Your Home Away from Home on the Bosphorus
Istanbul is one of the most socially vibrant cities on earth, so why do so many expats spend their first year feeling quietly isolated? The answer is more complicated than you'd think — and so are the solutions.
Istanbul has a well-earned reputation for being affordable — and it is, but not always in the ways you'd expect. Before you build your monthly budget around rosy estimates, here's what life actually costs across different parts of the city.
Getting sick in a foreign country is stressful enough without having to decode a completely unfamiliar medical system. Here's everything American expats need to know about Istanbul's hospitals, insurance options, and when it actually makes sense to book a flight home.
Figuring out where to send your kids to school is one of the biggest decisions you'll make as an expat family in Istanbul. From IB programs to American curriculum schools, the options are more varied — and more affordable — than you might expect. Here's how to cut through the confusion and find the right fit for your family.
Drip coffee. Cheddar cheese. A doctor who speaks English and takes your insurance. The longer you live in Istanbul, the longer this list gets—and the more creative you get about solving it. Here's the expat community's hard-won wisdom on finding, substituting, and occasionally just accepting the things you left behind.
Between ikamet applications, Turkish tax obligations, and the ever-looming FBAR deadline, the paperwork side of expat life in Istanbul can feel like a full-time job. We talked to Americans who've been through the wringer—and came out the other side—to bring you the most practical guide to Turkish bureaucracy you'll find anywhere. Grab a çay and settle in.
Istanbul is so much more than the postcard version—and the Americans who've actually built lives here know exactly which streets to call home. From the bohemian energy of Kadıköy to the village-within-a-city feel of Balat, these are the neighborhoods where expat life actually happens. We went neighborhood by neighborhood so you can figure out where you belong.