From Türkiye’s urban to rural migrators to digital nomads from around the world and retirees from European countries, Bodrum has experienced an influx of visitors in summer and winter.

Thus, Bodrum has become a city with the center itself surrounded by different regions hosting visitors throughout the year. There is something for everyone when it comes to Bodrum. The city offers a diversified and high standard of living according to your needs and pocket. Although several construction projects are underway, the massive influx of visitors to the region has made houses and flats in Bodrum prime property. Therefore, there are unprecedented price hikes that are significantly higher than in any other region along Türkiye’s southern coast.

The fact that Bodrum is now the most expensive place for renting, in particular, is because many homeowners choose to rent flats out for extortionate prices in the summer and thus the top-of-the-season months. And so, as every Bodrum resident will say, "it’s now or never" if you want to rent a yearly flat at a somewhat approachable price. In summer, the monthly rental prices soar from 300% to 400%. But Bodrum is still a great place to live in summer or winter and seems will always continue to attract urban and foreign residents of all ages and diverse nationalities.

Starting at the center

When referring to Bodrum, there are actually two different understandings of the name. There is the city center, which houses the castle and Underwater Museum, the marina, and pedestrian strips parallel to and lining the sea within its boundaries. The top residential areas that surround the city center would be Eskiçeşme, Kumbahçe and the neighborhood behind the marina. These are a few of the most expensive and oldest neighborhoods in the Bodrum peninsula. Also, if you find it difficult to commute by car, you'll have the opportunity to walk to beaches and visit many restaurants and cafes housed in the city center.

Konacık

If you still want to be close to the Bodrum center but you are looking for more affordable alternatives, Içmeler is the place you should go for. It is better than Konacık and Gümbet. It is the least expensive neighborhood and is easily serviced by transportation. Içmeler has better residential options but they are fewer and far between, while Konacık, the neighborhood that lines either side of the peninsula’s main throughway has more affordable accommodation in newer buildings. Konacık has only really been considered a residential district in recent decades as dozens of "sites" and gated communities have been built up on the hills leading to the Pedasa trail.

Gümbet

Gümbet, on the other hand, has always been considered the most affordable neighborhood in Bodrum, which is surprising as it is literally just a few streets away from the town center and the next most upscale region of Bitez. Gümbet is however popular with many "package" tourists from Europe seeking an affordable holiday in the sun and so the nightlife is said to be the most boisterous in the entire region. Gümbet not only has the longest sandy beach in Bodrum, but it is also extremely easy to access from the city center, making it strategically a sound choice for those wanting to easily come and go into town using Türkiye’s well-oiled "minibus" transportation service.

Bitez

Who would have thought that this neighborhood situated in between the main highway-like road leading to Bodrum and a seaside with the region’s shallowest beach, would become the main area to reside in the peninsula? Bitez is now arguably one of the most in-demand regions and the homes for rent, which are scarce, are certainly billed the highest. But Bitez does offer a lot of benefits as a residential region. It not only houses the region’s courthouse where many professionals such as lawyers have opened up offices in the already highly sought-after buildings that existed but there are also cafes and a number of upscale restaurants as well as some of the best beach clubs located in the next neighborhood over referred to as Ortakent or Yahşi.

Ortakent

Hands down the best area for families: Ortakent is quieter and has more upscale housing opportunities, which makes finding a rental in this area nearly impossible. This region is perhaps the most expensive if you can find something, but the streets are wide, the shore landscaped and dotted with restaurants and some of the best low-key and relaxed beach clubs for swimming and socializing on the peninsula. As its name suggests, Ortakent is also quite central, making carpooling and navigating the peninsula easier, especially in the high-season summertime when traffic can be a serious issue.

Turgutreis

One of the farthest spots from central Bodrum is Turgutreis. In fact, upon entry to the peninsula, Turgutreis even has its own road signs as if it were a completely different city altogether. This can be attested to the vast size of the Turgutreis region, which also houses a number of neighborhoods within its precinct. Turgutreis is one of the oldest regions to have been developed for residential housing and thus there are a lot of affordable accommodation options yet some may seem substandard compared to the peninsula’s newer builds. But Turgutreis has a lot of positive attributes spanning from a coastal running and biking path, a marina house coffee shops restaurants and gourmet shows and social and pedestrian landscaped park areas to while away the day drinking tea in the sun as per the customs of the "old days" in Türkiye. Furthermore, Turgutreis is located between Akyarlar, which is known for its wild and expansive beaches such as Meteor and Camel Beach, and the newly developed Aspat residential complex while the other side stretches to Gümüşlük.

Gümüşlük

While certainly small, the Gümüşlük neighborhood makes up for its size with its plethora of restaurants and cafes, and colorful fairy lights and gourd lanterns donning trees decoratively placed in the sea. To many who first see it, the beach looks like a wonderland of colors and the bohemian vibe of the coast there can make one feel like they are somewhere else entirely. These sentiments alone also make Gümüşlük a highly in-demand region for year-round tenants.

Yalıkavak

One could say Yalıkavak is now its very own city-town as it certainly is the most developed of regions outside of the city center. With a marina, multiple different areas laden with restaurants and cafes, multiple and varied beach clubs and pedestrian walkways, an artist’s street and a main road connecting with Gundogan and then Türkbükü, Yalıkavak is expensive and has every type of accommodation imaginable.

Türkbükü

Notorious for selling the country’s most expensive fast food, with the soaring lahmacun and burger prices making headlines throughout the summer, Türkbükü is considered the most upscale region of Bodrum where famous people come to spend their summer and others visit to see them. An understandably harder destination to find a yearlong rental and with fewer permanent residents than other regions on the peninsula, Türkbükü is a great place to visit for the day but is somewhere where expats tend to stay away from and who prefer the much more affordable neighborhoods of Gündoğan and Torba on either side as places to reside.