Moving to Turkey from Portugal
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Portugal to Turkey — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Portugal to Turkey, you would find that Turkey is 23.4% cheaper than Portugal overall. A €65,700 salary in Portugal would need to be roughly TRY2,950,110 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 Portugal to Turkey.
What does your salary buy?
€65,700 → TRY2,950,110
To maintain the same standard of living in Turkey
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 42.6% less
Groceries
pay 34.5% less
Transportation
pay 17.0% less
Housing
pay 54.9% less
Childcare
pay 0.8% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 4.9% 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 7% less than cities in Portugal.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Portugal to Turkey, and how the trend has changed.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Portugal 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
Portugal generally does better on safety, though Turkey leads in road traffic deaths.
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
Portugal 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
Portugal performs better than Turkey across all environment metrics.
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
Portugal performs better than Turkey 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
Portugal 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
Portugal generally does better on family life, though Turkey leads in literacy rate.
Data: Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira, 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 | Lisbon | Ankara |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 61°/48°F (16°/9°C) | 45°/28°F (7°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 71°/56°F (22°/13°C) | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/63°F (27°/17°C) | 83°/57°F (29°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 65°/53°F (18°/12°C) | 55°/37°F (13°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Lisbon | Ankara |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58°/47°F (14.5°/8.2°C) | 39°/26°F (4.1°/-3.5°C) |
| Feb | 60°/48°F (15.6°/9.0°C) | 43°/27°F (5.9°/-2.8°C) |
| Mar | 64°/50°F (17.6°/9.9°C) | 52°/32°F (11.1°/0.2°C) |
| Apr | 66°/52°F (19.1°/11.1°C) | 63°/41°F (17.3°/5.1°C) |
| May | 71°/55°F (21.7°/13.0°C) | 72°/49°F (22.2°/9.4°C) |
| Jun | 77°/60°F (24.8°/15.6°C) | 80°/55°F (26.4°/12.6°C) |
| Jul | 81°/63°F (27.4°/17.4°C) | 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.4°C) |
| Aug | 82°/64°F (27.9°/17.7°C) | 86°/60°F (30.0°/15.4°C) |
| Sep | 80°/63°F (26.4°/17.0°C) | 78°/52°F (25.8°/11.3°C) |
| Oct | 72°/58°F (22.4°/14.6°C) | 68°/44°F (20.0°/6.8°C) |
| Nov | 64°/52°F (17.8°/11.2°C) | 55°/36°F (12.9°/2.4°C) |
| Dec | 59°/48°F (14.8°/8.9°C) | 43°/30°F (6.3°/-0.9°C) |
Data:
Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera,
Turkish State Meteorological Service
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Portugal 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.
Portugal passport holder visiting Turkey
Visa Free
Turkey passport holder visiting Portugal
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 Portugal?
Generally yes: Turkey runs about 16% cheaper than Portugal 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 €65,700 comparable salary, that's around TRY737,528 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 Portugal and Turkey.
Is Turkey safe for expats?
Portugal generally does better on safety, though Turkey leads in road traffic deaths. The homicide rate in Turkey is 2.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.8 in Portugal.
How is healthcare in Turkey compared to Portugal?
Portugal 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 57.7 in Portugal. Turkey scores 76 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Portugal: 88).
What's the weather like in Turkey compared to Portugal?
The average high temperature in Ankara is 64°F, compared to 69°F in Lisbon. Ankara receives around 15.0 in of rainfall per year, while Lisbon gets 29.6 in.
What language do they speak in Turkey?
The official language in Turkey is Turkish. In Portugal, the official language is Portuguese.
