The raises ruined the fun
Citizens who are struggling to meet their basic needs due to the high cost of living have begun to think twice about participating in social activities.
Growing inflationary pressure and falling salaries for citizens on fixed incomes have made it difficult to allocate budgets for social activities. Ticket prices for events such as cinemas, theaters, concerts and matches, which have become a luxury for low- and middle-income citizens, have increased by more than 100 percent.
INFLATION INCREASED, EXPENDITURE DECREASED
According to the latest inflation data announced by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK), in September 2023, the annual consumer inflation was 61.53 percent, while the annual inflation in entertainment and culture expenditures was 55 percent. .43 percent. Price increases reflected in entertainment and cultural and artistic events exceeded this rate.
On the other hand, due to the effect of high inflation, citizens’ spending on entertainment and cultural events also decreased. According to TÜİK data, while household cultural and artistic spending for consumption purposes was 8.70 percent in January 2023, this rate decreased to 4.66 percent in September 2023.
According to the Istanbul Planning Agency’s student living cost research published on October 4, a student’s monthly spending on culture, arts and entertainment increases by 58.80 percent.
50 PERCENT INCREASE FOR STATE THEATERS
While the total price of movie tickets, which increase periodically throughout the year, varies between 150 and 175 TL, the average price of tickets for students reaches 120 TL.
While average prices were previously shared in the Film and Performing Arts Statistics shared by TUIK, it is worth noting that the institution no longer shares this data.
As with movie tickets, private theater tickets have also seen huge increases due to rising input costs. Starting November 1, prices for full tickets at state theaters, which are much cheaper than those at private theaters, increased by 25 percent and student tickets by 50 percent. Thus, the prices for full tickets became 75 TL and student tickets became 45 TL.
COMBINED TICKET PRICES AND HAVE INCREASED
In the 2023-2024 Super League season, season tickets and ticket prices have increased by up to 340 percent.
The Fenerbahçe VIP stand was the most expensive combined ticket with a price of 150 thousand lira. The cheapest combined ticket for Gaziantep FK, which did not increase its prices due to the earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, was set at 250 lira.
While Fenerbahçe season ticket prices ranged between 1,475 lira and 21,750 lira last year, this season prices vary between 3,250 lira and 40,000 lira.
Galatasaray combined tickets, whose prices last year ranged between 2,000 and 10,000 liras, are sold this year between 6,000 and 44,000 liras.
Beşiktaş, which announced the price of its tickets this season between 4,500 and 35,500 lira, had put its ticket prices on sale between 1,800 and 30,000 lira last season.
In addition to the combined price increases, increases in ticket sales are also striking. While ticket prices for the Beşiktaş-Galatasaray derby last season ranged from TL 250 to TL 5,500, this season prices ranged from TL 700 to TL 17,500.
DOING SPORTS HAS BECOME A LUXURY
On the other hand, inflation and rising prices hit citizens who socialize by playing sports with groups of friends.
Since the increase in prices for astroturf fields has exceeded 100 percent, the average cost of renting astroturf fields for 1 hour has reached 1,500 lira. The situation was no different for the basketball and volleyball rooms.
The price of one-hour rental of the indoor gym, which last year ranged between 500 and 750 lira on average, has increased by more than 100 percent this year. In Istanbul, prices for indoor gyms for 1 hour start from 1,200 lira on average.