I moved from the UK to Turkey at 49 – and can live comfortably on £100 a week

Becky Walsh upped sticks from her home in Hay-on-Wye in mid-2021 and moved to Turkey – where she was able to buy her house outright.

The 53-year-old marketing consultant has always travelled a lot – having visited 70 countries since she was young – and says the Covid lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 made her realise she really wanted to leave the UK once again.

Now, she’s living in Kalkan in the south-west of the country, and says the lifestyle that’s affordable there on a relatively low budget, is far superior to what could be afforded in the UK.

She initially moved for a job opportunity that did not pan out, but this ended up not mattering, as Becky – who has Turkish residency and now lives with her Turkish partner – found most of her own clients were no longer asking her to visit them in person, after remote work became the norm during the pandemic.

She bought her home – a two-bed with “breathtaking” sea views – outright for the equivalent of around £150,000, and says it’s possible to live “easily” on £100 per per week.

Becky says the costs in Kalkan are considered relatively expensive compared to other places in the country – with some people even referring to it as the St Tropez of Turkey – but that it is “still a much cheaper cost of living than Britain”.

“My water bill is £4 a month, my energy bill might be slightly more, and I don’t pay any council tax,” says Becky.

To give some other examples of the comparatively cheap costs, she says a loaf of bread costs the equivalent of around 20p, she can get tea in a local café for 10p and a lunch out for two – that might include pancakes, chai and a salad – for £6 or £7.

“There are a lot of hig-end restaurants for £50 or £60 per head, but there are good and cheaper options,” she says.

She says the alcohol can be expensive in Turkey because of high taxes, but getting a big beer for between £3 and £5 is still possible, with the average cost of a pint in Britain being around £5. It would be cheaper if bought from a supermarket.

Another extra cost that you would not face in the UK is earthquake insurance, though she says this comes to around £75 per year.

Becky still comes back to the UK relatively regularly, and also travels the world house and pet-sitting, which she says is an expense free way to see multiple countries.

“Turkey is my home base, but I use house-sitting as a smart and cheap way to travel. I’ve always done lots of travelling and had that wanderlust. When I decided to leave the UK and come here I was thinking ‘it’s time to start living how you want’ as you never know when your number is up,” she explains.

Becky does not know yet where she will live in the future, but says Greece and Italy are “high up” on her list of places to consider.

Despite the cost savings, there are things she does miss about the UK as well.

“I really miss a good pub – those really atmospheric ones with live music. I’d miss that anywhere I think, it’s not specific to Turkey. People try and replicate that all across the world – you see that even in New York for example – but it’s very hard to do,” she says.

“I’m not one of those people who says, ‘it’s hideous’ in the UK – it’s definitely not – and I regularly come back to see clients and family,” she adds.

But she says if she did move in the future, she thinks she would probably keep her Turkish property as an investment as well, especially given its the home country of her partner.