Homes priced between TRY 2 and 4 million (about USD 97,000) in these areas are selling quickly as investors look for higher returns.
The trend has accelerated over the past year and is not limited to provinces near Istanbul; values have risen in many other cities as well. Istanbul residents are investing in their home towns as well as in university and industrial centres, focusing mostly on properties offering high rental yields. Cities such as Konya, Gaziantep, Kayseri, Samsun, Adana, Mersin, Manisa and Trabzon have become popular investment choices.
This model, now seen as a new trend in the property market, appeals both to investors and to Istanbul residents who rent out their homes — especially in cities where average monthly rents are TRY 15,000–25,000. While annual home sales in Istanbul exceeded 235,000 units between 2015 and 2020 and 260,000 between 2020 and 2022, the figure fell below 200,000 in 2023.
Similar figures were recorded in the first eight months of 2024 and 2025. According to Zuhal Balsarı, deputy general manager of property valuation firm EVA, analysis shows that property investment in Istanbul no longer looks very profitable: “Sale prices of homes in Istanbul are very high, but rental yields are relatively low, which lengthens the payback period.” She added: “In many Anatolian cities the situation is the opposite. House prices are more affordable compared with Istanbul, while rents remain strong thanks to students, industrial workers or tourism. As a result, rental yields are higher and a property can pay for itself in a much shorter time.”
