Is it getting expensive ?

[Gina]

yes things are getting expensive here .... just for instance a trip to Fethiye last week to shop and pop into the bank cost us 3 ytl to park for one hour in what I call the harbour carpark , the one opposite garanti bank, this had just gone up from 2 ytl. Things went quicker than expected and we still had 1/2 hour on our ticket so hubby suggested we had a coffe on the harbour front...nice day and all. Well 2 small but very nice nescafe later we asked for the bill , so 5ytl for 2 coffees and 3ytl parking had cost us nearly £6.50. Why use the car our biggest luxury here , get on the bus and save ......well a trip from Ovacik to Fethiye now costs 2.5 ytl each way per person ie for 2 of us 10 ytl to get there and back ...how do the turks on their poor wages manage to live ? I have chosen to live here I know but sometimes it does feel as though we are being ripped off  £ 1.10 for a coffee!!! The problem is that although as suggested we can walk away from these expensive establishments and now living on near {ish} turkish income our problem is that holiday makers have lots more money to spend and as Ive heard a few times said by the Turks ...no bartering or lower prices for the people living here as when the next rich Brit arrives they will pay the prices asked . I know Ive been a holiday maker before and didnt really have a clue what i was doiung to the local economy.....YOu solve it

[Harley]

Gina i totally agree with what you are saying and i simpathise with all the brits living there.  Why should you all be penalised, just because they expect all brits to have endless pockets.  This is why we all need to make a stand and show that we are not going to be taken for a ride...  

[Gina]

Thankyou Harley ...I hope I explained myself clearly, I've thought of lots of different situations that might convey  how it is to live here, it is a constant battle . We have lived here for a year now and dont get me wrong We wouldn't change it for the world BUT... you have to have your wits about you , unfortunately it puts you on the defence all the time waiting to be done but time helps and I think it's under control now. It's a real pleasure when you feel you have had a good deal ..it does still happen you know the helpful friendly Turk but it's just a little harder to come by these days ,roll back 10 years ago or probably more for some on here.

[tribalelder]

Sorry Gina but 8YTL is £3.50 not £6.50. Last time I parked in the UK it cost nearly a fiver before the coffee. Rising costs are not confined to Turkey.  UK gas/electric,water rates all into double figures etc.etc.
Rimms...I recently had a quote for glasses....Varifocals,thin lenses,photochromic and scratch resistant in a fairly high scrip for £156.....UK price for similar is in excess of £300! I think like restaurants the high profile establishments are the worst culprits on prices.

[Gina]

Sorry  you are quite right tribalelder. £ 3,50 ....could be something to do with the couple of beers consumed last night . My point is still that costs can be quite high here £1.10 for a small coffee in my book is expensive. I've lost track now of the times we have been quoted silly prices only to shop around and find what we want...sometimes for as much as half the original quote. Friends of ours were recently quoted £1.200 to have their smallish vills repainted , now knowing how much paint costs and the average wage paid I think more like half of that figure would have still reaped a good profit but like I said before locals don't even seem to want to discuss/barter as they seem sure that someone else will pay these inflated prices and would rather not bother to work than drop their prices.
I agree that prices are rising everywhere but sometimes there is a difference between genuine price increases and the thought that cos we are foreigners have got endless reserves of cash.

[tribalelder]

I think your last paragraph also refers to the British Government and the British Public:D
As you rightly say shop around....but wouldn't we get several quotes for a job in the UK?  I still know where I would rather live.

[davewalsh]

I have said it elsewhere but you have to factor in the divergent economic factors currently in play between the UK and Turkey. Turkish inflation has run at 9% for 2004 and 2005, an 18% jump in Turkish prices. Compared to about 5% inflation in UK prices over the same period. The YTL started out at 2.75 to the pound, it is now trading at around 2.2, an appreciation of almost 20%. These two factors alone will account for a significant increase in prices to UK visitors and residents. Next you have the import situation. The UK economy is 'benefiting' - I use the word guardedly, cynically and with caution - from cheap goods and services from China and India and indeed, eastern Europe. Many things are now MUCH cheaper in the UK than to tourists or ex-pats in Turkey, think Matalan, H&M and other outlets but also think about the cost of something like drawing up a will, around 99 pounds in the UK, two or three times that in turkey. An equalisation of expectations is long overdue and I am afraid it is the Turks who will have to give way or they will suffer economically ( I mean of course those greedy Turks, we all know examples of good honest people who aren't taking us for a ride). My maintenance company charge me £2-£4 per hour for odd-jobs to skilled labour, people should set their expectations around that kind of pricing for labour, it's not a high wage but it is one that will not distort the economy. And lets stop it with the excessive tipping by the way - todays bill with excessive tip becomes tomorrows new tourist price

[Harley]

Yes despite everything i would love nothing more than to move over there permanently.

Gina maybe we should all invest in a set of big ladders some  paint brushes etc, then we can paint our villa's ourselves.  If i was out there long enough I'd do all the DIY myself...  Mind you i am a bit of a DIY freak and love new challenges.... Least i could do it in the heat, unlike over here...

[Gina]

Funny you should say that Harley, it's exactly what we've done since moving here. Husbands job was in the building trade and can turn his hand to most things . Cost of painting our small villa exactly the same size as our friends ...£200 pounds for paint and a couple of days work.

Davewalsh the times I,ve had that discussion with local shop owners re UK prices in places like Matalan ,Primark etc...it just doesn't seem to sink in but I now know many people who used to come here for the "cheap" clothes buying their T-shirts etc before they come as they can get better quality and price especially kids bits in Tesco etc. The local mentality is to increase prices this year cos it was a bad one last year ...try telling them that it would make more sense to lower their prices and become more attractive to a larger number of cutomers does not seem to compute

[Harley]

Hi gina

As they say   "you can't teach an old dog new tricks"  They will have to learn the hard way.  I'm one of the few females that hates shopping at the best of times, so yes i agree shopping in tesco's is an excellent choice for me.  I go in grab what i want, the quality is excellent and i don't have to barter either.  

I think you need is a shopping trip to the UK as much as we all need a holiday in the sun...


Oh twist...  My name is also Gina...  Great minds think alike...