‘We will continue to live with our flatmate after we marry’

The housing crisis is deepening day by day in major cities, and throughout Turkey.

Eva Real Estate evaluates that in Istanbul, which is one of the cities experiencing the crisis the most, the average rent prices increased from around 12,500 lira in January, to 17,500 lira in June.

And the average rent in the Kadıköy district is above 21,000 lira.

In Turkey, where the minimum wage is 11,402 lira and the poverty line is 33,788 lira, the cost of living for a single employee is 13,471 lira per month.

Those who conclude that living alone has become impossible are turning to shared housing to continue living in Istanbul.

“We moved to my brother’s place, first me, and then my girlfriend”

Mirza D., 27 years old, has been living in Istanbul for 9 years. After being evicted from his apartment due to problems with the flat owner, he moved “temporarily” to his brother’s place, but he hasn’t been able to find a new place since then:

“In 2021, my home owner kicked me out because of the rent. So, I moved temporarily to my brother’s place. I thought I would find a new place and move out, but suddenly the rents skyrocketed. Due to the increases, I couldn’t find a new place. A few months ago, the homeowner also evicted my girlfriend from her apartment. She had to move in with us. Even though both of us work in the private sector, we can’t find a suitable place to live for ourselves. As long as we can’t find a place, we’ll continue to live with my brother.”

“I was living in a place without a kitchen”

Kübra A., 30 years old, who lives with her boyfriend and a roommate, said they will continue living with roommates even after getting married because they can’t afford the rent:

“My previous place was again in Kadıköy, but it wasn’t really a proper apartment, not even a studio. It didn’t have a kitchen, only a tiny bathroom. I could only use it for sleeping. I couldn’t spend time there because it was so small. With the help of friends and my family, I managed to move to a better place. Right now, due to the extremely high rent and deposit at the place I’m living, my boyfriend and I couldn’t afford it on our own. We found another friend to share the rent. We’re planning to get married soon, but even after getting married, we’ll continue living with our roommate because the two of us, despite working, can’t afford the rent in any other way.”

“I had to call my family to help with the rent”

Helin A., 32 years old, has been living alone for three years but had to call her family to help with the rent when she became unemployed:

“I’ve been living alone for three years; before that, I was living with friends. So, I’ve been separated from my family for a long time. When the rent prices were hiked, I couldn’t afford it on my own. On top of that, I became unemployed during this time. Unable to pay the rent, I had to call my family to help. Either they had to come to me, or I had to go to them. It’s harder to find a job where they live, so they came to me. I’m currently living with my family; they’re paying the rent for me. It’s a very difficult situation for me, but I have no other choice.”

“I spent six months searching through real estate agents”

Barış B., who has been living alone for 16 years, says that he is struggling to make ends meet due to rising rent prices and is considering sharing his apartment:

“I used to live in Kadıköy. Last year, my home owner evicted me and gave me three months to move out. At first, I thought three months would be enough; I thought I would find a new place and move out. But due to high prices, I couldn’t find a place in three months. I had to leave the apartment. I left some of my belongings with a friend, some with another friend, and some in a storage room where I work. I also stayed at my friends’ places. It was tough, like a nomadic life.

“For a total of six months, almost every day except Sundays, I spent my time at real estate agents’ offices. I had appointments with real estate agents, sometimes at 9 am, sometimes at 10 pm, . I was looking for a place in Kadıköy because I work here, but I started to search a flat in Üsküdar also, even though I didn’t want to. I couldn’t find a place there either. It was a very difficult time. Due to economic conditions, a friend of mine who was struggling to make ends meet moved in with his mother, so I moved into his place. Right now, I live alone, but I struggle to pay the rent. I’m considering renting out one of my rooms on weekends or a few days a week.”

(ZA/AÖ/PE)