Tickets
Hotels
Tours
Insurance
Trains
TurkeyExchange rate in Turkey
Historically, the Turkish lira has been a fairly stable currency, but since 2018 it has been falling heavily, or frankly speaking, just collapsing. As a result, its exchange rate even fell several times against the ruble. This has become only a plus for travelers from Russia and other countries.
To quickly convert the value in lira to the amount in USD, you need to multiply it by 4.5. I.e., for example, 20 lira * 4.5 = 90 USD. If you don't want to puzzle with decimal places, you can simply multiply the amount by 5, because according to forecasts, the lira is likely to fall to this level in the near future.
Market exchange rate (Turkish lira) for today ()
- 100 лира (TRY) = 156,77 rubles (RUB)
- 1 US dollar (USD) = 45,93 TRY
- 100 rubles (RUB) = 63,79 TRY
- 1 euro (EUR) = 53,42 TRY
Real currency exchange rate *
- 1 US dollar (USD) ≈ 45,01 - 45,84 TRY
- 1 euro (EUR) ≈ 52,35 - 53,31 TRY
* - The real exchange rate is calculated taking into account the fees charged by exchange offices and banks for the exchange. It can also be higher than the calculated one, but if you are offered an exchange rate lower than this, it's a reason to think about finding another place to exchange.
| Amount: | |
| from | ↺ |
| to | ↺ |
| Result: |
* - With the widget enabled, the exchange rate of the selected currency will be displayed in the right sidebar on every page of the site until you disable it yourself.
What is the currency in Turkey
The currency of Turkey is called Turkish Lira. Denoted by TRY or by ₺ before the number. 1 lira (Turkish lira) is divided into 100 kurus (Kurus). In circulation are banknotes in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 lira, a coin of 1 lira, and coins of 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 Kurush. But tourists rarely get kurushi in their hands, since prices are usually rounded to lira.
All payments in the country are made in lira, with the exception of rare places in tourist resorts where they are ready to accept dollars, euros, and sometimes even USD. But when directly calculating foreign currencies, the conversion rate will be very unprofitable, so it is better to exchange foreign currency for lira, and they will be calculated everywhere.
In general, if you see places with the designation of prices in euros, then this is a tourist place with inflated prices, and if you do not want to overpay, it is better not to buy anything there. In addition, there is a problem with the delivery when calculating in foreign currency: the cost of the goods will be calculated in euros at an unfavorable rate, and the change will be issued in lira at an even more unfavorable rate.
What currency to take with you to Turkey
If you are traveling with cash, then you can exchange all major international currencies, but it is most profitable to take dollars or euros. The commission (the difference between the rates) when exchanging other currencies is too large, so it is more profitable at home to exchange your currency for dollars or euros, and go with them.
USD can also be exchanged for lira, but the rate is not very profitable. We calculated and compared the rates in different places, and it turned out that when exchanging in Normal Street points and banks, the difference between the selling and buying rates (i.e., in fact, your losses from the commission) of dollars ranged from 0.8% to 2%, for euros from 0.6% to 1.8%, and for USD – up to 12%. In other words, the best ruble exchange rate that we could find in Istanbul's exchangers, when exchanging an amount equivalent to $ 100, gave 535 lira directly from USD (0.083 rate); conversion to dollars at real rates of Russian banks on the same day, and conversion to lira gave 572 lira. that is, the difference not in favor of the ruble was 36 lira (0.78 USD). The only place where in general it does not matter whether to change USD or another currency is airports, because there the rate is predatory for all money. Buying Turkish lira in Russia is still very difficult, only if unclaimed from tourists.
If you still decide to try your luck and exchange USD for lira, at least use our hint How to determine if you have a favorable exchange rate.
Where to change currency
You can exchange currency in exchange offices, banks, hotels, the airport, at the post office PTT Office.
Courses at the airport and hotels offer extremely unprofitable, it is better to change at a minimum only if absolutely necessary. At airports, the rate is generally very low, and if possible, it is better to withdraw the initial cash at an ATM, provided that you do not have a commission from your bank. For example, the difference in exchange rates in one day:
- The dollar rate in the city is 5.65.
