Are you planning an extended stay in Dalyan Turkey? Wondering how much a month in Dalyan might cost? One of Turkeys most chilled out riverside towns has a lot to offer in the way of beautiful views and affordable living. It’s also a common destination for travellers and retired people. We stayed two months in this lovely little town and averaged these two months out to give you a one month break down.
When we decided to travel the world full-time, we set a monthly budget for ourselves of $2000 Canadian dollars (about $1,600 USD) per month. We know that it will vary depending on where we are in the world, but we plan to stick to it as best we can and hope it all evens out in the end.
All figures below will be in US dollars. All costs are for both of us combined as a couple, not per person.
Let’s see how our cost of living compared to our budget:
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Accommodations
We use AirBnb for most of our accommodation for a few reasons. First, hosts tend to give substantial discounts when booking for at least 28 days. Our plan is slow travel so this AirBnb discount works great with our plans.
Second, when you use AirBnb, your internet, electricity, gas etc. are included in the total cost paid, so there are no surprises.
Finally, booking with AirBnb allows us to earn credit card reward points (we love free travel points! learn more here. We can also book in our home currency on AirBnb.ca to avoid paying foreign transaction fees.
We had a very simple one bedroom apartment in Dalyan located in a perfect part of town. With Dalyan being a small town, it is easy to get everywhere but this AirBnb was right in the middle of everything. While simple, it had all of the amenities one would need for a long term stay. A well stocked kitchen, comfortable bed and an adorable balcony. We wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again in the future . Click here to see the AirBnb !
Total cost for accommodation for the month: $615 USD
If you’re looking for a hotel or resort here are some other great places in Dalyan
- Luxury Accommodations –Michelangelo Boutique Hotel Dalyan – Luxe boutique hotel with lush gardens, pool and hammans and spa treatments to treat yourself
- Mid Range Accommodations – Hotel Happy Caretta – Great location and views along the stunning Dalyan river, and breakfast is included!
- Budget Accommodations Karaca Apart Hotel Centrally located homey place with a delicious breakfast featuring local honey!
For more places to stay in Dalyan, you can check the latest prices on Booking.com
Activities
Dalyan is a quiet place yet packed with things to do. From boat trips along the Dalyan river, boat trips to lake Köyceğiz to the east or to Iztuzu beach in the west. There are mudbaths, Lycien Rock Tombs and the Kaunos ruins to visit on the north shore of the Dalyan river. A walk through the town and on the long beach are absolutely free of course.
Total Cost for Activities for the month: $67 USD
More fun things to do in Dalyan!
- Dalyan private half day boat trip includes Iztuzu beach and Kaunos ruins
- Dalyan private half day boat trip along Dalyan River with mudbaths
- The best captain in Dalyan. Just because Capt. Boris does it, doesn’t mean you should
Dining and Groceries
During our time in Dalyan our dining experiences covered a wide range of price points. From cheap street food to really nice restaurants. The vast majority of the food we ate, was absolutely delicious. Check out our Turkish food tour below for some of our top picks!
Total Cost for Dining out for One Month: $224 USD
While we love the dining out experience, we also have work to do. Therefore, we did a good amount of cooking for ourselves in our AirBnb. Having a fully equipped kitchen helps tremendously on these days. We made simple dishes like pasta, sandwiches, salads, eggs, etc. The weekend market in Dalyan is not to be missed for fresh fruits and vegetables
Total Cost for Groceries for the Month: $188 USD
Cell Phone Plans in Turkey
We spent three months in Turkey so we still had our original sim cards we purchased when we arrived in Istanbul and only needed to top them up. And thankfully, dealing with Turkcell was a much more pleasant experience in Dalyan than it was in Istanbul.
Total Cost for Phone and Data for one Month: $15 USD
Transportation
Dalyan is a small place and is extremely walkable, so we didn’t spend a lot on getting around in that month. Our transportation for the month consisted of the dolmus (bus) to and from Iztuzu beach and a few water taxis to north shore of the Dalyan river.
Total cost for Transportation for One Month: $15 USD
Visas
We have prorated the costs of our visas for each of the three months we we in Turkey
Total Cost for Visa for one month: $39
Miscellaneous Expenses
This category covers pretty much everything that’s not included above. We choose to include alcohol in miscellaneous, because we do enjoy a beer or a bottle of wine from time to time while hanging around the Airbnb. You might not drink and if you are planning a budget you can easily omit this cost. For us, alcohol makes up about 65% of this category.
Other miscellaneous expenses this month included a haircut for Geoff and a couple of items Geoff broke in the AirBnb.
Total Miscellaneous Costs for one month: $257
One thing we can’t live without while on the road full time – Saves us lots of money too!
Totals
Cost of Living for One Month in Dalyan, Turkey
Looking at the table above, you can see that we came in at $180 USD under budget. We are extremely pleased with this. It feels great to confirm what we always expected – living abroad can be much cheaper than in your home country. These numbers were about 1/3 of what our typical expenses would have been in Canada for one month.
Have you lived in Turkey for any length of time? Were your numbers similar to our cost of living for one month in Dalyan? Do you have any other tips for potential travellers? Leave a comment and let us know. We would love to hear from you.
