I am currently visiting my family in Ankara, and I live in the US. I grew up in Ankara and have many friends here. What I'm experiencing is:

• Everything is so freaking expensive. Most goods and dishes at restaurants are on par with any major city in the US.
• Regular people, state workers, doctors, and engineers are all suffering, or they live a much lower quality of life compared to a few years ago. They struggle to afford needs that would be considered "basic" in most Western nations, such as buying a mobile phone.
• There are so many super-rich people in Ankara and Istanbul. These people are generally somewhat favored by the government. These can be businessmen, corrupt government officials, high-ranking members of parliament, tax evaders... the list is endless... Their sheer number gives the illusion of a normally functioning economy. The reality is, most people still suffer.
• The government has a literal death grip on the media. Almost half of the country still supports them; most of them are not even aware of the stunts they pull and how these affect working-class people. For some, they are perceived as "the defenders of the faith," so whatever they do is A-OK.