Moving to Turkey from Hungary

moving to

What to Expect

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

If you moved from Hungary to Turkey, you would find that Turkey is 17.1% cheaper than Hungary overall. A HUF24,000,000 salary in Hungary would need to be roughly TRY3,000,000 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 Hungary to Turkey.

What does your salary buy?

HUF24,000,000 → TRY3,000,000

To maintain the same standard of living in Turkey

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 25.8% less

Groceries

pay 38.1% less

Transportation

pay 1.5% more

Housing

pay 20.1% less

Childcare

pay 74.1% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 4.3% less

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 HUF = 0.1511 TRY (October 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 7% more than cities in Hungary.

Hungary

Turkey

Fethiye 59%
Istanbul 53%
Antalya 43%
Izmir 42%

Compare cities head-to-head

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

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

Moved in 2023
103 ↓ 9% vs 2022

people moved from Hungary 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 Hungary and Turkey stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Homicide rate World Bank, 2023

per 100,000 people per year

HU
0.7
TR
3.2
Road traffic deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

per 100,000 people per year

HU
7.4
TR
6.5

Hungary 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

HU
$2,875
TR
$1,769
Doctors per 10,000 people World Bank, 2022

affects wait times and access to care

HU
34.6
TR
22.4

Turkey generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Hungary leads in doctors per 10,000 people.

What about the environment?

Air pollution deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2019

deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people

HU
42.0
TR
39.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

HU
4.5t
TR
5.4t

Hungary generally does better on environment, though Turkey leads in air pollution deaths.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Broadband per 100 people World Bank, 2024

fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work

HU
37.5
TR
23.4
Water stress level World Bank, 2022

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

HU
8.1%
TR
47.9%

Hungary performs better than Turkey across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate World Bank, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

HU
4.5%
TR
8.5%
GDP per capita World Bank, 2025

a broad measure of economic output per person

HU
$25,907
TR
$18,599

Hungary performs better than Turkey across all employment & economy metrics.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy World Bank, 2024

average years of life at birth

HU
76.7 yrs
TR
77.4 yrs
Infant mortality World Bank, 2024

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

HU
3.1
TR
8.0

Hungary generally does better on family life, though Turkey leads in life expectancy.

Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), National Tax and Customs Administration of Hungary (2016), Revenue Administration, Government of Turkey (2016), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Budapest Rain: 21.0 in/yr (534 mm)
60° / 44°F

Avg. annual high / low

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

Avg. annual high / low

Months Budapest Ankara
Jan–Mar 43°/31°F (6°/-1°C) 45°/28°F (7°/-2°C)
Apr–Jun 71°/52°F (22°/11°C) 72°/48°F (22°/9°C)
Jul–Sep 78°/59°F (26°/15°C) 83°/57°F (29°/14°C)
Oct–Dec 49°/37°F (9°/3°C) 55°/37°F (13°/3°C)
View all months
Month Budapest Ankara
Jan 37°/27°F (2.6°/-3.0°C) 39°/26°F (4.1°/-3.5°C)
Feb 41°/29°F (5.1°/-1.8°C) 43°/27°F (5.9°/-2.8°C)
Mar 51°/36°F (10.6°/2.0°C) 52°/32°F (11.1°/0.2°C)
Apr 63°/44°F (17.1°/6.8°C) 63°/41°F (17.3°/5.1°C)
May 72°/53°F (22.4°/11.5°C) 72°/49°F (22.2°/9.4°C)
Jun 78°/58°F (25.3°/14.4°C) 80°/55°F (26.4°/12.6°C)
Jul 82°/62°F (27.9°/16.4°C) 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.4°C)
Aug 81°/61°F (27.4°/16.0°C) 86°/60°F (30.0°/15.4°C)
Sep 72°/53°F (22.1°/11.8°C) 78°/52°F (25.8°/11.3°C)
Oct 61°/45°F (16.1°/7.0°C) 68°/44°F (20.0°/6.8°C)
Nov 47°/36°F (8.5°/2.3°C) 55°/36°F (12.9°/2.4°C)
Dec 38°/29°F (3.2°/-1.7°C) 43°/30°F (6.3°/-0.9°C)

Data: Hungarian Meteorological Service Hungarian Meteorological Service, Turkish State Meteorological Service Turkish State Meteorological Service

Visitor Visa Requirements

Short-stay tourist visa rules between Hungary 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.

Hungary passport

Hungary passport holder visiting Turkey

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

Turkey passport holder visiting Hungary

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

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 Hungary?

Generally yes: Turkey runs about 17% cheaper than Hungary 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 HUF24,000,000 comparable salary, that's around TRY750,000 in Turkey for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from Turkey?

With 23.4 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 Hungary and Turkey.

Is Turkey safe for expats?

Hungary generally does better on safety, though Turkey leads in road traffic deaths. The homicide rate in Turkey is 3.2 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.7 in Hungary.

How is healthcare in Turkey compared to Hungary?

Turkey generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Hungary leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 22.4 doctors per 10,000 people in Turkey, compared to 34.6 in Hungary. Turkey scores 76 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Hungary: 79).

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

The average high temperature in Ankara is 64°F, compared to 60°F in Budapest. Ankara receives around 15.0 in of rainfall per year, while Budapest gets 21.0 in.

What language do they speak in Turkey?

The official language in Turkey is Turkish. In Hungary, the official language is Hungarian.

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At a Glance

HU TR
Population 9,514,251 85,878,556
Currency Hungarian Forint (HUF) Turkish Lira (TRY)
Languages Hungarian Turkish
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +36 +90
Time zones 1 1
Emergency number 112 112