How difficult is it to own a home for those living on minimum wage? The realities in Turkey's major cities are clear. In Istanbul, you need to work for a full 46.6 years to afford a 90 square meter apartment. In Ankara, the situation is a bit better—26.2 years. In Izmir, it's 32 years. The national average is 29 years. This means that a person working for minimum wage has almost no chance of buying a home before retirement. This huge gap between housing prices and incomes is one of the most striking indicators of economic inequality.