This is a foreign exchange guide to Turkey, the Turkish Lira currency plus TRY transfers and travel tips.

In this Turkey currency guide we take a look at :
- Turkish Lira info - general info about the Turkish Lira
- Turkish Lira in the markets - recent TRY moves and predictions from the FX markets
- Travelling in Turkey - currency & money saving tips
- Buying Turkish Lira cash online - travel money for Turkey
- Sending money to Turkey - save on Turkish Lira bank transfers to Turkey
- Turkish Lira exchange rates - latest & historic exchange rates.
- TRY News - the latest Turkish Lira related articles from our blog.
Turkish Lira (TRY) general currency information
What is the Turkish Lira currency code and symbol?
The three letter currency code for the Turkish Lira is TRY and the symbol is ₺.
Which countries use the Turkish Lira?
It is the domestic currency in Turkey.
The lira is subdivided into 100 kuruş.
Global interest in the lira has picked up considerably since the turn of the millennium. By 2016, the lira was the 16th most traded currency in the world. It had been 30th most traded in 2001.
Precious metals remain an important cog in Turkey’s economy. “Turkey is home to the entire gold value chain from mining and refining, to jewellery design and investment,” says the World Gold Council, and this therefore links short and medium-term changes in the lira’s value to the broader commodities cycle.
Short-term changes in the lira are also driven by risk sentiment. As a riskier, emerging market currency, the lira will fall in value against the major currencies of the world (especially JPY, USD, CHF, GBP and EUR) during periods of economic uncertainty or when geopolitical risk is elevated.
It is fair to say about the lira’s long-term value that it is stuck in perpetual decline.
Ravaged by above-100% inflation, the lira lost 97% of its value against the dollar between the mid-1990s and early 2000s. In 2003, with a single dollar buying 1.5 million lira, the Turkish government decided to redenominate, and this took place in January 2005, striking six zeros from the lira.
Post-redenomination, the historic downtrend in the lira persists, barring some stability between 2005 and 2008.
Between January 2008 and January 2017, the lira lost 71% of its updated value as TRY/USD fell from its post-redenomination high of 0.8772 (USD/TRY 1.14) to its post-redenomination low of 0.2538 (USD/TRY 3.94).
Turkish Lira (TRY) in the markets
12-February-2019: The lira has been remarkably stable since December, having floated between 5.15 and 5.55 per dollar, with a few brief exceptions.
Though the lira is considerably stronger than its August ’18 extreme, it is still worth nearly 30 percent less than it was a year ago. In mid-2018, the lira weakened beyond 7 to the dollar (a record low), shocking investors.
From here on in, the lira stands to appreciate, or will at least be among the best performing emerging market currencies of 2019, says an analyst at ING. The analyst said in February that the lira was “the most undervalued in the whole emerging market space.”
With the US Federal Reserve now likely to slow the pace of its interest rate hikes, or stop them, the dollar is forecast to weaken, and emerging market currencies typically gain value in such conditions because their respective governments usually hold high levels of dollar-denominated debt, which becomes easier to repay when dollars are cheaper.
The interactive chart below shows the USD to TRY exchange rate for the previous 3 months with rate alerts for days when the exchange rate moved up or down significantly or for 30 day highs and lows.
Travel, Currency and Money saving tips for Turkey
In Turkey cash machines that dispense Lira are everywhere, usually with around a 2% conversion, and probably a $5 transaction fee from your bank per transaction. The Euro is accepted in some places, and the American dollar almost nowhere. Turkey businesses have a bit of a 'get a little more if you can' attitude so check your bills and if you would prefer not using your credit card perhaps purchase a Prepaid Travel Card before leaving. The Turkish haggle so if you are a stern haggler you can get items up %40 of the price initially quoted.
In the touristy areas and you look like a tourist you will be flocked by people trying to sell you all manner of things. If you do not want anything they offer it is fine to ignore them, they will eventually move onto the next tourist. Drink bottled water, its cold and cheap and since it can be hot all the time in Turkey have some on you at all times to avoid dehydration.
Public buses are a good and economical way to travel between cities in Turkey, but they are not as comfortable as intercity trains in Europe. The buses are generally 20-30 passengers and serve both as regional transportation and city buses which means people get on and off, paying for driver for the distance they travel. You can purchased a guaranteed seat, but when you board you may find it full. Just get the driver to ensure you get a seat.
Travel money for Turkey
Save money and time by Ordering your Turkish Lira online from Travelex, you get better rates and can pick up the TRY cash locally or even on travel day at the airport.
Another popular option is to use a Pre-paid Travel Card. Your Debit/Credit Card provider will charge you 2% from market mid-rate, but your bank may also charge an extra 3% as an “Overseas Transaction Charge” plus “Overseas ATM” fees for withdrawing cash.
For card purchases if offered a choice of currencies always select to Pay in Turkish Lira otherwise you may get much worst exchange rates.
Travel Money
Travel Money Providers Ratings & Reviews | Amount TRY(₺) | Exchange Rate | Fee USD | Total Cost | Currency Services | Delivery/Collect | Deal Links |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Banks - Average Rate ![]() ![]() Average rate from these selected Banks. Click icons to see each bank's individual rate and fee. More▾ | 4,940 TRY ₺0.67 less | 4.9906 | $10 | 6.39% | Branch | - | |
![]() Get great travel money rates from Travelex when you order online. More▾ | 4,721.1 TRY ₺220 less | 4.7211 | 0^ | 10.54% | Online order, Branch pickup, Home delivery | 2-3 days |
Turkey Trip Checklist
- Compare TRY travel cash rates - probably why you are here!
