The answer to “How much do I need to save for a home?” is not the home’s price. Most people save not for the whole home but for the down payment and costs, and pay the rest with a mortgage. But while you save, the price goes up too. A realistic budget has three parts: the down payment, the purchase costs and the price increase.
1. Down payment: the part the loan doesn’t cover
Banks don’t lend the full value of a home. Türkiye’s banking regulator (BDDK) caps the ratio of the loan to the home’s value. Under the January 2026 rules, the cap depends on the home’s value and its energy performance class: lower-value homes with better energy classes can be financed more. The bank uses the appraised value set by a licensed valuation firm, not the sale price.
In practice this means the down payment ratio varies from home to home, and if the appraisal comes in below the sale price you also have to cover the gap. Before you start your plan, ask your bank how much it lends for the kind of home you have in mind.
2. Purchase costs: what comes on top of the price
The items paid on top of the price add up to a significant amount:
- Title deed fee (tapu harcı): Under Fees Law No. 492, 2% of the sale price is charged to the buyer and another 2% to the seller. It is calculated on the higher of the declared price and the municipal property tax value.
- Land registry service fee (döner sermaye): A fixed indicator amount for 2026 multiplied by the district’s coefficient; a few thousand lira.
- Estate agent fee: Under the Regulation on Real Estate Trade, at most 2% of the sale price plus VAT may be charged to the buyer and to the seller separately.
- Appraisal fee (if you take a loan), DASK (compulsory earthquake insurance) and home insurance, which the bank may require.
- Moving and settling in: Removals, repairs, appliances. Forgotten in most budgets.
Together these often reach 4–6% of the price. For new homes bought from a developer, VAT may also apply; the rate depends on the home’s size and location.
3. Price increase: the target moves while you save
According to the CBRT House Price Index, house prices in Türkiye rose 22.3% in nominal terms in the year to September 2026. A home that costs ₺4 million today would cost about ₺4.9 million a year from now at that pace. Even with the same down payment ratio, the down payment amount grows at the same rate.
So the right question isn’t “How much should I save for a ₺4 million home?” but “In which month will my savings catch up with that month’s down payment and costs?”
An example
A ₺4,000,000 home, 30% down payment and 5% costs. At today’s price you need ₺1,400,000. You have ₺500,000, add ₺40,000 a month, and your savings earn 35% a year after tax.
If house prices rise at different speeds:
| Yearly price increase | Time to reach it | Home price that month | Down payment + costs needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15% | 19 months | ~₺4.99 million | ~₺1.75 million |
| 22% | 22 months | ~₺5.76 million | ~₺2.02 million |
| 30% | 28 months | ~₺7.38 million | ~₺2.58 million |
The price growth assumption alone moves the date by more than a year. That’s why looking at a few scenarios beats trusting a single number.
Try your own numbers in the home buying calculator.
After the down payment: the instalment
Getting the down payment together is half the job. The instalment on the rest of the loan will leave your budget every month. According to CBRT weekly data, the average yearly mortgage rate in the week of 16 October 2026 was 41.50%, about 2.94% a month.
At that rate, a ₺2,800,000 loan over 120 months costs about ₺84,900 a month; in total you pay about ₺10.2 million, 3.6 times the loan. Banks also look at the instalment-to-income ratio. The instalment should be affordable without starving your emergency fund and other goals. Try different amounts and terms in the loan payment calculator.
Whether buying beats renting is a separate calculation: Rent or buy?
How Kartopu calculates it
- Create a home goal. Enter today’s price, the down payment ratio and the costs.
- Add your current savings as records. Deposits, gold, foreign currency; all count towards the goal.
- Play with price growth and return in plans. See side by side which month you reach the down payment in the optimistic, base and pessimistic scenarios.
- “What if I add ₺10,000 more a month?” Try the scenario; your real records don’t change.
Sources
- CBRT, House Price Index, September 2026.
- CBRT, EVDS, weekly loan rates, 16 October 2026.
- Fees Law No. 492, Tariff (4).
- General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre, fees and service charges.
- Regulation on Real Estate Trade, service fees.
- BDDK, decision on loan-to-value ratios for mortgages (January 2026).
This article is general information, not investment or loan advice. Check exact costs with the land registry office and your bank.