Moving to Turkey from Croatia

moving to

What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Croatia to Turkey — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Croatia to Turkey, you would find that Turkey is 18.7% cheaper than Croatia overall. A HRK494,038 salary in Croatia would need to be roughly TRY3,110,227 in Turkey to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Turkish.

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How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Croatia to Turkey.

What does your salary buy?

HRK494,038 TRY3,110,227

To maintain the same standard of living in Turkey

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 51.7% less

Groceries

pay 32.7% less

Transportation

pay 20.5% less

Housing

pay 46.2% less

Childcare

pay 55.5% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 21.7% less

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 HRK = 7.16 TRY (July 2026)

Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.

Cost of living by city

Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).

On average, cities in Turkey cost about 9% less than cities in Croatia.

Croatia

Dubrovnik 56%
Zadar 51%

Turkey

Istanbul 49%

Compare cities head-to-head

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

Real numbers on people moving from Croatia to Turkey, and how the trend has changed.

Moved in 2023
137

people moved from Croatia to Turkey · OECD (latest data available)

Who's moving to Turkey?

Top countries of origin for Turkey's foreign-born residents.

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

How Croatia and Turkey stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Homicide rate United Nations SDG Indicators, 2022

per 100,000 people per year

HR
0.8
TR
2.7
Road traffic deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

per 100,000 people per year

HR
8.1
TR
6.5

Croatia generally does better on safety, though Turkey leads in road traffic deaths.

How's the healthcare?

Healthcare spending per person World Bank, 2023

annual government + private spending per person

HR
$3,229
TR
$1,769
Doctors per 10,000 people United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

affects wait times and access to care

HR
36.1
TR
21.7

Croatia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Turkey leads in healthcare spending per person.

What about the environment?

Air pollution deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2019

deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people

HR
31.0
TR
39.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

HR
4.8t
TR
5.4t

Croatia performs better than Turkey across all environment metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Broadband per 100 people United Nations SDG Indicators, 2022

fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work

HR
27.0
TR
22.3
Water stress level United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

HR
1.5%
TR
43.4%

Croatia performs better than Turkey across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate The World Factbook, 2023

percentage of the labour force without work

HR
6.1%
TR
9.4%
GDP per capita The World Factbook, 2023

a broad measure of economic output per person

HR
$41,300
TR
$34,400

Croatia generally does better on employment & economy, though Turkey leads in top income tax rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy The World Factbook, 2022

average years of life at birth

HR
77.2 yrs
TR
76.2 yrs
Infant mortality The World Factbook, 2022

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

HR
8.7
TR
19.4

Croatia performs better than Turkey across all family life metrics.

Data: Croatia Tax Administration, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Zagreb Rain: 33.7 in/yr (856 mm)
60° / 42°F

Avg. annual high / low

Ankara Rain: 15.0 in/yr (382 mm)
64° / 43°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Zagreb Ankara
Jan–Mar 44°/29°F (7°/-2°C) 45°/28°F (7°/-2°C)
Apr–Jun 69°/48°F (21°/9°C) 72°/48°F (22°/9°C)
Jul–Sep 77°/55°F (25°/13°C) 83°/57°F (29°/14°C)
Oct–Dec 50°/35°F (10°/2°C) 55°/37°F (13°/3°C)
View all months
Month Zagreb Ankara
Jan 38°/25°F (3.1°/-4.0°C) 39°/26°F (4.1°/-3.5°C)
Feb 43°/28°F (6.1°/-2.5°C) 43°/27°F (5.9°/-2.8°C)
Mar 52°/34°F (11.3°/0.9°C) 52°/32°F (11.1°/0.2°C)
Apr 62°/41°F (16.4°/4.9°C) 63°/41°F (17.3°/5.1°C)
May 70°/49°F (21.3°/9.2°C) 72°/49°F (22.2°/9.4°C)
Jun 76°/55°F (24.6°/12.7°C) 80°/55°F (26.4°/12.6°C)
Jul 80°/58°F (26.7°/14.2°C) 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.4°C)
Aug 79°/57°F (26.2°/13.7°C) 86°/60°F (30.0°/15.4°C)
Sep 72°/51°F (22.3°/10.4°C) 78°/52°F (25.8°/11.3°C)
Oct 61°/42°F (16.2°/5.8°C) 68°/44°F (20.0°/6.8°C)
Nov 49°/35°F (9.3°/1.8°C) 55°/36°F (12.9°/2.4°C)
Dec 40°/29°F (4.4°/-1.9°C) 43°/30°F (6.3°/-0.9°C)

Data: Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service, Turkish State Meteorological Service Turkish State Meteorological Service

Visitor Visa Requirements

Short-stay tourist visa rules between Croatia and Turkey. To live, work, or study long-term in Turkey, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Turkey's immigration authority.

Croatia passport

Croatia passport holder visiting Turkey

Visa Free
Croatia passport holders can enter Turkey without a visa.
Turkey passport

Turkey passport holder visiting Croatia

Visa Required
Turkey passport holders need a visa to enter Croatia.

Data: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Turkey than Croatia?

Generally yes: Turkey runs about 12% cheaper than Croatia on average, though it depends heavily on the city.

How much money do I need to move to Turkey?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a HRK494,038 comparable salary, that's around TRY777,557 in Turkey for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from Turkey?

With 22.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Turkey can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Croatia and Turkey.

Is Turkey safe for expats?

Croatia generally does better on safety, though Turkey leads in road traffic deaths. The homicide rate in Turkey is 2.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.8 in Croatia.

How is healthcare in Turkey compared to Croatia?

Croatia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Turkey leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 21.7 doctors per 10,000 people in Turkey, compared to 36.1 in Croatia. Turkey scores 76 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Croatia: 80).

What's the weather like in Turkey compared to Croatia?

The average high temperature in Ankara is 64°F, compared to 60°F in Zagreb. Ankara receives around 15.0 in of rainfall per year, while Zagreb gets 33.7 in.

What language do they speak in Turkey?

The official language in Turkey is Turkish. In Croatia, the official language is Croatian.

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At a Glance

HR TR
Population 4,188,853 83,047,706
Currency Croatian Kuna (HRK) Turkish Lira (TRY)
Languages Croatian Turkish
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +385 +90
Time zones 1 1
Emergency number 112 112