Lower cost of living
Rent, groceries, transport and dining are typically more affordable than Western Europe and the Gulf for similar lifestyles.
Moving to Turkey:
The 2026 Expat Guide.
Planning to move to Turkey? Get free calculators for cost of living, digital nomad visa, residence permits and Turkish citizenship by investment — no accounts, no agencies, just clear numbers for expats.
Istanbul · couple · central
$2,840/mo
Comfortable lifestyle, 1-bedroom rental — sample number from the cost-of-living calculator.
Cost of LivingCalculators
Run the numbers before you commit.
Each calculator answers one question foreigners actually ask before relocating. Free to use, no account required.
Highest stakes
Turkish Citizenship by Investment Calculator
Estimate the all-in cost of Turkish CBI — investment, sunk fees, family additions and timeline. Property, bank deposit, bonds and fund routes.
Estimate CBI costMost popularIstanbul Cost of Living Calculator
Estimate rent, food, transport, healthcare, schooling and monthly budget for foreigners moving to Istanbul.
Estimate monthly costTurkey Tax Residency Calculator
Check whether your stay, home, family and income situation may create Turkish tax residency risk.
Check residency riskForeign Income Tax Checker
Explore whether foreign-source income rules or incentives in Türkiye may be relevant to your situation.
Check eligibilityResidence Permit Cost Calculator
Estimate application, insurance, document and family-related Turkish residence permit costs.
Estimate permit costIstanbul vs Dubai Calculator
Compare monthly living costs, rent, schooling, healthcare and relocation fit between Istanbul and Dubai.
Compare citiesMoving to Turkey Checklist
Step-by-step relocation checklist covering visa, residence permit, banking, healthcare and more.
Open checklistSample numbers
What you might be looking at.
A glance at the kind of figures the calculators produce. Run them with your own household to see your picture.
- Estimated monthly cost — couple in Istanbul
- $2,840
- Tax residency threshold per calendar year
- 183 days
- Property route minimum — Turkish citizenship by investment
- $400K
- Calculators free to use
- 12+
Why Türkiye
Why foreigners are moving to Türkiye.
Accessible residency
Short-term, family and student permits make legal residency achievable for many foreigners — at planning-friendly costs.
Climate & lifestyle
From Istanbul's metropolitan hum to coastal Antalya and Izmir, lifestyle and climate options are unusually broad.
Healthcare & infrastructure
Modern private healthcare, growing international school networks, fast internet and well-connected airports.
What's new
Recently changed.
Posted when something material moves — a tax proposal, a new calculator, an updated assumption.
- City
Six new city cost-of-living calculators shipped
Antalya, Bodrum, Ankara, Izmir, Fethiye and Alanya now each have their own calculator with city-specific rent tables, district tiers and lifestyle assumptions. A Mersin page also launched in beta. Istanbul stays the most-used calculator, but for foreigners weighing the coast or the capital these new pages give the actual local numbers.
Read - Calculator
Turkish Citizenship by Investment Calculator launched
A new calculator estimates the all-in cost of Turkish citizenship by investment — covering the property, bank deposit, government bond and fund routes, plus sunk fees, family additions and the typical 6–9 month timeline. Built to support the largest financial decision in our calculator suite.
Read - Tax
Türkiye announces proposed 20-year tax exemption on foreign income
On 24 April 2026, President Erdoğan announced a proposed 20-year exemption from Turkish tax on foreign-source income for qualifying new residents — those who have not been Turkish tax residents in the past three years. Turkish-source income would still be taxed. The proposal still needs to pass Parliament and appear in the Official Gazette before it counts.
Read
Guides
In-depth research, kept up to date.
Long-form pieces we've written to support the calculators — cautious, source-cited, useful before talking to an advisor.
Tax30 April 2026
Turkey's Proposed 20-Year Foreign Income Tax Exemption: What Expats Should Know
Türkiye has announced a proposed 20-year exemption from Turkish tax on foreign-source income for qualifying new residents. It is still a developing proposal, not a filing position.
Read the guideTax30 April 2026
Turkey Tax Residency Rule for Foreigners: The 183-Day / Six-Month Rule Explained
Turkey's tax-residency rule is often described as a 183-day test, but the legal test uses domicile, more than six months in a calendar year, exceptions and treaty facts.
Read the guideCity guides
Top cities for foreigners.
Cost-of-living estimates and lifestyle context for Türkiye's most popular destinations among expats and remote workers.
