Moving to Turkey from Pakistan
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Pakistan to Turkey — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Pakistan to Turkey, you would find that Turkey is 3.9 times more expensive than Pakistan overall. A PKR20,869,801 salary in Pakistan would need to be roughly TRY8,806,164 in Turkey to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Turkish. You’ll also switch from driving on the left to the right. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Ankara averages 64°F vs 84°F in Islamabad, making it significantly cooler.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Pakistan to Turkey.
What does your salary buy?
PKR20,869,801 → TRY8,806,164
To maintain the same standard of living in Turkey
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 2.6 times more
Groceries
pay 81.1% more
Transportation
pay 2.4 times more
Housing
pay 3.6 times more
Childcare
pay 12.2 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.0 times more
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 152% more than cities in Pakistan.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Pakistan to Turkey, and how the trend has changed.
people moved from Pakistan to Turkey · OECD (latest data available)
Key Indicator Comparison
How Pakistan and Turkey stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Turkey performs significantly better than Pakistan 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
Turkey generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Pakistan 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
Pakistan generally does better on environment, though Turkey leads in air pollution deaths.
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
Turkey performs significantly better than Pakistan across all infrastructure metrics.
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
Pakistan generally does better on employment & economy, though Turkey leads in gdp per capita.
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
Turkey performs significantly better than Pakistan across all family life metrics.
Data: Federal Board of Revenue, Government of Pakistan, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Islamabad | Ankara |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 69°/44°F (21°/7°C) | 45°/28°F (7°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 95°/68°F (35°/20°C) | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 94°/74°F (34°/23°C) | 83°/57°F (29°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 78°/48°F (26°/9°C) | 55°/37°F (13°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Islamabad | Ankara |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 64°/38°F (17.9°/3.2°C) | 39°/26°F (4.1°/-3.5°C) |
| Feb | 68°/43°F (19.8°/6.0°C) | 43°/27°F (5.9°/-2.8°C) |
| Mar | 76°/51°F (24.5°/10.7°C) | 52°/32°F (11.1°/0.2°C) |
| Apr | 87°/60°F (30.5°/15.8°C) | 63°/41°F (17.3°/5.1°C) |
| May | 97°/69°F (36.0°/20.7°C) | 72°/49°F (22.2°/9.4°C) |
| Jun | 101°/75°F (38.4°/23.8°C) | 80°/55°F (26.4°/12.6°C) |
| Jul | 96°/76°F (35.3°/24.4°C) | 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.4°C) |
| Aug | 93°/75°F (33.7°/23.8°C) | 86°/60°F (30.0°/15.4°C) |
| Sep | 93°/70°F (33.7°/21.1°C) | 78°/52°F (25.8°/11.3°C) |
| Oct | 88°/58°F (30.9°/14.5°C) | 68°/44°F (20.0°/6.8°C) |
| Nov | 79°/47°F (25.9°/8.3°C) | 55°/36°F (12.9°/2.4°C) |
| Dec | 68°/40°F (20.2°/4.3°C) | 43°/30°F (6.3°/-0.9°C) |
Turkish State Meteorological ServiceVisitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Pakistan 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.
Pakistan passport holder visiting Turkey
Visa Online (e-Visa)
Turkey passport holder visiting Pakistan
Visa Online (e-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 Pakistan?
Day-to-day costs in Turkey run about 150% higher than Pakistan 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 PKR20,869,801 comparable salary, that's around TRY2,201,541 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 Pakistan and Turkey.
Is Turkey safe for expats?
Turkey performs significantly better than Pakistan across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Turkey is 2.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 4.2 in Pakistan.
How is healthcare in Turkey compared to Pakistan?
Turkey generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Pakistan leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 21.7 doctors per 10,000 people in Turkey, compared to 10.8 in Pakistan. Turkey scores 76 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Pakistan: 45).
What's the weather like in Turkey compared to Pakistan?
The average high temperature in Ankara is 64°F, compared to 84°F in Islamabad. Ankara receives around 15.0 in of rainfall per year, while Islamabad gets 49.1 in.
What language do they speak in Turkey?
The official language in Turkey is Turkish. In Pakistan, the official languages are English and Urdu.
