Lira Slides Faster as Türkiye Rate Decision Lands: What Buyers Should Weigh

ByMulti Mulk Newsdesk·Published on:22 October 2026·5 min read

The Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye (CBRT) announces its rate decision today, 22 October, at 11:00 GMT. The policy rate has been 37% since January, and analysts disagree about whether it moves. For anyone buying property in Türkiye with dollars, dirhams or sterling, though, the more consequential recent signal came a week earlier. It concerned the lira's path, not the rate.

This article does not rely on the outcome of today's meeting. The decision text and the summary of the Monetary Policy Committee meeting, due within five working days, are published on the CBRT website. Read them before drawing conclusions.

What the governor said about the lira

According to a Bloomberg report of 14 October, citing people with direct knowledge of closed-door meetings, Governor Fatih Karahan told investors in Bangkok that Türkiye is allowing the lira to slide more quickly. The aim, as relayed, is to avoid sharper weakness later. He reportedly argued that the pass-through from a weaker currency to inflation has fallen because economic activity is also weaker. These were private remarks reported second-hand, not a formal CBRT statement.

The market numbers fit that description. One report on the September meeting put the lira at 48.49 per US dollar. An analysis published on 21 October had USD/TRY at 49.57 and described a managed depreciation near record highs. Those are two different publications, so treat the difference of roughly 2% over six weeks as indicative rather than exact.

Where rates and inflation stand

The CBRT held the one-week repo rate at 37% on 10 September, the fifth hold in a row after a 100-basis-point cut in January. It left the overnight lending rate at 40% and the borrowing rate at 35.5%. The bank said energy prices linked to the Middle East conflict pose an upside risk to inflation. It also said it would tighten if it saw a significant and persistent deterioration in the outlook. Its medium-term target remains 5%.

Annual inflation was 29.73% in September, down from 31.51% in August according to one market analysis, which quotes a marginally different 29.78% for September. We covered the print in more detail in our earlier inflation piece. The government separately revised its year-end inflation projection to 28.4% in its medium-term programme.

Apartment blocks across an Istanbul district — Residential towers in Istanbul. Financing costs and the lira both feed into what buyers actually pay and earn. · Photo: mostafa_meraji / Pixabay

What it means for a foreign buyer

A faster lira slide and a high policy rate pull in different directions, and which matters more depends on who you are.

If you pay in foreign currency

A weaker lira means foreign-currency buyers gain purchasing power against lira-priced assets. Sellers, though, tend to price property with inflation and replacement cost in mind, and many quote in dollars or euros. The currency gain can therefore be absorbed in the price. Our analysis of real house prices found prices lagging inflation, which is a separate question from what a given listing costs in your currency. Compare the same property across several dates and sellers, and do not assume a weaker lira makes any particular deal cheaper.

If you plan to rent or resell

Rental income and resale values are usually earned and realised in lira, so currency depreciation reduces what they are worth in dollar or dirham terms. The CBRT's own presentation says lira preference remains strong under tight policy, but with the currency sliding faster, a buyer measuring returns in hard currency should model several exchange-rate paths, not one. This is analysis, not a forecast.

If you need a mortgage

Lira borrowing costs follow the policy rate with a lag and a margin. A cut today would not make a Turkish mortgage cheap. The CBRT has said the tight stance will stay until price stability is achieved. Most foreign buyers fund purchases from abroad, so the sharper effect is on deposit alternatives. One data site calculates the average 32-day deposit rate at 40.18%, which sets a high bar for lira-denominated property returns.

An hourglass beside coins and banknotes — Timing a purchase around rate decisions is difficult; the data points in more than one direction. · Photo: stevepb / Pixabay

Why timing the decision is a weak strategy

Several points argue against building a purchase plan around one meeting:

The policy rate is only part of the story. The CBRT has been funding the market at the 40% upper band of its corridor, so the effective cost of money differs from the headline rate.

Energy is the swing factor. Türkiye imports most of its energy, and Brent trading near $100 keeps inflation risks alive whatever the committee decides.

Growth is soft. The bank itself describes weak domestic demand, which restrains price pressure but also affects the property market. Our September sales report showed total sales down 9.3% even as foreign purchases rose 9.9%.

Transaction costs and rules matter as much as the exchange rate. A new secure payment system for property sales starts on 1 December, and our budgeting guide covers fees and valuation.

Questions to settle before you commit

Whatever the rate decision, a few questions are more within your control than the lira:

In which currency will you measure success: dollars, dirhams, sterling, or lira?

Is the purchase meant for use, rental income, resale, or an application route such as Turkish citizenship by investment? Citizenship thresholds and valuation rules are set separately from market conditions and change.

What are the full costs, and has the title, valuation and seller been independently checked?

Multi Mulk advises on buying property in Türkiye and on due diligence and buyer protection, and can walk through currency and cost assumptions case by case. Programme rules and market conditions change, so speak to an adviser through our contact page before acting on any of the figures above.

This article is general information, not investment advice, and nothing here is a forecast of the lira, interest rates or property prices.

Sources

Cover photo: smuldur on Pixabay.