Moving to Turkey from Israel
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Israel to Turkey — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Israel to Turkey, you would find that Turkey is 61.1% cheaper than Israel overall. A ₪230,000 salary in Israel would need to be roughly TRY1,440,000 in Turkey to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Turkish.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Israel to Turkey.
What does your salary buy?
₪230,000 → TRY1,440,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Turkey
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 65.6% less
Groceries
pay 61.1% less
Transportation
pay 46.2% less
Housing
pay 69.9% less
Childcare
pay 50.0% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 55.2% less
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 43% less than cities in Israel.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Israel to Turkey, and how the trend has changed.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Israel and Turkey stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
of residents who feel safe walking alone at night
per 100,000 people per year
Israel performs better than Turkey across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Israel generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Turkey leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Israel generally does better on environment, though Turkey leads in co₂ emissions per capita.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Israel generally does better on infrastructure, though Turkey leads in water stress level.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Israel generally does better on employment & economy, though Turkey leads in top income tax rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Israel performs better than Turkey across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2011–2014), Israel Ministry of Finance Tax Authority (2016), Revenue Administration, Government of Turkey (2016). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Jerusalem | Ankara |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 58°/46°F (15°/8°C) | 45°/28°F (7°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/60°F (25°/15°C) | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/67°F (29°/20°C) | 83°/57°F (29°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 68°/55°F (20°/13°C) | 55°/37°F (13°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Jerusalem | Ankara |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55°/44°F (12.8°/6.9°C) | 39°/26°F (4.1°/-3.5°C) |
| Feb | 57°/45°F (13.8°/7.1°C) | 43°/27°F (5.9°/-2.8°C) |
| Mar | 63°/49°F (17.0°/9.2°C) | 52°/32°F (11.1°/0.2°C) |
| Apr | 71°/54°F (21.5°/12.1°C) | 63°/41°F (17.3°/5.1°C) |
| May | 79°/61°F (25.9°/16.0°C) | 72°/49°F (22.2°/9.4°C) |
| Jun | 83°/65°F (28.4°/18.2°C) | 80°/55°F (26.4°/12.6°C) |
| Jul | 86°/68°F (30.0°/20.2°C) | 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.4°C) |
| Aug | 86°/68°F (29.9°/20.0°C) | 86°/60°F (30.0°/15.4°C) |
| Sep | 83°/66°F (28.4°/18.7°C) | 78°/52°F (25.8°/11.3°C) |
| Oct | 78°/62°F (25.3°/16.8°C) | 68°/44°F (20.0°/6.8°C) |
| Nov | 68°/55°F (19.9°/12.8°C) | 55°/36°F (12.9°/2.4°C) |
| Dec | 59°/48°F (15.2°/9.0°C) | 43°/30°F (6.3°/-0.9°C) |
Data:
Israel Meteorological Service,
Turkish State Meteorological Service
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Israel 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.
Israel passport holder visiting Turkey
Visa Free
Turkey passport holder visiting Israel
Visa RequiredData: 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 Israel?
Generally yes: Turkey runs about 61% cheaper than Israel 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 ₪230,000 comparable salary, that's around TRY360,000 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 Israel and Turkey.
Is Turkey safe for expats?
Israel performs better than Turkey across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Turkey is 3.2 per 100,000 people, compared to 1.6 in Israel. About 61% of people in Turkey feel safe walking alone at night.
How is healthcare in Turkey compared to Israel?
Israel generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Turkey leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 22.4 doctors per 10,000 people in Turkey, compared to 38.0 in Israel. Turkey scores 76 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Israel: 85).
What's the weather like in Turkey compared to Israel?
The average high temperature in Ankara is 64°F, compared to 72°F in Jerusalem. Ankara receives around 15.0 in of rainfall per year, while Jerusalem gets 21.1 in.
What language do they speak in Turkey?
The official language in Turkey is Turkish. In Israel, the official languages are Arabic and Hebrew.
