Is Bodrum Expensive? What Things Really Cost

Yes, Bodrum is expensive, and no, Bodrum is not expensive, and both answers are true within the same square mile. Bodrum is the priciest resort region in Turkey, and at the top end, a platform in Türkbükü or a marina table in Yalıkavak in August, it charges Riviera money without blinking. Walk two streets back from the water, or come in June, and it is one of the better-value places an American can spend a summer week. The trick is knowing which Bodrum you are standing in.

At a glance

Cheapest months with good weather

June and September; May and October cheaper still, with cooler water

Priciest months

July and August, with the peak in the first three weeks of August

Priciest areas

Yalıkavak marina, Türkbükü's beach clubs, the Bodrum waterfront

Best-value bases

Bitez, Ortakent, Gümüşlük, Gündoğan, Turgutreis

Currency

Turkish lira (TRY); some tourist menus also quote euros or dollars

Cash or card

Cards nearly everywhere; cash for the dolmuş, markets, small cafés and tips

Tipping

5 to 10 percent in restaurants if service is not included; round up taxis

The two-tier economy

Bodrum runs on two price lists. One is set by Istanbul: the summer crowd that arrives in July with the expectation of paying Istanbul-plus for everything, and the beach clubs, marina restaurants and hotels that price accordingly, often in euros in all but name. The other is set by the people who live here all year, the lokantas, bakeries, market stalls and minibuses that serve the construction workers, teachers and fishermen the brochures do not show.

The two lists coexist a hundred yards apart. The fish restaurant on the quay and the tradesmen's lunch place behind the mosque buy from the same wholesaler; one charges Monaco rates and one charges less than a sandwich in Boston. Visitors who find Bodrum ruinous almost always spent the week on the first list without noticing the second.

What is cheap

• Fruit and vegetables, especially at the weekly markets: Bodrum's on Tuesdays and Fridays, Turgutreis on Saturdays, Yalıkavak on Thursdays. Tomatoes, peaches, figs and melons in season cost very little
• Bread, simit and tea. A simit and a glass of tea at a stand is the cheapest breakfast in Europe or Asia, and the tea refills are usually free
• Meze and lokanta food. A plate of three or four meze, bread and a grilled main in a neighborhood place is modest by any US standard
• The dolmuş minibuses from Bodrum otogar to every village, running all day in season; a fare is pocket change and a car-free week is entirely possible
• Domestic flights from Istanbul to Bodrum booked a couple of months ahead; the last-minute price in August is another matter
• Local wine and rakı, pharmacy goods, haircuts, laundry, tailoring, and anything else where the cost is mostly Turkish labor

What is expensive

• Beach clubs. A sunbed and umbrella on a platform in Türkbükü or a club in Yalıkavak is priced like the South of France, and the minimum spend on food and drink can be more again
• Marina and waterfront restaurants, where a fish by weight, a bottle of imported wine and a view can add up to a serious dinner anywhere in the world
• Imported alcohol. Turkey taxes it heavily; a gin and tonic with a foreign label costs much more than a local beer or rakı
• Car rental in July and August, when demand from Istanbul families empties the lots and prices double or worse against June
• Villas with pools in the fashionable villages in peak weeks, boutique hotels in Türkbükü, and anything described as 'club' or 'lounge'
• Anything at all on the water in Yalıkavak marina, from a coffee to a sun hat

The lira, inflation and why menus change mid-season

Turkey has had high inflation for several years, which changes how prices behave. Lira prices rise fast, so a lokanta menu printed in May may be reprinted by August, and the number you remember from last year is not a guide to this one. For a visitor spending dollars this cuts both ways: the lira has tended to weaken against the dollar, which softens the blow in local places, but tourist businesses increasingly think in euros or dollars and reprice to protect themselves.

The practical effect is that the local tier stays cheap in dollar terms and the tourist tier does not, because the tourist tier was never really priced in lira. Do not try to budget a Bodrum trip to the dollar from online figures more than a few months old; think in bands, as below, and check the current exchange rate the week you travel.