Istanbul
MarmaraThe cosmopolitan anchor. International schools, every district imaginable, the deepest expat community.
Open calculatorAntalya
MediterraneanMild winters and a coastal pace. Lower rent than Istanbul, large Russian-speaking and UK retiree communities.
Open calculatorBodrum
AegeanTürkiye's premium peninsula — yachts, villas, summer-heavy luxury market. UK retiree heart.
Open calculatorAnkara
Central AnatoliaThe capital. Embassies, universities, walkable centre and ~25–35% cheaper than Istanbul.
Open calculatorIzmir
AegeanAegean breeze, modern centre, working harbour. Secular, liberal, growing remote-worker scene.
Open calculatorFethiye
MediterraneanBritish Türkiye — the cheapest major expat market on the coast. Year-round and seasonal residents.
Open calculatorCountry guides
Where are you moving from?
Visa rules, banking access, tax treatment and the best landing city all depend on your passport. Pick your origin country.
From Russia
The largest active relocation cohort to Türkiye.
Read the guideFrom United Kingdom
Long-established British community in Fethiye, Bodrum and Antalya.
Read the guideFrom Germany
Deep historical and family ties — over 3 million people in Germany have Turkish heritage, with significant return migration in 2026.
Read the guideFrom Iran
Türkiye is the largest destination for Iranians leaving Iran.
Read the guideFrom USA
Lower cost of living, modern infrastructure, no Schengen visa cap, and accessible long-term residency.
Read the guideFrom Ukraine
Visa-free entry, established Ukrainian communities in Antalya and Istanbul, and accessible residence pathways.
Read the guideFrom France
Visa-free entry, established French community in Istanbul, accessible residence pathways.
Read the guideFrom Israel
Visa-free entry, geographic proximity, and accessible long-term residence.
Read the guideFrom Iraq
Established Iraqi communities in Istanbul and Mersin, with Arabic-language services widely available.
Read the guideFrom Saudi Arabia
Strong cultural ties, summer-residence flows to Trabzon and Bursa, and full Arabic-language professional infrastructure in Istanbul.
Read the guideFrom Kazakhstan
Visa-free entry, growing Kazakh community, and shared Turkic linguistic and cultural ties.
Read the guideFrom Uzbekistan
Visa-free entry, large Uzbek community in Istanbul, and shared Turkic linguistic ties.
Read the guideFrom Azerbaijan
Visa-free entry, shared Turkic linguistic and cultural roots — "one nation, two states.
Read the guideFrom India
e-Visa entry, growing professional community in Istanbul and Ankara, and accessible long-term residence.
Read the guideFrom China
e-Visa entry, growing Chinese business community in Istanbul, and accessible long-term residence.
Read the guideFrom Kyrgyzstan
Visa-free entry, shared Turkic linguistic ties, and a growing Kyrgyz student and worker community in Istanbul.
Read the guideFrom Egypt
Established Egyptian community in Istanbul, full Arabic-language professional infrastructure, and accessible long-term residence pathways.
Read the guideFrom Jordan
Visa-free entry, growing Jordanian and Levantine community in Istanbul, and accessible long-term residence pathways.
Read the guideFrom Lebanon
Visa-free entry, growing Lebanese diaspora in Istanbul, and an active relocation flow driven by Lebanon's economic crisis.
Read the guideFrom Afghanistan
Visa-required entry, significant banking and document-authentication friction, and complex residence-permit processing.
Read the guideFrom Pakistan
Visa-required entry, growing Pakistani student and professional community in Istanbul and Ankara, and accessible long-term residence with proper preparation.
Read the guideFrom Nigeria
Visa-required entry, growing Nigerian student and trader community in Istanbul, and accessible long-term residence with proper preparation.
Read the guideFrom Italy
Visa-free entry, established Italian community in Istanbul (with deep historical roots), and accessible long-term residence pathways.
Read the guideFrom Spain
Visa-free entry, small but established Spanish community in Istanbul, and accessible long-term residence pathways.
Read the guideFrom Netherlands
Visa-free entry, established Dutch community along the Mediterranean coast, and accessible long-term residence.
Read the guideCompare cities
Istanbul vs the world.
Compare Istanbul against major global hubs — rent, monthly budget, schooling, healthcare and lifestyle fit.
FAQ
Frequently asked
Get started
Build your relocation plan in 5 minutes.
Start with the most-used calculator, then explore tax residency, permits and city comparisons from there.