‘I don’t know what to do’: Skyrocketing inflation and rent prices leave many in Turkey struggling

Official estimates put the country’s inflation rate at nearly 85 per cent last month, while rents have increased by more than 100 per cent in some cities, writes Borzou Daragahi

Instanbul residents have seen rents rise considerably (Getty Images)

For decades, Canan lived a fairly comfortable life as a school teacher in Istanbul. She even managed to help send her 23-year-old daughter off to study abroad, and retired earlier this year to live off a monthly pension of around 7,600 Turkish lira (£335), more than enough to pay her rent and living expenses – and leave a little for some extra.

The shock came in November, when her landlord demanded she vacates her 2,000-lira (£88) a month flat. She has been looking around for other housing in her Bakirkoy neighbourhood, but rents there have skyrocketed to between 5,500-lira (£242) for a tiny space to 11,500 (£506) a month for a flat comparable to hers. She dreads the prospect of moving to a cheaper flat in a different neighbourhood and spending nearly all her money on housing.

“I don’t know what to do,” the 52-year-old says. “I have started to have health problems because I am so stressed. I am going to the hospital regularly. I am seriously hopeless for my life. If I can’t go to the cinema or a movie or go on a vacation or go out for a meal there is no point”.