For foreigners running their lives from Istanbul
Living in Istanbul.
Not just visiting.
Visa rules that work. Banks that open accounts for foreigners. Neighborhoods we'd actually live in. Written by people who live here — updated when the rules change.
Where you are right now
Pick your lane.
🔍
I'm researching
Comparing Istanbul to Lisbon, Bali, Mexico City. Need to understand visa, cost, and what life is actually like.
Start with: Visa & cost of living →
✈️
I just landed
First 30 days. Apartment, SIM card, bank account, residence permit — everything is on fire and Google is unhelpful.
Start with: First 7 days checklist →
🏠
I live here now
3+ months in. Looking for community, weekly events, coworking spaces, long-term residence renewal, tax stuff.
Start with: Community & events →
The Guide
Five topics. Everything you need.
Pillar · 2 articles
Visa & Residence
Digital Nomad Visa, tourist residence permit, the proposed 20-year tax holiday. What you actually need, not what blog mills say you need.
Read the pillar →
Pillar · 4 articles
Money & Banking
Open a Turkish bank account, off-ramp USDT, Wise vs local banks, leaving Dubai for Istanbul. The math nobody else does honestly.
Read the pillar →
Pillar · quarterly refresh
Cost of Living
Real monthly cost in USD/EUR — rent, food, gym, insurance, taxis. Updated quarterly. Three monthly budgets ($1.5K / $2.5K / $4K).
Read the pillar →
Pillar · 4 areas
Neighborhoods
Kadıköy, Cihangir, Karaköy, Beşiktaş. Asian side vs European side. Where to actually live as a foreigner — not where Airbnb wants to put you.
Read the pillar →
Pillar · spaces + cafes
Coworking
Real coworking spaces (Workhaus, Kolektif House, Impact Hub), laptop-friendly cafes, wifi reality. Where founders and remote employees actually work.
Read the pillar →
Pillar · weekly events + WhatsApp group
Community
Curated weekly events for nomads in Istanbul — meetups, hackathons, wellness, pitch nights. Plus a low-traffic WhatsApp group for everything in between.
Read the pillar →
Latest
Recent guides
Visa
Turkey Digital Nomad Visa — Eligibility, Requirements, Process · 2026
Turkey Digital Nomad Visa: 36 eligible countries, age 21–55, $3K+/mo income from non-Turkish clients. Document checklist, timeline, common rejection reasons.
Updated
Money
How to Open a Turkish Bank Account as a Foreigner · 2026
Walk-in rejection at Turkish banks runs above 70% even with a valid residence permit. The reliable path: pre-vetted relationship manager at a Tier-1 bank with a complete KYC dossier.
Updated
Money
USDT & Crypto Off-Ramp via Turkey · 2026
Off-ramp USDT to TRY via licensed Turkish exchanges (BtcTürk, Paribu, Binance TR). Setup, KYC, end-to-end timeline 1–24 hours, all-in cost ~0.3–0.6%.
Updated
Breaking · proposed law
Turkey's 20-Year Tax Holiday on Foreign Income — Explained
April 2026 Erdoğan proposal: zero Turkish tax on foreign-source income for 20 years for residents not Turkish-resident in the past 3 years. Status, eligibility, outlook.
Updated
Article
Turkey DNV vs Portugal D8 vs Spain DNV (2026)
Turkey DNV vs Portugal D8 (Digital Nomad Visa) vs Spain DNV: income requirements, setup cost, time, banking access, tax treatment, citizenship paths. Honest tradeoffs.
Updated
Article
Turkey vs UAE for Founders: The Corporate Tax Math
UAE introduced 9% corporate tax in June 2023. Turkey DNV exempts foreign salary today. Side-by-side scenarios at $200K, $500K, $1M annual profit. Crossover ~$250K.
Updated
Who's writing this
M. Can Avcı · Levent, Istanbul
I live here. Not "I visited for a month and wrote a series." Born in Turkey, returned in 2023 after years abroad. I write about the parts of Istanbul I'd want a friend to know before they moved — the visa stuff banks don't explain, the apartment scams, the neighborhoods that aren't on the Airbnb map.
More about me & how this site works →The starter pack
Free 7-day Istanbul checklist.
PDF + 7 short emails over 7 days. Day 1 SIM card. Day 2 tax number. Day 3 bank account. Day 4 apartment. Day 5 transport. Day 6 healthcare. Day 7 the residence-permit appointment everyone forgets to book.
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