OBJECTIVES Schizophrenia, influencing approximately 1% of the population, is a chronic psychiatric disease with a substantial health and economical burden for patients, care givers, and society. Despite this, however, its economic burden is often overlooked and/or not widely known in many countries. This study aims at estimation of cost of schizophrenia treatment in an inpatient facility in Turkey. METHODS The study has been conducted in Manisa Mental Diseases Training and Research Hospital, one of the largest of its type in Turkey. Electronic hospital records of 4177 schizophrenia patients between June 2006 and June 2007 were retrospectively analyzed to calculate the total schizophrenia treatment cost per hospitalization where only direct costs were included. Cost items included in the analyses were antipsychotic and concomitant medication costs, adverse event treatment costs, bed costs, and laboratory/radiological examination costs. Average length of stay per hospitalization was calculated. Results were presented as average daily and total costs of treatment per hospitalization. Composition of the total cost was also presented. RESULTS Mean length of stay per hospitalization was 30.80±17.18 days. Mean daily total cost was TL 52.68±41.30. Mean total treatment cost per hospitalization was TL 1431.86±798.74. Costs for antipsychotic drugs, concomitant medications, adverse event treatment, bed, and laboratory/radiological examinations were 31%, 2%, 1%, 40%, and 26% respectively. CONCLUSIONS The share of drug costs may be relatively higher than they are in other countries due to relatively lower costs for non-drug cost items in Turkey. This may also stem from the case-mix in this hospital that may care more for severe cases needing tertiary care. This study may stimulate further studies which would help to generate a fuller picture of economic burden of schizophrenia in Turkey.