Moving to Saudi Arabia from Turkey
What to Expect
Considering a move from Turkey to Saudi Arabia? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Turkey to Saudi Arabia, you would find that Saudi Arabia is 19.7% more expensive than Turkey overall. A TRY3,700,000 salary in Turkey would need to be roughly SAR336,000 in Saudi Arabia to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Arabic. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Riyadh averages 92°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 Saudi Arabia cheaper than Turkey?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 20.0% less
Groceries
pay 48.1% more
Transportation
pay 13.3% less
Housing
pay 44.4% more
Childcare
pay 33.9% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 51.4% 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.
What salary do you need in Saudi Arabia?
What does your salary buy?
TRY3,700,000 → SAR336,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Saudi Arabia
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 Saudi Arabia cost about 11% more than cities in Turkey.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Saudi Arabia compared to Turkey.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Turkey generally does better on safety, though Saudi Arabia 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
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 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 significantly 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 significantly better than Turkey across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Revenue Administration, Government of Turkey (2016), Department of Zakat and Income Tax (2016). How we calculate this
Weather in Saudi Arabia vs Turkey
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Istanbul | Riyadh |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 49°/38°F (10°/3°C) | 75°/50°F (24°/10°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 71°/54°F (21°/12°C) | 101°/72°F (38°/22°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/64°F (27°/18°C) | 109°/77°F (43°/25°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 60°/48°F (16°/9°C) | 84°/56°F (29°/13°C) |
View all months
| Month | Istanbul | Riyadh |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48°/37°F (8.7°/2.9°C) | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.9°C) |
| Feb | 48°/37°F (9.1°/2.8°C) | 74°/49°F (23.3°/9.3°C) |
| Mar | 52°/39°F (11.2°/3.9°C) | 82°/56°F (27.7°/13.2°C) |
| Apr | 62°/46°F (16.5°/7.7°C) | 92°/65°F (33.3°/18.4°C) |
| May | 71°/54°F (21.4°/12.0°C) | 103°/74°F (39.4°/23.4°C) |
| Jun | 79°/61°F (26.0°/16.0°C) | 109°/78°F (42.6°/25.3°C) |
| Jul | 83°/65°F (28.4°/18.5°C) | 111°/80°F (43.7°/26.4°C) |
| Aug | 83°/66°F (28.5°/18.7°C) | 111°/79°F (43.7°/26.3°C) |
| Sep | 77°/60°F (25.0°/15.5°C) | 105°/73°F (40.6°/22.9°C) |
| Oct | 68°/54°F (20.1°/12.0°C) | 96°/65°F (35.5°/18.2°C) |
| Nov | 60°/47°F (15.3°/8.5°C) | 83°/56°F (28.1°/13.3°C) |
| Dec | 52°/42°F (11.1°/5.3°C) | 72°/47°F (22.1°/8.4°C) |
Data:
Turkish State Meteorological Service,
National Center for Meteorology
Can you move from Turkey to Saudi Arabia?
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Turkey and Saudi Arabia. To live, work, or study long-term in Saudi Arabia, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Saudi Arabia's immigration authority.
Turkey passport holder visiting Saudi Arabia
Visa on Arrival
Saudi Arabia 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 Saudi Arabia than Turkey?
On average Saudi Arabia is around 20% pricier than Turkey, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to Saudi Arabia?
Budget about SAR84,000 for 3 months in Saudi Arabia (based on a TRY3,700,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Saudi Arabia?
Connectivity is usually fine (Saudi Arabia: 44.1 fixed broadband per 100). What actually decides it is legal: does Saudi Arabia offer a digital nomad visa, will your employer permit overseas work, and where are you tax-resident?
Is Saudi Arabia safe for expats?
Turkey generally does better on safety, though Saudi Arabia leads in homicide rate. The homicide rate in Saudi Arabia is 0.9 per 100,000 people, compared to 3.2 in Turkey.
How is healthcare in Saudi Arabia compared to Turkey?
Turkey generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Saudi Arabia leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 34.1 doctors per 10,000 people in Saudi Arabia, compared to 22.4 in Turkey. Saudi Arabia scores 74 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Turkey: 76).
What's the weather like in Saudi Arabia compared to Turkey?
The average high temperature in Riyadh is 92°F, compared to 65°F in Istanbul. Riyadh receives around 4.4 in of rainfall per year, while Istanbul gets 26.7 in.
What language do they speak in Saudi Arabia?
The official language in Saudi Arabia is Arabic. In Turkey, the official language is Turkish.
