Moving to Turkey from Saudi Arabia
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Saudi Arabia to Turkey — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Saudi Arabia to Turkey, you would find that Turkey is 3.9% more expensive than Saudi Arabia overall. A SAR281,786 salary in Saudi Arabia would need to be roughly TRY3,678,482 in Turkey to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Turkish. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Ankara averages 64°F vs 92°F in Riyadh, making it significantly cooler.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Saudi Arabia to Turkey.
What does your salary buy?
SAR281,786 → TRY3,678,482
To maintain the same standard of living in Turkey
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 33.9% more
Groceries
pay 25.8% less
Transportation
pay 27.3% more
Housing
pay 29.5% less
Childcare
pay 52.5% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 29.6% 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% more than cities in Saudi Arabia.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Saudi Arabia to Turkey, and how the trend has changed.
people moved from Saudi Arabia to Turkey · OECD (latest data available)
Key Indicator Comparison
How Saudi Arabia 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
Saudi Arabia 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
Turkey generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Saudi Arabia leads in doctors per 10,000 people.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Turkey performs significantly better than Saudi Arabia 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
Saudi Arabia 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
Saudi Arabia performs better than Turkey across all employment & economy metrics.
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
Saudi Arabia performs better than Turkey across all family life metrics.
Data: Department of Zakat and Income Tax, 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 | Riyadh | Ankara |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 75°/50°F (24°/10°C) | 45°/28°F (7°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 101°/72°F (38°/22°C) | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 109°/77°F (43°/25°C) | 83°/57°F (29°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 84°/56°F (29°/13°C) | 55°/37°F (13°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Riyadh | Ankara |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.9°C) | 39°/26°F (4.1°/-3.5°C) |
| Feb | 74°/49°F (23.3°/9.3°C) | 43°/27°F (5.9°/-2.8°C) |
| Mar | 82°/56°F (27.7°/13.2°C) | 52°/32°F (11.1°/0.2°C) |
| Apr | 92°/65°F (33.3°/18.4°C) | 63°/41°F (17.3°/5.1°C) |
| May | 103°/74°F (39.4°/23.4°C) | 72°/49°F (22.2°/9.4°C) |
| Jun | 109°/78°F (42.6°/25.3°C) | 80°/55°F (26.4°/12.6°C) |
| Jul | 111°/80°F (43.7°/26.4°C) | 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.4°C) |
| Aug | 111°/79°F (43.7°/26.3°C) | 86°/60°F (30.0°/15.4°C) |
| Sep | 105°/73°F (40.6°/22.9°C) | 78°/52°F (25.8°/11.3°C) |
| Oct | 96°/65°F (35.5°/18.2°C) | 68°/44°F (20.0°/6.8°C) |
| Nov | 83°/56°F (28.1°/13.3°C) | 55°/36°F (12.9°/2.4°C) |
| Dec | 72°/47°F (22.1°/8.4°C) | 43°/30°F (6.3°/-0.9°C) |
Data:
National Center for Meteorology,
Turkish State Meteorological Service
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Saudi Arabia 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.
Saudi Arabia passport holder visiting Turkey
Visa Free
Turkey passport holder visiting Saudi Arabia
Visa on ArrivalData: 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 Saudi Arabia?
Day-to-day costs in Turkey run about 4% higher than Saudi Arabia 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 SAR281,786 comparable salary, that's around TRY919,620 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 Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
Is Turkey safe for expats?
Saudi Arabia 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 Saudi Arabia.
How is healthcare in Turkey compared to Saudi Arabia?
Turkey generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Saudi Arabia leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 21.7 doctors per 10,000 people in Turkey, compared to 30.8 in Saudi Arabia. Turkey scores 76 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Saudi Arabia: 74).
What's the weather like in Turkey compared to Saudi Arabia?
The average high temperature in Ankara is 64°F, compared to 92°F in Riyadh. Ankara receives around 15.0 in of rainfall per year, while Riyadh gets 4.4 in.
What language do they speak in Turkey?
The official language in Turkey is Turkish. In Saudi Arabia, the official language is Arabic.
