Moving to Dominican Republic from Turkey
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Turkey to Dominican Republic — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Turkey to Dominican Republic, you would find that Dominican Republic is 8.3% more expensive than Turkey overall. A TRY3,700,000 salary in Turkey would need to be roughly DOP4,970,000 in Dominican Republic to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Spanish. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Santo Domingo averages 87°F vs 65°F in Istanbul, making it significantly warmer.
Planning this move? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes ↓Is Dominican Republic cheaper than Turkey?
The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 3.6% less
Groceries
pay 58.4% more
Transportation
pay 19.6% less
Housing
pay 29.0% more
Childcare
pay 63.1% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 10.4% 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.
What salary do you need in Dominican Republic?
What does your salary buy?
TRY3,700,000 → DOP4,970,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Dominican Republic
Calculate with your salary →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 Dominican Republic cost about 31% less than cities in Turkey.
Compare cities head-to-head
Get free moving quotes to Dominican Republic
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Turkey to Dominican Republic, and how the trend has changed.
Who's moving to Dominican Republic?
Top countries of origin for Dominican Republic's foreign-born residents.
- 496,112
- 34,063
- 14,626
- 7,272
- 4,780
- 4,375
- · · ·
-
66.31
Turkey
Key Indicator Comparison
How Turkey and Dominican Republic stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
of residents who feel safe walking alone at night
per 100,000 people per year
Turkey performs better than Dominican Republic 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
Dominican Republic generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Turkey leads in adult obesity rate.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Dominican Republic performs significantly 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
Turkey generally does better on infrastructure, though Dominican Republic 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
share of people below the poverty line
Turkey generally does better on employment & economy, though Dominican Republic leads in unemployment 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
Turkey generally does better on family life, though Dominican Republic leads in education spending.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), Revenue Administration, Government of Turkey (2016), Direccion General de Impuestos Internos (2016). How we calculate this
Weather in Dominican Republic vs Turkey
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Istanbul | Santo Domingo |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 49°/38°F (10°/3°C) | 85°/67°F (29°/20°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 71°/54°F (21°/12°C) | 87°/72°F (30°/22°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/64°F (27°/18°C) | 89°/73°F (31°/23°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 60°/48°F (16°/9°C) | 87°/71°F (30°/21°C) |
View all months
| Month | Istanbul | Santo Domingo |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48°/37°F (8.7°/2.9°C) | 85°/67°F (29.2°/19.6°C) |
| Feb | 48°/37°F (9.1°/2.8°C) | 85°/67°F (29.2°/19.7°C) |
| Mar | 52°/39°F (11.2°/3.9°C) | 85°/68°F (29.6°/20.2°C) |
| Apr | 62°/46°F (16.5°/7.7°C) | 86°/70°F (30.2°/21.1°C) |
| May | 71°/54°F (21.4°/12.0°C) | 87°/72°F (30.4°/22.2°C) |
| Jun | 79°/61°F (26.0°/16.0°C) | 87°/73°F (30.8°/22.9°C) |
| Jul | 83°/65°F (28.4°/18.5°C) | 88°/73°F (31.3°/22.8°C) |
| Aug | 83°/66°F (28.5°/18.7°C) | 89°/73°F (31.5°/22.7°C) |
| Sep | 77°/60°F (25.0°/15.5°C) | 89°/73°F (31.4°/22.7°C) |
| Oct | 68°/54°F (20.1°/12.0°C) | 88°/72°F (31.1°/22.3°C) |
| Nov | 60°/47°F (15.3°/8.5°C) | 87°/71°F (30.6°/21.4°C) |
| Dec | 52°/42°F (11.1°/5.3°C) | 85°/69°F (29.6°/20.3°C) |
Data:
Turkish State Meteorological Service,
Oficina Nacional de Meteorologiá
Can you move from Turkey to Dominican Republic?
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Turkey and Dominican Republic. To live, work, or study long-term in Dominican Republic, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Dominican Republic's immigration authority.
Turkey passport holder visiting Dominican Republic
Visa Free
Dominican Republic passport holder visiting Turkey
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 Dominican Republic than Turkey?
Day-to-day costs in Dominican Republic run about 8% higher than Turkey on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Dominican Republic?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a TRY3,700,000 comparable salary, that's around DOP1,242,500 in Dominican Republic for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Dominican Republic?
With 11.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Dominican Republic 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 Dominican Republic.
Is Dominican Republic safe for expats?
Turkey performs better than Dominican Republic across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Dominican Republic is 10.9 per 100,000 people, compared to 3.2 in Turkey. About 40% of people in Dominican Republic feel safe walking alone at night.
How is healthcare in Dominican Republic compared to Turkey?
Dominican Republic generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Turkey leads in adult obesity rate. There are 24.3 doctors per 10,000 people in Dominican Republic, compared to 22.4 in Turkey. Dominican Republic scores 77 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Turkey: 76).
What's the weather like in Dominican Republic compared to Turkey?
The average high temperature in Santo Domingo is 87°F, compared to 65°F in Istanbul. Santo Domingo receives around 57.0 in of rainfall per year, while Istanbul gets 26.7 in.
What language do they speak in Dominican Republic?
The official language in Dominican Republic is Spanish. In Turkey, the official language is Turkish.
