26.05.2026 10:10
Exorbitant prices at gas stations and rest areas have pushed citizens to the brink of rebellion during the holiday journey. At facilities where water costing 20-30 lira is sold for 100 lira and a 30-lira wafer for 120 lira, a family of four's single stop bill reaches 3-4 thousand lira. While consumer associations call on the Ministry of Trade to tighten inspections, citizens have found a solution in bringing food from home.
The markets of gas stations and roadside facilities have doubled or even tripled the retail prices within the city. A regular small bottle of water, which costs 20-30 lira in the city, being sold for 100 lira at highway markets, or a 30-lira wafer turning into 120 lira at the cash register, has driven citizens to the point of rebellion. These astronomical prices, applied by facilities under the logic of "compulsory route"—that is, taking advantage of the fact that citizens have no other alternative on the road—have become the hidden and heaviest cost item of holiday travels.
A FAMILY'S REST FACILITY BILL REACHES THE MINIMUM WAGE
As for the food and restaurant aspect, it no longer just makes your jaw drop; it directly burns a hole in your pocket. Especially at some luxury rest facilities along new highway routes and popular roadside restaurants, prices compete with those of Istanbul's upscale neighborhoods. Today, the bill for a standard four-course meal for a single person stopping at a highway rest area—consisting of a bowl of soup, a portion of a main dish (kebab or meat dish), a side item (salad or zucchini fritter), and a can of drink—easily exceeds 1,500-2,000 liras. At these places, where a bowl of soup costs 250-300 liras and meat-based main dishes range from 750 to 900 liras, a family of four will pay between 3,000 and 4,000 liras just to fill their stomachs in a single stop. For a family that has to stop several times during a round trip, the rest facility bill almost reaches the amount of a minimum wage.
CITIZENS DON'T KNOW THE PRICE UNTIL THEY REACH THE CASH REGISTER
Gas stations, on the other hand, have entered a race to compensate for the narrowing profit margins through market shelves and coffee machines. At in-station cafes operated under the concept of "Premium" or "Gourmet," the price of an ordinary filter coffee or latte served in a paper cup ranges between 200 and 300 liras. Drivers who reluctantly turn to coffee to stay awake during the journey are shocked at the cash register. Moreover, although according to the Price Tag Regulation, every product must have a clear label, many roadside businesses hide the prices by using the barcode system as an excuse. Citizens cannot know how much they will pay until they take the product to the register, and to avoid embarrassment in the queue, they have to swallow the inflated price and pay up.
"WHAT IS HAPPENING CANNOT BE EXPLAINED UNDER THE GUISE OF 'FREE MARKET'"
According to a report by Kaan Zenginli from Türkiye Newspaper; consumer associations state that this situation cannot be explained under the guise of a "free market" and are calling on the Ministry of Trade to tighten highway inspections. Officials from the Consumer Confederation (TÜKONFED) warn, "A free market does not mean cornering a consumer who must receive a service with exorbitant prices. If a citizen has no chance to reach another supplier on the highway, those shops should be inspected with the sensitivity of a public service."
This "highway tariff" has also triggered a mandatory change in holiday travel culture. Thousands of citizens, afraid to set foot in rest facilities, have found a solution by setting up a "mobile kitchen" in their trunks. Pastries, stuffed leaves prepared at home in storage containers, and tea from large thermos flasks have become the public's biggest defense mechanism against overpriced facilities.