Moving to Croatia from Turkey

moving to

What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Turkey to Croatia — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Turkey to Croatia, you would find that Croatia is 61.5% more expensive than Turkey overall. A TRY3,523,838 salary in Turkey would need to be roughly HRK562,757 in Croatia to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Croatian.

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How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Turkey to Croatia.

What does your salary buy?

TRY3,523,838 HRK562,757

To maintain the same standard of living in Croatia

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 2.7 times more

Groceries

pay 61.5% more

Transportation

pay 47.8% more

Housing

pay 2.1 times more

Childcare

pay 29.0% less

Entertainment and Sports

pay 49.1% more

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 TRY = 0.1405 HRK (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 Croatia cost about 10% more than cities in Turkey.

Turkey

Istanbul 49%

Croatia

Dubrovnik 56%
Zadar 51%

Compare cities head-to-head

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

Real numbers on people moving from Turkey to Croatia, and how the trend has changed.

Living there in 2020
79 ↓ 8% vs 2015

people born in Turkey live in Croatia · UN DESA

Who's moving to Croatia?

Top countries of origin for Croatia's foreign-born residents.

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

How Turkey and Croatia stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Homicide rate United Nations SDG Indicators, 2022

per 100,000 people per year

TR
2.7
HR
0.8
Road traffic deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

per 100,000 people per year

TR
6.5
HR
8.1

Turkey generally does better on safety, though Croatia leads in homicide rate.

How's the healthcare?

Healthcare spending per person World Bank, 2023

annual government + private spending per person

TR
$1,769
HR
$3,229
Doctors per 10,000 people United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

affects wait times and access to care

TR
21.7
HR
36.1

Croatia 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

TR
39.0
HR
31.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

TR
5.4t
HR
4.8t

Croatia performs significantly better than Turkey across all environment metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Broadband per 100 people United Nations SDG Indicators, 2022

fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work

TR
22.3
HR
27.0
Water stress level United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

TR
43.4%
HR
1.5%

Croatia generally does better on infrastructure, though Turkey leads in internet access.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate The World Factbook, 2023

percentage of the labour force without work

TR
9.4%
HR
6.1%
GDP per capita The World Factbook, 2023

a broad measure of economic output per person

TR
$34,400
HR
$41,300

Turkey generally does better on employment & economy, though Croatia leads in unemployment rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy The World Factbook, 2022

average years of life at birth

TR
76.2 yrs
HR
77.2 yrs
Infant mortality The World Factbook, 2022

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

TR
19.4
HR
8.7

Croatia performs significantly better than Turkey across all family life metrics.

Data: Revenue Administration, Government of Turkey, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

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

Avg. annual high / low

Zagreb Rain: 33.7 in/yr (856 mm)
60° / 42°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Ankara Zagreb
Jan–Mar 45°/28°F (7°/-2°C) 44°/29°F (7°/-2°C)
Apr–Jun 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) 69°/48°F (21°/9°C)
Jul–Sep 83°/57°F (29°/14°C) 77°/55°F (25°/13°C)
Oct–Dec 55°/37°F (13°/3°C) 50°/35°F (10°/2°C)
View all months
Month Ankara Zagreb
Jan 39°/26°F (4.1°/-3.5°C) 38°/25°F (3.1°/-4.0°C)
Feb 43°/27°F (5.9°/-2.8°C) 43°/28°F (6.1°/-2.5°C)
Mar 52°/32°F (11.1°/0.2°C) 52°/34°F (11.3°/0.9°C)
Apr 63°/41°F (17.3°/5.1°C) 62°/41°F (16.4°/4.9°C)
May 72°/49°F (22.2°/9.4°C) 70°/49°F (21.3°/9.2°C)
Jun 80°/55°F (26.4°/12.6°C) 76°/55°F (24.6°/12.7°C)
Jul 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.4°C) 80°/58°F (26.7°/14.2°C)
Aug 86°/60°F (30.0°/15.4°C) 79°/57°F (26.2°/13.7°C)
Sep 78°/52°F (25.8°/11.3°C) 72°/51°F (22.3°/10.4°C)
Oct 68°/44°F (20.0°/6.8°C) 61°/42°F (16.2°/5.8°C)
Nov 55°/36°F (12.9°/2.4°C) 49°/35°F (9.3°/1.8°C)
Dec 43°/30°F (6.3°/-0.9°C) 40°/29°F (4.4°/-1.9°C)

Data: Turkish State Meteorological Service Turkish State Meteorological Service, Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service

Visitor Visa Requirements

Short-stay tourist visa rules between Turkey and Croatia. To live, work, or study long-term in Croatia, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Croatia's immigration authority.

Turkey passport

Turkey passport holder visiting Croatia

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

Croatia passport holder visiting Turkey

Visa Free
Croatia passport holders can enter Turkey without a 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 Croatia than Turkey?

Day-to-day costs in Croatia run about 14% higher than Turkey on average; specific cities can swing further.

How much money do I need to move to Croatia?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a TRY3,523,838 comparable salary, that's around HRK140,689 in Croatia for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from Croatia?

With 27.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Croatia can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Turkey and Croatia.

Is Croatia safe for expats?

Turkey generally does better on safety, though Croatia leads in homicide rate. The homicide rate in Croatia is 0.8 per 100,000 people, compared to 2.7 in Turkey.

How is healthcare in Croatia compared to Turkey?

Croatia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Turkey leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 36.1 doctors per 10,000 people in Croatia, compared to 21.7 in Turkey. Croatia scores 80 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Turkey: 76).

What's the weather like in Croatia compared to Turkey?

The average high temperature in Zagreb is 60°F, compared to 64°F in Ankara. Zagreb receives around 33.7 in of rainfall per year, while Ankara gets 15.0 in.

What language do they speak in Croatia?

The official language in Croatia is Croatian. In Turkey, the official language is Turkish.

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At a Glance

TR HR
Population 83,047,706 4,188,853
Currency Turkish Lira (TRY) Croatian Kuna (HRK)
Languages Turkish Croatian
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +90 +385
Time zones 1 1
Emergency number 112 112