- Search Hotel deals - Save on your accomodation in Turkey
- Lonely Planet - world's best travel guide (coupon and deals)
Sending money to Turkey
When searching around for information on how to get a good exchange rate when sending money to Turkey you need to start with finding out the latest Turkish Lira foreign-transfer exchange rate.
Then compare your bank's exchange rates to several licensed FX providers exchange rate and fees to see how much you can save (we make that calculation easy here).
What prime property does $US1m buy in Istanbul?
The area (㎡) of prime property that $US1million buys in Turkey's capital city Istanbul in Q1 2018 is 110㎡.
This is compared to equivalent areas for Hong Kong 22㎡, London 27㎡, Singapore 37㎡, Paris 45㎡, Shanghai 50㎡, Tokyo 70㎡, Berlin 74㎡, Mumbai 94㎡, Dubai 138㎡ and San Paulo 172㎡.
Get a better deal for foreign transfers to Turkey
When sending money to Turkey it’s important to compare your bank’s rates & fees with those we have negotiated with our partner money transfer providers. To get a better deal you should follow these 4 simple steps :
- Open an account with a BER reviewed FX provider (id docs may be required)
- You specify the local or Turkish Lira amount you want to transfer
- Make a local currency domestic transfer for the requested amount to the provider's bank account in your country
- Once your funds are received by the provider the converted TRY amount will be transfered to the recipient account you specify in Turkey.
Use our Send to TRY calculator to compare the exchange rates of FX specialist providers rates versus your bank's standard rates you can hopefully save around 5% and maybe more - end result is more Turkish Lira deposited into the recipient bank account and less margins and fees kept by the banks!
Foreign Transfers
Foreign Transfer Providers Ratings & Reviews | Receive TRY(₺) | Exchange Rate | Fee USD | Total Cost | Transfer Services | Transfer Speed | Deal Links |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() ![]() OFX exchange rates are highly competitive for global money transfers, great customer service. ^Zero transfer fees for BestExchangeRates customers. More▾ | 51,887 TRY Best Overall | 5.1887 | 0^ | 1.68% | Bank Transfers - Online & Phone | 1-2 days | |
Banks - Average Rate ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Average rate from these selected Banks. Click icons to see each bank's individual rate and fee. More▾ | 50,463 TRY ₺1,424 less | 5.0758 | 15 | 4.37% | Online, Branch, Bank Transfers | 2-3 days |
Popular TRY cross rates
TRY/USD - Turkish Lira to United States Dollar - 10 Year History
Date | Exchange Rate | Period |
---|---|---|
10 Feb 2019 | 0.1904 | 1 Week |
18 Jan 2019 | 0.1876 | 1 Month |
21 Aug 2018 | 0.1645 | 6 Months |
17 Feb 2018 | 0.2670 | 1 Year |
17 Feb 2017 | 0.2755 | 2 Years |
18 Feb 2014 | 0.4587 | 5 Years |
19 Feb 2009 | 0.5943 | 10 Years |
TRY/EUR - Turkish Lira to Euro - 10 Year History
Date | Exchange Rate | Period |
---|---|---|
10 Feb 2019 | 0.1681 | 1 Week |
18 Jan 2019 | 0.1651 | 1 Month |
21 Aug 2018 | 0.1421 | 6 Months |
17 Feb 2018 | 0.2152 | 1 Year |
17 Feb 2017 | 0.2596 | 2 Years |
18 Feb 2014 | 0.3334 | 5 Years |
19 Feb 2009 | 0.4685 | 10 Years |
TRY/GBP - Turkish Lira to British Pound Sterling - 10 Year History
Date | Exchange Rate | Period |
---|---|---|
10 Feb 2019 | 0.1472 | 1 Week |
18 Jan 2019 | 0.1457 | 1 Month |
21 Aug 2018 | 0.1275 | 6 Months |
17 Feb 2018 | 0.1903 | 1 Year |
17 Feb 2017 | 0.2220 | 2 Years |
18 Feb 2014 | 0.2750 | 5 Years |
19 Feb 2009 | 0.4144 | 10 Years |
TRY/JPY - Turkish Lira to Japanese Yen - 10 Year History
Date | Exchange Rate | Period |
---|---|---|
10 Feb 2019 | 20.9094 | 1 Week |
18 Jan 2019 | 20.5976 | 1 Month |
21 Aug 2018 | 18.1157 | 6 Months |
17 Feb 2018 | 28.3824 | 1 Year |
17 Feb 2017 | 31.0933 | 2 Years |
18 Feb 2014 | 46.9183 | 5 Years |
19 Feb 2009 | 55.8907 | 10 Years |
TRY/AUD - Turkish Lira to Australian Dollar - 10 Year History
Date | Exchange Rate | Period |
---|---|---|
10 Feb 2019 | 0.2681 | 1 Week |
18 Jan 2019 | 0.2618 | 1 Month |
21 Aug 2018 | 0.2235 | 6 Months |
17 Feb 2018 | 0.3377 | 1 Year |
17 Feb 2017 | 0.3593 | 2 Years |
18 Feb 2014 | 0.5085 | 5 Years |
19 Feb 2009 | 0.9193 | 10 Years |
TRY/CAD - Turkish Lira to Canadian Dollar - 10 Year History
Date | Exchange Rate | Period |
---|---|---|
10 Feb 2019 | 0.2528 | 1 Week |
18 Jan 2019 | 0.2488 | 1 Month |
21 Aug 2018 | 0.2144 | 6 Months |
17 Feb 2018 | 0.3353 | 1 Year |
17 Feb 2017 | 0.3608 | 2 Years |
18 Feb 2014 | 0.5025 | 5 Years |
19 Feb 2009 | 0.7452 | 10 Years |