Moving to Turkey from Ukraine
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Ukraine to Turkey — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Ukraine to Turkey, you would find that Turkey is 30.5% more expensive than Ukraine overall. A UAH3,400,000 salary in Ukraine would need to be roughly TRY4,860,000 in Turkey to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Turkish.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Ukraine to Turkey.
What does your salary buy?
UAH3,400,000 → TRY4,860,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Turkey
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 22.1% more
Groceries
pay 6.3% less
Transportation
pay 37.2% more
Housing
pay 43.1% more
Childcare
pay 2.2 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 83.6% 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 35% more than cities in Ukraine.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Ukraine to Turkey, and how the trend has changed.
people moved from Ukraine to Turkey · OECD (latest data available)
Key Indicator Comparison
How Ukraine and Turkey stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Turkey performs significantly better than Ukraine 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
Ukraine generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Turkey leads in suicide rate.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Ukraine generally does better on environment, though Turkey leads in air pollution deaths.
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 Ukraine 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 Ukraine leads in top income tax 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
Ukraine generally does better on family life, though Turkey leads in life expectancy.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Ministry of Revenue and Duties of Ukraine (2016), Revenue Administration, Government of Turkey (2016), The World Factbook (2021). 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 | Kiev | Ankara |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 36°/25°F (2°/-4°C) | 45°/28°F (7°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 68°/51°F (20°/10°C) | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 76°/58°F (24°/14°C) | 83°/57°F (29°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 43°/33°F (6°/1°C) | 55°/37°F (13°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Kiev | Ankara |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/22°F (-0.7°/-5.5°C) | 39°/26°F (4.1°/-3.5°C) |
| Feb | 33°/23°F (0.8°/-5.0°C) | 43°/27°F (5.9°/-2.8°C) |
| Mar | 44°/31°F (6.5°/-0.8°C) | 52°/32°F (11.1°/0.2°C) |
| Apr | 59°/42°F (15.1°/5.7°C) | 63°/41°F (17.3°/5.1°C) |
| May | 70°/52°F (21.1°/10.9°C) | 72°/49°F (22.2°/9.4°C) |
| Jun | 76°/59°F (24.6°/14.8°C) | 80°/55°F (26.4°/12.6°C) |
| Jul | 80°/62°F (26.6°/16.6°C) | 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.4°C) |
| Aug | 79°/60°F (25.9°/15.7°C) | 86°/60°F (30.0°/15.4°C) |
| Sep | 68°/51°F (20.0°/10.6°C) | 78°/52°F (25.8°/11.3°C) |
| Oct | 55°/41°F (12.9°/5.1°C) | 68°/44°F (20.0°/6.8°C) |
| Nov | 42°/33°F (5.3°/0.3°C) | 55°/36°F (12.9°/2.4°C) |
| Dec | 33°/26°F (0.5°/-3.5°C) | 43°/30°F (6.3°/-0.9°C) |
Data:
Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center,
Turkish State Meteorological Service
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Ukraine 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.
Ukraine passport holder visiting Turkey
Visa Free
Turkey passport holder visiting Ukraine
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 Ukraine?
Day-to-day costs in Turkey run about 31% higher than Ukraine on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Turkey?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a UAH3,400,000 comparable salary, that's around TRY1,215,000 in Turkey for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Turkey?
With 23.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Turkey can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Ukraine and Turkey.
Is Turkey safe for expats?
Turkey performs significantly better than Ukraine across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Turkey is 3.2 per 100,000 people, compared to 3.8 in Ukraine.
How is healthcare in Turkey compared to Ukraine?
Ukraine generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Turkey leads in suicide rate. There are 22.4 doctors per 10,000 people in Turkey, compared to 35.3 in Ukraine. Turkey scores 76 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Ukraine: 76).
What's the weather like in Turkey compared to Ukraine?
The average high temperature in Ankara is 64°F, compared to 56°F in Kiev. Ankara receives around 15.0 in of rainfall per year, while Kiev gets 23.8 in.
What language do they speak in Turkey?
The official language in Turkey is Turkish. In Ukraine, the official language is Ukrainian.
