that when people learn even more about the delights of Turkey there’ll be a wave of inward migration so you’d better get in first and secure your location!

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