The most sought-after districts in Istanbul for rental

Istanbul leads Turkey in property sales volume and is among the top three investment destinations for foreign buyers. Prices in the metropolis keep rising, and demand from tourists, businesspeople and project workers runs all year round.

One characteristic of sought-after housing is good transport access. The road network of Turkey’s largest city is expanding fast, and after new metro stations open, apartments nearby rise in price by 15 to 20% and more.

Content:

• Renting in Istanbul in 2026
• What has changed in the rental market since 2023
• The best districts for letting with good transport access
• Property prices in Istanbul: November 2023
• Detailed statistics by district
• Popular questions

Renting in Istanbul in 2026

The current figures come first, because the detailed market snapshot further down dates from November 2023 and the two should be compared knowingly.

In the premium neighbourhoods — Bebek, Caddebostan, Suadiye, Fenerbahçe and Moda — the rate exceeds 800 TL per meter, and in some seafront properties in Sarıyer and Beşiktaş monthly rents run into hundreds of thousands of lira.

Investment returns fastest in the developing districts: about eleven years in Esenyurt, twelve in Sancaktepe, thirteen in Beylikdüzü. Beşiktaş and Kadıköy take longer to pay back but hold their value better.

One detail is worth noting when comparing with 2023: in lira, rents and prices have multiplied, while in dollar terms the price of a meter in Istanbul has changed little — the lira fell at roughly the pace at which prices rose.

What has changed in the rental market since 2023

• The ceiling on rent increases. A 25% cap applied from June 2022, but it was lifted on 2 July 2024: the limit is now the average inflation over twelve months, which for contracts renewed in September 2026 is 31.79%;
• short-term letting. Since 1 January 2024 it requires a permit from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the written consent of every owner in the building, and no more than a quarter of the units in a building may hold one;
• registration of foreigners. Neighbourhoods where foreign residents exceed 20% are closed to address registration, and Istanbul has such mahalles — which matters to anyone letting to foreign tenants who need a residence permit;
• the deposit may not by law exceed three months’ rent, and payments are best made by bank transfer.

A full look at the contract, the deposit and the tax on rental income is in our article on renting an apartment in Turkey.

The best districts for letting with good transport access

Among the districts within walking distance of the five busiest metro stations, the highest average property value is recorded in Gayrettepe, followed by Mecidiyeköy and then Cevizlibağ. The figures below relate to November 2023 and are given as a snapshot of that period.

• In Gayrettepe the average monthly rent is 19 $ per sq m and 2,150 $ for a residence. The average sale price is 4,829 $ per sq m and 439,400 $ per unit.

Gayrettepe is on the European side of the city, one of the central districts with luxury residences and office buildings. It is particularly popular with foreign tenants, so rents there are well above the Istanbul average.

• In Mecidiyeköy, one of the most densely populated districts, rent is 10.6 $ per sq m and 1,061 $ per unit. The average sale price is 2,774 $ per sq m and 330,117 $ per unit.
• Cevizlibağ takes third place, with rent of 9.6 $ per sq m and 890 $ per unit, and a sale price of 2,351 $ per sq m and 251,564 $ per unit.
• Uzunçayır is fourth, with rent of 10.2 $ per sq m and 818 $ per unit, and average sale prices of 2,174 $ and 208,695 $ respectively.
• Among the more affordable districts with good transport links, Yenibosna is worth naming, with an average rent of 729 $ and an average sale price of 183,326 $ per unit.

Property prices in Istanbul: November 2023

• The average sale price per sq m in the city was 1,238 $.
• Prices rose 20.03% over the year adjusted for inflation, and 65.62% over two years.
• The average price of a 115 sq m unit was 142,370 $.
• The average payback period in Istanbul was 19 years, with an average yield of 5.72% a year.
• The minimum and maximum price per sq m ranged from 608 to 3,237 $.
• The average time for an apartment to pass from seller to buyer was 70 days.
• At the end of November 168,446 units were listed for sale across Istanbul province.

Detailed statistics by district

Both tables below are a snapshot of the market at the end of November 2023. The absolute figures have moved since, but the relative standing of the districts and the differences in the age of the housing stock remain instructive.

The main conclusions:

• The districts where prices grow fastest are Beykoz, Sarıyer, Zeytinburnu, Kartal and Üsküdar.
• The slowest growth was recorded in Beylikdüzü, Çatalca, Kadıköy, Ümraniye and Küçükçekmece.
• The fastest payback in November was in Esenyurt and Gaziosmanpaşa.
• The longest payback is in Beykoz, Şile, Bakırköy, Beşiktaş and Sarıyer.
• Housing under 100,000 $ can be found in Fatih, Bahçelievler, Sultanbeyli, Arnavutköy, Esenyurt and Sultangazi.
• Three districts combining a low price per square meter with a fast payback: Gaziosmanpaşa, Sultangazi and Esenyurt.

Here is the data on the number, size and age of resale housing listed in Istanbul at the end of November 2023:

In the earlier version of the table Üsküdar’s average area was given as 12 sq m and Tuzla’s price per unit as 129,1114 $ — plain typos, corrected here to 120 sq m and 129,114 $.

The conclusions from this table:

• The newest housing stock is in Arnavutköy, Beylikdüzü and Çekmeköy (3 years), and in Sancaktepe, Şile and Tuzla (4 years).
• The oldest stock is in Adalar and Fatih (31 years), Güngören and Beyoğlu (28 years).
• The widest choice of resale housing is in Esenyurt, Kadıköy and Beylikdüzü.

What the layout codes mean and how a residence differs from an ordinary complex is explained in our article on the types of real estate in Turkey, and the mechanics of the transaction and the costs on top of the price in the piece on the procedure for buying property in Turkey.

“Istanbul gets compared on the price per meter, but what decides it is the payback. In Beşiktaş that runs to nearly thirty years, in Esenyurt to about eleven — two completely different investment cases in one city,” a transaction support specialist says.

Popular questions

How much does it cost to rent an apartment in Istanbul?

In 2026 the average rate is about 370 TL per meter a month. A one-bedroom comes to roughly 22,000 TL and a two-bedroom to 33,500 TL.

Which district is the most expensive to rent in?

Bakırköy, at around 1,065 TL per meter. In premium neighbourhoods such as Bebek, Moda and Suadiye the rate exceeds 800 TL per meter.

Where does an investment pay back fastest?

In the developing districts: about eleven years in Esenyurt, twelve in Sancaktepe, thirteen in Beylikdüzü. In the central districts it stretches to thirty.

By how much can rent be raised on renewal?

No more than the average inflation over twelve months. In September 2026 that is 31.79%. The earlier 25% ceiling was lifted on 2 July 2024.

Can an apartment in Istanbul be let by the night?

Only with a permit from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the written consent of every owner in the building.