Utility bills in Turkey are not very different from what we are used to; their list contains those familiar items: water together with sewerage, electricity, gas (if the service is available), heating (if there is a central heating system in the building or area in Turkey available in small quantities), Internet and communications, as well as Aidat - payment for maintenance of the public and local area of a residential complex, the size of which depends on the size, internal infrastructure of the residential complex and the number of apartments in it.
The relevant services take readings on meters in houses once a month and immediately leave a receipt on the spot for payment.
Water
There is no uniform tariff for cold water in Turkey; the price per cubic meter is determined by the local municipality. Each apartment has its own meter in the house; usually all meters are located on the ground floor in a special panel with pipe distribution; monthly water consumption is determined from the meters. The amount for consumed water already includes the following taxes:
KDV - VAT;
Atık Su - wastewater tax;
ÇTV Katı Atık - solid waste tax.
In Turkey, there are no centralized hot water supply systems, and therefore property owners use a boiler, instantaneous water heater, and, if there is a centralized gas pipeline, a gas water heater to heat water. Accordingly, the cost of consumed hot water is reflected in utility bills for cold water and electricity/gas. In the southern, hotter cities of the republic, as an alternative, many older houses have barrels installed on the roof of the house, and in the warm season, residents of such houses use water heated by the sun.
Electricity
Electricity prices in Turkey are among the lowest in Europe, but they still make up a significant portion of utility costs. Modern apartments have many different electrical appliances, but the most used in Turkish homes is air conditioning, which provides universal temperature control all year round: cooling the room in summer and keeping it warm in winter. In winter, equally energy-consuming electric heaters can also be used. Consequently, the cost of maintaining a comfortable temperature can be up to half of the total payment for electricity. The price of electricity depends on how much you will consume per month, and in different cities and regions of Turkey, the cost of 1 kilowatt may vary.
A number of taxes are immediately included in the cost of utilities:
KDV - VAT;
BTV is a municipal tax linked to a tariff group;
TRT - radio and TV, constituting 2% of active electricity;
Enerji Fonu - 1% of active electricity is transferred to the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey.
Also in Turkey, electricity is consumed according to one of three tariff plans, which provide different prices per kilowatt during the day. The tariff can be selected depending on the period of the most active electricity consumption in your home: daytime (from 6:00 to 17:00), peak (from 17:00 to 22:00) or night (from 22:00 to 6:00) . With active use of an air conditioner, the average electricity bill costs 700 - 1000 TL, depending on the size and quality of the thermal insulation of your home.
Gas
For central gas supply, the exact price of 1 cubic meter is set by the city municipality. One of the advantages of living in Turkey is that the state helps its citizens in every possible way, and therefore you can apply for a subsidy, thanks to which you can cover up to 80% of the amount of this utility bill. And in May 2023, the government announced an annual promotion for all consumers of central gas supply: the first 24 cubic meters consumed per month are free of charge.
Home Internet, telephony and TV
There are many communication providers in the republic, but only two are large: TTNet (Turk Telekom) and Superonline (Turkcell). Vodafone also operates in the country, but it occupies the channels of the largest companies. Each of them provides services of approximately the same quality, and most tariffs have almost the same cost. It is more profitable to sign up for a service package, for example, “Internet + TV”. The most common practice is to sign a contract with a provider for a period of 1 year. If you terminate it early, the company may impose a fine in the amount of several monthly fees.
The size of utility bills in Turkey depends on many factors: the gas or electric stove in the apartment, the type of lamps installed, the frequency of use of the air conditioner, etc. On average, they cost $50–200.
