How much cash should you bring to Bodrum, Turkey, and is it better to exchange currency before arrival or on the spot?

From messages by 2 participants in 1 source · Last activity: 83 days ago

TL;DR

Bring USD and EUR in cash rather than Turkish lira exchanged at home — exchange rates for lira abroad are usually worse. Budget roughly $100 per person per day.

What the community said

Don't bring just a small amount of cash — pack a solid stock of both USD and EUR.

A rough cash budget guideline is about $100 per person per day.

$100/day

Exchanging your home currency for lira before the trip usually gives a worse rate than exchanging locally in Turkey.

Example rate gap: exchanging abroad at 45-46 lira per dollar versus about 43 lira per dollar at a regular bank in Moscow.

rate 43-46 lira/$

You can also buy Turkish lira before departure, for example in Moscow — some smaller (non-top-10) banks sell it without issues.