Does Real Estate Investing in Antalya Still Make Sense for Foreigners in 2025-26?

Antalya is a very well-known city to foreigners abroad, it is the 5th largest city in all of Turkey, it's also the provincial capital of Antalya Province. Unlike Izmir, the tourism sector here is massive, even though Antalya is smaller than other major Turkish cities. The question that's on many foreigners minds as we enter the peak tourism season for Turkey is: does buying real estate in Antalya still make sense? Or has the ratio of rents or vacation rental charges here to property purchasing, maintenance and insurance costs become unfavorable?

See also:

An Introduction to Real Estate Markets in Adana and Ceyhan, Türkiye

Deep in the Heart of Türkiye: Does Buying Real Estate in Ankara Make Sense for International Investors in 2025-26?

Türkiye: Best Places for Foreigners to Invest in Istanbul Real Estate in 2025

Citizenship by Investment (CBI/CIP) in the Republic of Türkiye: The Basics

Photo credit above: Panoramic view of Antalya Old Town, with Taurus Mountains in distance. Uploaded to Adobe Boris Stroujko by Adobe Stock photo ID: 177440768

Antalya's Ancient Greco-Roman Roots

The city by itself is not as old as Izmir (Smyrna), but it's still quite ancient, with it being established around 200 BC by the Greek King Attaleia of Pergamon. With its prime location on the southern Mediterranean Sea coast, it's not hard to see why this place became the Tourism Capital of Turkey. The beaches are breathtaking, the Turkish Riviera climate is Mediterranean, so it’s spring or summer-like temperatures almost year-round, and the city enjoys 300 days of sunshine annually. For 2,200 years, through many massive earthquakes and wars, there's been some sort of continued human settlement, leaving a rich archeological heritage across the province. Relevant historical locations include Hadrians Gate, the Old Town in Kaleci district, and the ancient Roman capital of the province, Perga.

Photo credit above: Ruins of the Temple of Apollo, Antalya.

Uploaded to Adobe by tuwien Adobe Stock photo ID: 41446622

Antalya's European and Russian Tourism Hub Status

Antalya is one of the most visited cities in the world, attracting millions of tourists every year, especially from Northwest Europe and Russia. This is the starting point for real estate investors who wish to purchase short-term rental properties. Rental income is an excellent way to earn dollars or euros while paying off a mortgage in depreciating Turkish Lira. Since it is also one of the most popular tourist destinations in the whole country, the relevant infrastructure has been constructed to accommodate travelers needs, such as international airports, highways, high-end restaurants, luxury goods shopping centers, and high quality healthcare facilities. All of these amenities help Antalya maintain a highly robust real estate market for domestic and foreign investors.

Properties can range from villas to modest apartments, this all helps to build a high quality of life. There is a vibrant expat community, especially for British, German, Russian, and Ukrainian expats. Many foreigners live in various districts in the city, but if you are going for a rental yield model as a source of revenue for your properties, it's important to note that managing and maintaining waterfront or hillside properties could prove more expensive than at first glance. Therefore, it's a good idea to understand if you are going for short-term gain or long term gain, because that fundamental strategy will influence your property choices.

Photo credit above: Duden Waterfall in Antalya

Uploaded to Adobe by Natalia Pavlova Adobe Stock photo ID: 36618289

Intense Competition for Listing Antalya Vacation Rental and Luxury Investment Properties

Now, the demand for rental properties is never going to go away in Antalya, as its position as possibly the most famous tourist destination on the Mediterranean after Barcelona, Nice or Ibiza is already solidified, and it does not have extensive competition. The newer Egyptian resorts on the Med are less well known and Hurghada is stereotyped as a spot for Germans or Russians. Still affordable prices as development sprawls up and down the coast plus the high annual visitor count keeps Antalya very appealing to invest in. Due to that, there is intense competition among European and Russian-speaking realtors engaged in attracting foreign investors and guiding them through the process of obtaining real estate in Antalya. This is a major reason our colleagues at ExitStrategyWorld have been slow to enter the Turkish property listings market.

