Moving to Turkey from Israel

moving to

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 48.0% cheaper than Israel overall. A ₪227,786 salary in Israel would need to be roughly TRY2,146,964 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 Israel to Turkey.

What does your salary buy?

₪227,786 TRY2,146,964

To maintain the same standard of living in Turkey

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 65.2% less

Groceries

pay 52.2% less

Transportation

pay 34.6% less

Housing

pay 62.9% less

Childcare

pay 33.3% less

Entertainment and Sports

pay 52.3% less

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 ILS = 15.52 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 32% less than cities in Israel.

Israel

Ashqelon 68%
Holon 65%

Turkey

Istanbul 49%

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.

Moved in 2023
363 ↓ 40% vs 2022

people moved from Israel 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 Israel 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

IL
1.6
TR
2.7
Feel safe walking at night United Nations SDG Indicators, 2022

of residents who feel safe walking alone at night

IL
80%
TR
61%

Israel performs better than Turkey across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Healthcare spending per person World Bank, 2023

annual government + private spending per person

IL
$4,033
TR
$1,769
Doctors per 10,000 people United Nations SDG Indicators, 2022

affects wait times and access to care

IL
37.1
TR
21.7

Israel 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

IL
15.0
TR
39.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

IL
5.8t
TR
5.4t

Israel generally does better on environment, though Turkey leads in co₂ emissions per capita.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Broadband per 100 people United Nations SDG Indicators, 2022

fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work

IL
29.4
TR
22.3
Water stress level United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

IL
132.0%
TR
43.4%

Israel generally does better on infrastructure, though Turkey leads in water stress level.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate The World Factbook, 2023

percentage of the labour force without work

IL
3.4%
TR
9.4%
GDP per capita The World Factbook, 2023

a broad measure of economic output per person

IL
$48,300
TR
$34,400

Israel 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

IL
83.3 yrs
TR
76.2 yrs
Infant mortality The World Factbook, 2022

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

IL
3.6
TR
19.4

Israel performs better than Turkey across all family life metrics.

Data: Israel Ministry of Finance Tax Authority, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Jerusalem Rain: 21.1 in/yr (537 mm)
72° / 57°F

Avg. annual high / low

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

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 Israel Meteorological Service, Turkish State 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

Israel passport holder visiting Turkey

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

Turkey passport holder visiting Israel

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

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 Israel?

Generally yes: Turkey runs about 39% 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 ₪227,786 comparable salary, that's around TRY536,741 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 Israel and Turkey.

Is Turkey safe for expats?

Israel performs better than Turkey across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Turkey is 2.7 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 21.7 doctors per 10,000 people in Turkey, compared to 37.1 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.

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At a Glance

IL TR
Population 8,914,885 83,047,706
Currency Israeli New Sheqel (₪) Turkish Lira (TRY)
Languages Arabic, Hebrew Turkish
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +972 +90
Time zones 1 1
Emergency number 100 112