Moving to Greece from Turkey
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Turkey to Greece — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Turkey to Greece, you would find that Greece is 53.5% more expensive than Turkey overall. A TRY3,523,838 salary in Turkey would need to be roughly €71,702 in Greece to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Greek.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Turkey to Greece.
What does your salary buy?
TRY3,523,838 → €71,702
To maintain the same standard of living in Greece
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 72.3% more
Groceries
pay 75.3% more
Transportation
pay 48.3% more
Housing
pay 2.1 times more
Childcare
pay 25.1% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 65.3% 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 Greece cost about 6% less than cities in Turkey.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Turkey to Greece, and how the trend has changed.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Turkey and Greece stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Turkey generally does better on safety, though Greece leads in homicide rate.
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
Greece 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
Greece 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
Greece 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
Turkey generally does better on employment & economy, though Greece 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
Greece 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.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Ankara | Athens |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 45°/28°F (7°/-2°C) | 57°/42°F (14°/6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) | 78°/57°F (26°/14°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/57°F (29°/14°C) | 90°/67°F (32°/20°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 55°/37°F (13°/3°C) | 65°/50°F (18°/10°C) |
View all months
| Month | Ankara | Athens |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39°/26°F (4.1°/-3.5°C) | 54°/41°F (12.5°/5.2°C) |
| Feb | 43°/27°F (5.9°/-2.8°C) | 56°/42°F (13.5°/5.4°C) |
| Mar | 52°/32°F (11.1°/0.2°C) | 60°/44°F (15.7°/6.7°C) |
| Apr | 63°/41°F (17.3°/5.1°C) | 68°/49°F (20.2°/9.6°C) |
| May | 72°/49°F (22.2°/9.4°C) | 79°/57°F (26.0°/13.9°C) |
| Jun | 80°/55°F (26.4°/12.6°C) | 88°/65°F (31.1°/18.2°C) |
| Jul | 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.4°C) | 92°/69°F (33.5°/20.8°C) |
| Aug | 86°/60°F (30.0°/15.4°C) | 92°/69°F (33.2°/20.7°C) |
| Sep | 78°/52°F (25.8°/11.3°C) | 85°/63°F (29.2°/17.3°C) |
| Oct | 68°/44°F (20.0°/6.8°C) | 74°/56°F (23.3°/13.4°C) |
| Nov | 55°/36°F (12.9°/2.4°C) | 65°/50°F (18.1°/9.8°C) |
| Dec | 43°/30°F (6.3°/-0.9°C) | 57°/44°F (14.1°/6.8°C) |
Data:
Turkish State Meteorological Service,
Hellenic National Meteorological Service
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Turkey and Greece. To live, work, or study long-term in Greece, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Greece's immigration authority.
Turkey passport holder visiting Greece
Visa Required
Greece passport holder visiting Turkey
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 Greece than Turkey?
Day-to-day costs in Greece run about 9% higher than Turkey on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Greece?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a TRY3,523,838 comparable salary, that's around €17,926 in Greece for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Greece?
With 43.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Greece 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 Greece.
Is Greece safe for expats?
Turkey generally does better on safety, though Greece leads in homicide rate. The homicide rate in Greece is 1.1 per 100,000 people, compared to 2.7 in Turkey.
How is healthcare in Greece compared to Turkey?
Greece generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Turkey leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 63.7 doctors per 10,000 people in Greece, compared to 21.7 in Turkey. Greece scores 77 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Turkey: 76).
What's the weather like in Greece compared to Turkey?
The average high temperature in Athens is 72°F, compared to 64°F in Ankara. Athens receives around 16.3 in of rainfall per year, while Ankara gets 15.0 in.
What language do they speak in Greece?
The official language in Greece is Greek. In Turkey, the official language is Turkish.
