Top 7 Cities in Turkey to Buy Property (Besides Istanbul!)

While Istanbul is one of the world’s largest cities and remains the most popular choice among foreign investors, it’s not the only place to buy property in Turkey.

If viewed as a frontier market unto itself, non-Istanbul real estate can be charted along areas of high provincial population growth that are likely to experience economic growth and an increase in demand for housing and FDI.

While overall housing sales decreased by 17.7% in the January-July period of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022 (source), interest in Turkish real estate still remains high with over 675,000 homes sold in that same 7-month period.

Foreign buyers flock to Turkey especially from certain Eurasian nationalities, specifically Russians, Iranians, Iraqis, Ukrainians, and Kazakhs as the top 5 nationalities of buyers.

Where else might someone consider investigating the Turkish property market? Let’s match 10 of the fastest-growing regions with other qualitative measures of attractiveness.

The following list is curated from a 2023 bulletin from the Turkish Statistical Institute describing annual population growth rate by province during the 2021–2022 period. We also consider tourism flows, domestic economy, and geographical attractiveness.

Muğla – 26.1% Growth

Located in the southwest of Turkey, Muğla sits on a small plain around 20 kilometers north of the Gulf of Gökova.

With historical importance from hosting 14th-century Turkmen emirs, it became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1425 and today the city serves as a regional hub for tourism and agriculture.

Mugla is well-served by Milas-Bodrum Airport and connected by roads to İzmir and Denizli. The coastline features deep bays surrounded by mountains and thanks to a warm climate with ample rainfall, the area grows citrus, cereals, cotton, and more.

The region is rich in historical sites and includes harbor towns like Bodrum, Marmaris, and Fethiye, which have become central to Turkish tourism and a favorite of both elite Turks and foreign tourists.

Bodrum in particular has played temporary host to some of the yachts of the super-rich in recent years. Investors can expect to find a villa- and serviced hotel-dominated market with many high-end brands moving in such as the Mandarin Oriental and Hilton.

Tekirdağ – 25.8% Growth

Tekirdağ, situated on the Sea of Marmara coast around 135 kilometers west of Istanbul, has an important historical legacy as a border region to Europe originating from ancient Thracian settlements.

A strategic location facilitated trade between Europe and Asia and ensured its significance through Byzantine and Ottoman eras.

Today, Tekirdağ is becoming a larger economic hub within the Marmara region due to its proximity to Istanbul and agricultural prospects including Turkish wine production, grains, and sunflowers.

Tekirdağ has long been an underrated and under-invested region of Turkey. It presents a unique opportunity to anyone who enjoys overland access to Europe and a less expensive coastal touristic environment.

Buyers can expect to find properties ripe for renovation including boutique hotels, coastal timeshares, and city-center apartments ready for redevelopment.

Antalya – 25.7% Growth

Antalya is still Turkey’s most popular tourist region with an ever-growing need for short-term rentals and resort properties. MasterCard’s Global Destination Cities Index showed it as the 10th most visited city in the world.

This means that investors can expect to earn decent returns on their investment through rental income.

In fact, there’s hardly a “low season” in Antalya with consistent arrivals throughout the year from European budget airlines and a major Russian expat community, even hosting a Russian consulate.

Antalya is a rapidly developing city with a strong economy, and the city has a mild climate with a long coastline surrounding it, making it a desirable place to vacation, raise children, or retire.

Oceanfront condos and villas provide sea vistas and often include beach access and luxurious facilities, and the old town boasts charming, character-rich historic residences with newer residential towers being built near the city center.