Moving to Turkey from Zimbabwe

moving to

What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Zimbabwe to Turkey — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Zimbabwe to Turkey, you would find that Turkey is 15.5% more expensive than Zimbabwe overall. A ZWL24,000,000 salary in Zimbabwe would need to be roughly TRY4,240,000 in Turkey to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Turkish. You’ll also switch from driving on the left to the right. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Ankara averages 64°F vs 78°F in Harare, making it significantly cooler.

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How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Zimbabwe to Turkey.

What does your salary buy?

ZWL24,000,000 → TRY4,240,000

To maintain the same standard of living in Turkey

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 27.7% more

Groceries

pay 30.8% less

Transportation

pay 7.3% less

Housing

pay 34.9% more

Childcare

pay 2.0 times more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 19.7% more

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 ZWL = 0.1529 TRY (October 2026)

Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

Real numbers on people moving from Zimbabwe to Turkey, and how the trend has changed.

Moved in 2021
390

people moved from Zimbabwe to Turkey · OECD (latest data available)

Who's moving to Turkey?

Top countries of origin for Turkey's foreign-born residents.

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

How Zimbabwe and Turkey stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Homicide rate World Bank, 2023

per 100,000 people per year

ZW
6.8
TR
3.2
Road traffic deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

per 100,000 people per year

ZW
29.9
TR
6.5

Turkey performs significantly better than Zimbabwe across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Healthcare spending per person World Bank, 2023

annual government + private spending per person

ZW
$103
TR
$1,769
Doctors per 10,000 people World Bank, 2023

affects wait times and access to care

ZW
1.4
TR
22.4

Turkey generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Zimbabwe leads in healthcare spending per person.

What about the environment?

Air pollution deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2019

deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people

ZW
56.0
TR
39.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

ZW
0.8t
TR
5.4t

Zimbabwe generally does better on environment, though Turkey leads in air pollution deaths.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Broadband per 100 people World Bank, 2024

fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work

ZW
1.9
TR
23.4
Water stress level World Bank, 2022

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

ZW
46.1%
TR
47.9%

Turkey generally does better on infrastructure, though Zimbabwe leads in water stress level.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate World Bank, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

ZW
9.3%
TR
8.5%
GDP per capita World Bank, 2025

a broad measure of economic output per person

ZW
$3,021
TR
$18,599

Turkey performs significantly better than Zimbabwe across all employment & economy metrics.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy World Bank, 2024

average years of life at birth

ZW
63.1 yrs
TR
77.4 yrs
Infant mortality World Bank, 2024

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

ZW
62.4
TR
8.0

Turkey performs significantly better than Zimbabwe across all family life metrics.

Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (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.

Harare Rain: 33.1 in/yr (841 mm)
78° / 54°F

Avg. annual high / low

Ankara Rain: 15.0 in/yr (382 mm)
64° / 43°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Harare Ankara
Jan–Mar 79°/59°F (26°/15°C) 45°/28°F (7°/-2°C)
Apr–Jun 75°/49°F (24°/10°C) 72°/48°F (22°/9°C)
Jul–Sep 76°/48°F (25°/9°C) 83°/57°F (29°/14°C)
Oct–Dec 82°/59°F (28°/15°C) 55°/37°F (13°/3°C)
View all months
Month Harare Ankara
Jan 79°/60°F (26.2°/15.8°C) 39°/26°F (4.1°/-3.5°C)
Feb 79°/60°F (26.0°/15.7°C) 43°/27°F (5.9°/-2.8°C)
Mar 79°/58°F (26.2°/14.5°C) 52°/32°F (11.1°/0.2°C)
Apr 78°/54°F (25.6°/12.5°C) 63°/41°F (17.3°/5.1°C)
May 75°/49°F (23.8°/9.3°C) 72°/49°F (22.2°/9.4°C)
Jun 71°/44°F (21.8°/6.8°C) 80°/55°F (26.4°/12.6°C)
Jul 71°/44°F (21.6°/6.5°C) 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.4°C)
Aug 75°/47°F (24.1°/8.5°C) 86°/60°F (30.0°/15.4°C)
Sep 83°/53°F (28.4°/11.7°C) 78°/52°F (25.8°/11.3°C)
Oct 84°/58°F (28.8°/14.5°C) 68°/44°F (20.0°/6.8°C)
Nov 82°/60°F (27.6°/15.5°C) 55°/36°F (12.9°/2.4°C)
Dec 79°/60°F (26.3°/15.8°C) 43°/30°F (6.3°/-0.9°C)

Data: Meteorological Services Department Meteorological Services Department, Turkish State Meteorological Service Turkish State Meteorological Service

Visitor Visa Requirements

Short-stay tourist visa rules between Zimbabwe 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.

Zimbabwe passport

Zimbabwe passport holder visiting Turkey

Visa Online (e-Visa)
Zimbabwe passport holders need to apply for an e-Visa before travelling to Turkey.
Turkey passport

Turkey passport holder visiting Zimbabwe

Visa on Arrival
Turkey passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival in Zimbabwe.

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 Zimbabwe?

Day-to-day costs in Turkey run about 15% higher than Zimbabwe 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 ZWL24,000,000 comparable salary, that's around TRY1,060,000 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 Zimbabwe and Turkey.

Is Turkey safe for expats?

Turkey performs significantly better than Zimbabwe across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Turkey is 3.2 per 100,000 people, compared to 6.8 in Zimbabwe.

How is healthcare in Turkey compared to Zimbabwe?

Turkey generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Zimbabwe leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 22.4 doctors per 10,000 people in Turkey, compared to 1.4 in Zimbabwe. Turkey scores 76 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Zimbabwe: 55).

What's the weather like in Turkey compared to Zimbabwe?

The average high temperature in Ankara is 64°F, compared to 78°F in Harare. Ankara receives around 15.0 in of rainfall per year, while Harare gets 33.1 in.

What language do they speak in Turkey?

The official language in Turkey is Turkish. In Zimbabwe, the official languages are Chewa, Chibarwe, English, Kalanga, Khoisan, Ndau, Northern Ndebele, Shona, Sotho, Tonga, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zimbabwean Sign Language.

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At a Glance

ZW TR
Population 16,950,795 85,878,556
Currency Zimbabwean Dollar (ZWL) Turkish Lira (TRY)
Languages Chewa, Chibarwe, English, Kalanga, Khoisan, Ndau, Northern Ndebele, Shona, Sotho, Tonga, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zimbabwean Sign Language Turkish
Driving side Left Right
Calling code +263 +90
Time zones 1 1
Emergency number 999 112