One such company is Antalya Estate, but there are also others who have portfolios consisting of various clients. Most foreigners who buy real estate in Turkey are usually Russian or Ukrainian Slavs, Iranians, Gulf Arabs, and Chinese, corresponding with the leading nationalities participating in the Turkish Golden Visa/CIP. However, within the city itself, Russians, Germans, Iranians, and British citizens are known to have made most of the foreign purchases.

Photo credit above: The well-preserved Aspendos Theater in the ancient Roman-Byzantine city of Aspendos in Antalya province, Turkey. Uploaded to Adobe by Xavier Allard Adobe Stock photo ID: 81929094

Before completing a purchase, we remind you that it's important to obtain a Turkish tax number from the local tax office and to apply for title deed transfer to give you the ownership of the property.

The properties in Antalya are still often cheaper than in Ankara or Istanbul (see ESW Patreon links above), and with plenty of new-construction smaller apartment units it's an attractive option, even for a few budget-conscious buyers. But we also remind our readers that foreigners who invest at least $400,000 in Turkish real estate can become eligible for Turkish citizenship. And the Turkish passport is quite strong for visa-free travel to 114 countries and territories around the world.

Of course, the city has its various districts and areas, each with their own perks and options.

Photo credit above: Panoramic bird view of Antalya and Mediterranean seacoast and beach with a paraglider.

Uploaded to Adobe by neurobite Adobe Stock photo ID: 221327660

Antalya's Best Areas for Property Investment in 2025-26

Lara Beach, for example, is a waterfront property, but it is rather luxurious and thus caters to only those who simply have money – it has high end apartment complexes and villas.

Konyaalti is one of the districts that have had some investment thrown into in recent years, it is also a favored area for expats, it has modern infrastructure and is also a waterfront property – their beaches are considered great.

Belek is not known for any beaches specifically, even if it has them, but it is known for its golf resorts, and thus its demographic is rather limited to those who are old, rich, and have money to spare, it has upscale holiday homes and is good for investments

Alanya is a much more “common” district, it is also much cheaper than any of the aforementioned districts we wrote about so far, it is most frequented by tourists and locals who wish to rent properties for a few days – important to keep in mind for those rental yields during the summer holidays, the same overview can also be applied to Serik.

Kaleici also known as Old Town is the late 19th and early 20th century district of Antalya. Property in Kaleici is usually residential, it is full of the more historic-oriented parts of the city, including the Ottoman-era residences and hotels.

Muratpasha is also a residential district and is close to the city center, considered a central district, known for the Hadrians Gate and Duden Waterfall, while another district such as Kepez is more known for its green spaces and parks.

Kalkan is a waterfront district, and is more oriented to the upscale citizens. However, it does have neighborhoods that caters to more middle class segments of society.

The price per square meter varies between each district, but it can go as cheap as €500 per meter square up to €2,000 per meter square, depending on your property type and location.

Landscape of Alanya Castle in Antalya, with cruise ship in the background

Uploaded to Adobe by GeniusMinus Adobe Stock photo ID: 325949423

We also remind our readers that the Turkish economy is in flux at the moment, due to currency devaluation. Therefore investing here has several pros and cons – for example, your investment returns may decline with property values, but you can also purchase property using dollars or euros at favorable exchange rates. And while Turkish foreign ownership rules are rather lax and favorable for foreign prospect investors, it is important to know every step of your legal process and to have a Turkish law firm or a real estate agent reachable for guidance.

It is thus quite worth it to buy property in Antalya, it has the affordable and relevant real estate, plus high potential for rental income. But it is necessary to know what sort of property you are going to purchase, and what is your ownership time horizon in years (we recommend at least 5 to see a good ROI). But in our opinion, if you play it right, Antalya is still a rewarding location for residential and investment purposes.