Moving to Turkey from Serbia
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Serbia to Turkey — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Serbia to Turkey, you would find that Turkey is 0.8% more expensive than Serbia overall. A RSD7,900,000 salary in Serbia would need to be roughly TRY3,740,000 in Turkey to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Turkish.
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What to expect for your wallet after moving from Serbia to Turkey.
What does your salary buy?
RSD7,900,000 → TRY3,740,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Turkey
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 24.2% less
Groceries
pay 18.1% less
Transportation
pay 5.1% more
Housing
pay 9.8% more
Childcare
pay 2.1 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 27.9% 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 3% less than cities in Serbia.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
How many people actually move from Serbia to Turkey, based on official data.
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Serbia to Turkey.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Serbia 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 Serbia leads in doctors per 10,000 people.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
Turkey performs significantly better than Serbia 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
Serbia generally does better on infrastructure, though Turkey leads in internet access.
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
Serbia 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
Serbia generally does better on family life, though Turkey leads in life expectancy.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Ministry of Finance, Republic of Serbia (2017), 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 | Belgrade | Ankara |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 45°/33°F (7°/0°C) | 45°/28°F (7°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 71°/53°F (22°/12°C) | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 79°/59°F (26°/15°C) | 83°/57°F (29°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 53°/39°F (11°/4°C) | 55°/37°F (13°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Belgrade | Ankara |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38°/28°F (3.5°/-2.3°C) | 39°/26°F (4.1°/-3.5°C) |
| Feb | 44°/32°F (6.4°/-0.2°C) | 43°/27°F (5.9°/-2.8°C) |
| Mar | 53°/38°F (11.9°/3.3°C) | 52°/32°F (11.1°/0.2°C) |
| Apr | 64°/46°F (17.5°/7.8°C) | 63°/41°F (17.3°/5.1°C) |
| May | 72°/54°F (22.5°/12.1°C) | 72°/49°F (22.2°/9.4°C) |
| Jun | 78°/59°F (25.3°/15.0°C) | 80°/55°F (26.4°/12.6°C) |
| Jul | 81°/61°F (27.3°/16.3°C) | 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.4°C) |
| Aug | 81°/61°F (27.3°/16.1°C) | 86°/60°F (30.0°/15.4°C) |
| Sep | 75°/55°F (23.7°/13.0°C) | 78°/52°F (25.8°/11.3°C) |
| Oct | 65°/47°F (18.1°/8.3°C) | 68°/44°F (20.0°/6.8°C) |
| Nov | 52°/39°F (11.0°/4.0°C) | 55°/36°F (12.9°/2.4°C) |
| Dec | 42°/32°F (5.3°/-0.2°C) | 43°/30°F (6.3°/-0.9°C) |
Data:
Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia,
Turkish State Meteorological Service
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Serbia 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.
Serbia passport holder visiting Turkey
Visa Free
Turkey passport holder visiting Serbia
Visa FreeData: 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 Serbia?
Costs in Turkey and Serbia are broadly similar overall, though categories like rent and dining differ between cities.
How much money do I need to move to Turkey?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly TRY935,000 in Turkey on a RSD7,900,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from Turkey?
Internet is rarely the blocker — Turkey has 23.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people. The real questions are legal: digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
Is Turkey safe for expats?
Serbia generally does better on safety, though Turkey leads in road traffic deaths. The homicide rate in Turkey is 3.2 per 100,000 people, compared to 1.3 in Serbia.
How is healthcare in Turkey compared to Serbia?
Turkey generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Serbia leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 22.4 doctors per 10,000 people in Turkey, compared to 31.0 in Serbia. Turkey scores 76 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Serbia: 72).
What's the weather like in Turkey compared to Serbia?
The average high temperature in Ankara is 64°F, compared to 62°F in Belgrade. Ankara receives around 15.0 in of rainfall per year, while Belgrade gets 26.9 in.
What language do they speak in Turkey?
The official language in Turkey is Turkish. In Serbia, the official language is Serbian.