What a day costs, in bands

Budget: a room in a family pension in Bitez, Ortakent or Gümüşlük, breakfast included; the dolmuş to the beach; a public or town beach; lokanta lunch and a meze dinner off the waterfront; local beer. This is a day that costs less than a modest day out in most American cities, and it is a perfectly good Bodrum day.

Mid-range: a decent hotel or a rented apartment, a small rental car in June or September, a sunbed at a beach restaurant rather than a club, one good fish dinner on the water and the rest in the lanes, a boat day trip, local wine. Comparable to a mid-range day in a Spanish or Portuguese resort, and cheaper than Greece in the same month.

Splurge: a boutique hotel or villa in Türkbükü or Yalıkavak in August, a platform or club with its minimum spend, marina dinners with imported wine, a private boat, a driver. At this level Bodrum is as expensive as anywhere on the Mediterranean, and anyone who tells you otherwise has not seen the bill.

Why prices climb every year

Three things push Bodrum's prices up faster than the rest of the coast. Demand: Istanbul's wealthy have treated the peninsula as their summer address for 30 years and the Gulf and European money that followed them is not price-sensitive. Land: the peninsula is small, hilly and partly protected, so there is not much coast left to build on and what exists is bid up. Season: a business that earns for four months and pays rent for twelve has to make its year between June and September, and prices accordingly.

Add high inflation, and every returning visitor says the same thing in the taxi from the airport: it was cheaper last year. They are right, and it will be true again next year.

How repeat visitors handle it

People who come back year after year have settled on the same handful of moves. They book flights and cars early, in winter if possible, because the gap between an early and a late August price is the biggest single saving on the trip. They come in June or September, when the sea is warm, the light is better and the Istanbul crowd is at work; the same room on the same bay can cost a good deal less than three weeks earlier.

They stay in Bitez, Ortakent or Gümüşlük rather than Yalıkavak or Türkbükü, and drive to the fashionable bays for one lunch rather than sleeping there at fashionable rates. They eat where locals eat for most meals and save the waterfront for one or two evenings. And a growing number stop renting at all and secure their summers in advance, whether by buying a place, by sharing one with friends or family, or through one newer option, Vomundi, which sells points for future summers at today's price rather than next August's.

None of this makes Bodrum cheap at the top end. It makes it a place where you choose your price, which is more than can be said for most of the Mediterranean in August.

Frequently asked questions

Is Bodrum expensive for tourists?

It is the most expensive resort area in Turkey, and in Yalıkavak and Türkbükü in July and August prices match the French and Italian Riviera. Outside those spots and outside peak season, food, transport and lodging are good value by US standards.

Is Bodrum cheaper than Greece?

In local restaurants, markets, transport and mid-range hotels, yes, usually. At the top end, Bodrum's beach clubs and marina restaurants cost as much as or more than their equivalents on Mykonos or Santorini. The crossing to Kos makes the comparison easy to test in a day.

What is the cheapest time to visit Bodrum?

May and October are cheapest, with cooler water and some places closed. June and September are the best value for warm sea and full services. July and August, especially the first three weeks of August, are the most expensive.

Can you use US dollars in Bodrum?

Some tourist businesses accept dollars or euros, but the rate is poor and you should pay in Turkish lira. Cards are accepted almost everywhere; carry some lira cash for minibuses, markets and tips, and withdraw from bank ATMs rather than exchanging at the airport.

How much should you tip in Bodrum?

Five to ten percent in restaurants when service is not already on the bill, a rounded-up fare in taxis, and a small amount for hotel housekeeping and boat crews. Tipping is appreciated but not as expected as in the US.

Which part of Bodrum is the cheapest to stay in?

Bitez, Ortakent, Gündoğan and Turgutreis are the best value for a week by the sea, and Gümüşlük is reasonable outside the waterfront restaurants. Yalıkavak and Türkbükü are the most expensive, followed by the Bodrum town waterfront in peak season.