- The exchange rate at Sabiha Gokcen airport is 5.40 (the difference when exchanging 100 dollars will be 25 lira, or about 0.54 USD).
- The exchange rate at the new Istanbul airport is 4.83 (the difference when exchanging 100 dollars will be 82 lira, or about 1.79 USD).
And by the way, do not be happy if you see a good course at the airport. It just most likely means that an additional commission is included, which is usually from 4%.
Exchange currency in cities and Resorts is not a problem anywhere: there are banks and street exchange offices everywhere. To exchange money in a bank, you need to present your passport, but they give you a receipt, according to which you can then exchange lira back at the airport or other banks, without it it will not work. But in street exchangers (Exchange Office) the rate is slightly higher, besides they work at a more convenient time for tourists, including on weekends and in the evenings. Banks are open only on weekdays until 17-18 hours, and they have a lunch break.
Another good option for exchange – chain stores Migros, Sok, Metro. They need to buy something and pay cash in dollars or euros. You'll get change in lire at a decent rate.
What to look for when exchanging, and ways to deceive tourists
In private exchange offices, the exchange rate can only be indicated on the sign for large bills, and small ones are changed at a much lower one, as indicated in small print. Sometimes they can include an exchange fee. Therefore, before exchanging, act according to the traditional working scheme: tell how much you want to exchange, and let them show you on a piece of paper or a calculator how much you will receive. Recalculate everything on your calculator, and if everything is OK, change it.
ATMs and bank cards
In Turkey, you can pay and withdraw cash from ruble, dollar and any other currency bank cards Visa and Mastercard, and the bank Is Bankasi (Türkiye Iş Bankası) accepts the "world", and on very favorable terms. You can pay with a plastic card anywhere, even in the markets, but not everywhere: small hotels and travel agencies do not accept cards, preferring cash. Also, Cards are not accepted in taxis, public transport, some museums and attractions, small local cafes.
When paying with a bank card through payment terminals, there are no commissions, but ideally you should have a dollar or euro card, otherwise there will be a loss when double converting from USD or another currency. But we did a detailed calculation and comparison, and we can say for sure that even taking into account the double conversion, the ruble payment is no less profitable than exchanging cash from USD to dollars/euros at home, and then exchanging for lira. So you can safely pay with a bank card in Turkey, observing, of course, the standard rules of precaution.
You can withdraw money from ATMs. Lira is issued, and some ATMs even issue dollars and euros at your request. The amount of the commission depends on your bank and ATM on issue. Many Russian banks now offer cards with free withdrawals around the world (several withdrawals per month, for example), and this is the best option. In addition to this, the ATM owner bank withholds its issuance fee.
Previously, Turkish Deniz Bank belonged to Sberbank and it was possible to withdraw cash without any commission at all. But now this bank has already been sold by Sberbank, and the commission from Sberbank cards when withdrawing cash in Turkey is withheld.
As of 2019, ATMs of Is Bankasi bank (Türkiye Iş Bankası, ish Bankasi) allow you to withdraw cash without commission from Mir cards. Such ATMs are in many airports and resorts. You can pay with a Mir card in stores only where there is a processing terminal of this bank, but you can only find out about it directly at the checkout.
Tipping in Turkey
As for tipping, you need to understand that there is a tourist Turkey, and not a tourist One. In tourist areas, hotels, at the airport, you will be expected to tip everywhere, and sometimes for completely unnecessary and unexpected services (carried a bag, helped to get luggage, etc.). thanks to a tip of 1-2 dollars, you can greatly improve the quality of the maid in your room, the attitude of the Porter in the hotel, etc. Sometimes you have to tip in order to get the best room at the same official price, usually it is already several tens of dollars. Especially strong is the desire to get tips at the beach resorts of Turkey and in hotels, where tourists are taken on vouchers.
In non-tourist Turkey, everything is different, and no one will expect tips and impose unnecessary services. Payment in the store, in the market, for travel is made strictly according to the price.