Moving to Turkey from United Arab Emirates
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from United Arab Emirates to Turkey — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from United Arab Emirates to Turkey, you would find that Turkey is 22.6% cheaper than United Arab Emirates overall. A AED275,438 salary in United Arab Emirates would need to be roughly TRY2,527,168 in Turkey to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Turkish. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Ankara averages 64°F vs 93°F in Abu Dhabi, making it significantly cooler.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from United Arab Emirates to Turkey.
What does your salary buy?
AED275,438 → TRY2,527,168
To maintain the same standard of living in Turkey
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 4.5% less
Groceries
pay 28.4% less
Transportation
pay 4.7% more
Housing
pay 69.3% less
Childcare
pay 14.6% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 53.3% 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.
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 13% less than cities in United Arab Emirates.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from United Arab Emirates to Turkey, and how the trend has changed.
people moved from United Arab Emirates to Turkey · OECD (latest data available)
Key Indicator Comparison
How United Arab Emirates 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
United Arab Emirates performs better than Turkey 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
United Arab Emirates 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
Turkey performs significantly better than United Arab Emirates 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
United Arab Emirates 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
share of people below the poverty line
United Arab Emirates generally does better on employment & economy, though Turkey leads in poverty 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
United Arab Emirates performs better than Turkey across all family life metrics.
Data: Ministry of Finance, 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 | Abu Dhabi | Ankara |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 78°/56°F (26°/14°C) | 45°/28°F (7°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 99°/72°F (37°/22°C) | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 106°/81°F (41°/27°C) | 83°/57°F (29°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 87°/64°F (31°/18°C) | 55°/37°F (13°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Abu Dhabi | Ankara |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 75°/53°F (23.8°/11.8°C) | 39°/26°F (4.1°/-3.5°C) |
| Feb | 76°/56°F (24.6°/13.2°C) | 43°/27°F (5.9°/-2.8°C) |
| Mar | 83°/60°F (28.6°/15.8°C) | 52°/32°F (11.1°/0.2°C) |
| Apr | 92°/66°F (33.4°/19.1°C) | 63°/41°F (17.3°/5.1°C) |
| May | 101°/73°F (38.4°/22.8°C) | 72°/49°F (22.2°/9.4°C) |
| Jun | 103°/77°F (39.6°/24.8°C) | 80°/55°F (26.4°/12.6°C) |
| Jul | 108°/82°F (42.0°/27.6°C) | 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.4°C) |
| Aug | 107°/84°F (41.5°/28.7°C) | 86°/60°F (30.0°/15.4°C) |
| Sep | 104°/78°F (40.1°/25.6°C) | 78°/52°F (25.8°/11.3°C) |
| Oct | 96°/71°F (35.8°/21.8°C) | 68°/44°F (20.0°/6.8°C) |
| Nov | 87°/64°F (30.6°/17.5°C) | 55°/36°F (12.9°/2.4°C) |
| Dec | 78°/57°F (25.7°/14.1°C) | 43°/30°F (6.3°/-0.9°C) |
Turkish State Meteorological ServiceVisitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between United Arab Emirates 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.
United Arab Emirates passport holder visiting Turkey
Visa Free
Turkey passport holder visiting United Arab Emirates
Visa Online (e-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 Turkey than United Arab Emirates?
Generally yes: Turkey runs about 29% cheaper than United Arab Emirates on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
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 AED275,438 comparable salary, that's around TRY631,792 in Turkey for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Turkey?
With 22.3 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 United Arab Emirates and Turkey.
Is Turkey safe for expats?
United Arab Emirates performs better than Turkey across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Turkey is 2.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.5 in United Arab Emirates.
How is healthcare in Turkey compared to United Arab Emirates?
United Arab Emirates generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Turkey leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 21.7 doctors per 10,000 people in Turkey, compared to 29.1 in United Arab Emirates. Turkey scores 76 on the WHO universal health coverage index (United Arab Emirates: 82).
What's the weather like in Turkey compared to United Arab Emirates?
The average high temperature in Ankara is 64°F, compared to 93°F in Abu Dhabi. Ankara receives around 15.0 in of rainfall per year, while Abu Dhabi gets 3.5 in.
What language do they speak in Turkey?
The official language in Turkey is Turkish. In United Arab Emirates, the official language is Arabic.
