Practical · 6 min read
Turkey for UK travellers: currency, tipping and prices in 2026
8 April 2026
Pay in lira, tip in cash, exchange at the post office. The lira's slide is partly your friend, partly a trap.
What the lira is doing
Turkish inflation has run between 40 and 80 percent for the last three years. Wages and rents have caught up; restaurant prices have caught up; touristic prices in pounds have not changed dramatically. So a Bodrum dinner that cost £45 in 2019 still costs £45 in 2026 — but in lira it is now 1,800 instead of 320.
How to pay
In lira, by card, almost everywhere. ATMs are everywhere; use ones inside bank branches. Avoid currency exchange booths in tourist areas (their rate is 5-8% off). The PTT (post office) gives the best rate. Bring a card with no foreign transaction fee — Starling, Chase, Wise.
How much to tip
Restaurants: 10% in cash, on top of any service charge. Drivers: 50 lira per leg (about £1.50). Hotel housekeeping: 50 lira per night, in an envelope. Tour guides: 250-500 lira per day. Spa therapists: 200 lira.
What things actually cost in 2026
A taxi from Bodrum airport to Yalikavak: 1,800 lira (£50). A grilled fish dinner for two with wine: 4,000-6,000 lira (£100-£150). A coffee in a smart Istanbul cafe: 200 lira (£5). A liver-and-onion lokanta lunch: 700 lira (£18).
What is more expensive than you expect
Imported wine, Western branded supermarket goods, fuel (a tank of diesel is now £80), domestic flights at peak. What is cheaper: olive oil (the producer prices it for the export market), tea, public transport, neighbourhood lokantas.
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