Moving to Turkey from Dominican Republic

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What to Expect

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

If you moved from Dominican Republic to Turkey, you would find that Turkey is 19.2% more expensive than Dominican Republic overall. A DOP4,408,790 salary in Dominican Republic would need to be roughly TRY4,436,276 in Turkey to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Turkish. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Ankara averages 64°F vs 87°F in Santo Domingo, making it significantly cooler.

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How Far Will Your Money Go?

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

What does your salary buy?

DOP4,408,790 TRY4,436,276

To maintain the same standard of living in Turkey

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 5.1% more

Groceries

pay 8.8% less

Transportation

pay 0.6% more

Housing

pay 15.1% less

Childcare

pay 2.3 times more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 19.9% more

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 DOP = 0.7993 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 40% more than cities in Dominican Republic.

Dominican Republic

Santiago 25%

Turkey

Istanbul 49%

Compare cities head-to-head

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

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

Moved in 2021
113

people moved from Dominican Republic 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 Dominican Republic 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

DO
12.4
TR
2.7
Feel safe walking at night United Nations SDG Indicators, 2022

of residents who feel safe walking alone at night

DO
40%
TR
61%

Turkey performs significantly better than Dominican Republic across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Healthcare spending per person World Bank, 2023

annual government + private spending per person

DO
$1,169
TR
$1,769
Doctors per 10,000 people United Nations SDG Indicators, 2022

affects wait times and access to care

DO
22.3
TR
21.7

Dominican Republic generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Turkey leads in suicide rate.

What about the environment?

Air pollution deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2019

deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people

DO
27.0
TR
39.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

DO
3.0t
TR
5.4t

Dominican Republic 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

DO
10.7
TR
22.3
Water stress level United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

DO
39.5%
TR
43.4%

Dominican Republic generally does better on infrastructure, though Turkey leads in broadband per 100 people.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate The World Factbook, 2023

percentage of the labour force without work

DO
5.6%
TR
9.4%
GDP per capita The World Factbook, 2023

a broad measure of economic output per person

DO
$23,100
TR
$34,400

Dominican Republic generally does better on employment & economy, though Turkey leads in gdp per capita.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy The World Factbook, 2022

average years of life at birth

DO
72.6 yrs
TR
76.2 yrs
Infant mortality The World Factbook, 2022

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

DO
21.2
TR
19.4

Turkey generally does better on family life, though Dominican Republic leads in education spending.

Data: Direccion General de Impuestos Internos, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Santo Domingo Rain: 57.0 in/yr (1447 mm)
87° / 71°F

Avg. annual high / low

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

Avg. annual high / low

Months Santo Domingo Ankara
Jan–Mar 85°/67°F (29°/20°C) 45°/28°F (7°/-2°C)
Apr–Jun 87°/72°F (30°/22°C) 72°/48°F (22°/9°C)
Jul–Sep 89°/73°F (31°/23°C) 83°/57°F (29°/14°C)
Oct–Dec 87°/71°F (30°/21°C) 55°/37°F (13°/3°C)
View all months
Month Santo Domingo Ankara
Jan 85°/67°F (29.2°/19.6°C) 39°/26°F (4.1°/-3.5°C)
Feb 85°/67°F (29.2°/19.7°C) 43°/27°F (5.9°/-2.8°C)
Mar 85°/68°F (29.6°/20.2°C) 52°/32°F (11.1°/0.2°C)
Apr 86°/70°F (30.2°/21.1°C) 63°/41°F (17.3°/5.1°C)
May 87°/72°F (30.4°/22.2°C) 72°/49°F (22.2°/9.4°C)
Jun 87°/73°F (30.8°/22.9°C) 80°/55°F (26.4°/12.6°C)
Jul 88°/73°F (31.3°/22.8°C) 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.4°C)
Aug 89°/73°F (31.5°/22.7°C) 86°/60°F (30.0°/15.4°C)
Sep 89°/73°F (31.4°/22.7°C) 78°/52°F (25.8°/11.3°C)
Oct 88°/72°F (31.1°/22.3°C) 68°/44°F (20.0°/6.8°C)
Nov 87°/71°F (30.6°/21.4°C) 55°/36°F (12.9°/2.4°C)
Dec 85°/69°F (29.6°/20.3°C) 43°/30°F (6.3°/-0.9°C)

Data: Oficina Nacional de Meteorologiá Oficina Nacional de Meteorologiá, Turkish State Meteorological Service Turkish State Meteorological Service

Visitor Visa Requirements

Short-stay tourist visa rules between Dominican Republic 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.

Dominican Republic passport

Dominican Republic passport holder visiting Turkey

Visa on Arrival
Dominican Republic passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival in Turkey.
Turkey passport

Turkey passport holder visiting Dominican Republic

Visa Free
Turkey passport holders can enter Dominican Republic without a visa.

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 Dominican Republic?

Day-to-day costs in Turkey run about 26% higher than Dominican Republic on average; specific cities can swing further.

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 DOP4,408,790 comparable salary, that's around TRY1,109,069 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 Dominican Republic and Turkey.

Is Turkey safe for expats?

Turkey performs significantly better than Dominican Republic across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Turkey is 2.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 12.4 in Dominican Republic. About 61% of people in Turkey feel safe walking alone at night.

How is healthcare in Turkey compared to Dominican Republic?

Dominican Republic generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Turkey leads in suicide rate. There are 21.7 doctors per 10,000 people in Turkey, compared to 22.3 in Dominican Republic. Turkey scores 76 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Dominican Republic: 77).

What's the weather like in Turkey compared to Dominican Republic?

The average high temperature in Ankara is 64°F, compared to 87°F in Santo Domingo. Ankara receives around 15.0 in of rainfall per year, while Santo Domingo gets 57.0 in.

What language do they speak in Turkey?

The official language in Turkey is Turkish. In Dominican Republic, the official language is Spanish.

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At a Glance

DO TR
Population 10,694,700 83,047,706
Currency Dominican Peso (DOP) Turkish Lira (TRY)
Languages Spanish Turkish
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +1 +90
Time zones 1 1
Emergency number 911 112