TR flag
Ankara

Turkey

vs
TR flag
İzmir

Turkey

Climate

Ankara logs 79 frost days a year to İzmir's 9 — İzmir wins by 70. Ankara also leads on hot days by 38.

Ankaraİzmir
Sunny days
248277
Hot days
5492
Frost days
799
Rain days
6979
Snow days
60
Outdoor dinner months
4/126/12
Avg wind
2.3 m/s2.5 m/s
Sunshine hours
2,8053,066
Darkest month sun
123 hrs/mo131 hrs/mo
UV peak month
9.59.1

Ankara

Feels-like °C

0
2
6
13
19
23
28
30
24
14
7
3

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

İzmir

Feels-like °C

6
6
11
17
23
27
32
33
27
20
12
9

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Cost of Living

İzmir averages $1,349/mo for balanced living; Ankara has no cost baseline yet.

Ankara

monthly · balanced

İzmir

$1,349

monthly · balanced

Minimalist $1,007Comfort $2,354
Cheaper than 73%in Among 15 Middle East cities

Mobility

İzmir scores 2.8 on mobility (0–5 scale); Ankara has no mobility baseline.

/5
vs
2.8/5
Ankaraİzmir
WalkabilityTransitMotorbikeAirport

Culture

İzmir's culture score of 3.4 sits well above Ankara's 0.0.

0.0/5
vs
3.4/5
Ankaraİzmir
HistoryVenuesNightlife
İzmir leads

Nature & Outdoors

İzmir scores 4.3 on nature & outdoors (0–5 scale); Ankara has no nature & outdoors baseline.

/5
vs
4.3/5
Ankaraİzmir
SeaMountainsForestGreen AreasLakesRunningHikingCampingBeachSurfingDivingClimbing

Safety

İzmir scores 1.8 on safety (0–5 scale); Ankara has no safety baseline.

/5
vs
1.8/5
Ankaraİzmir
Street SafetyProperty CrimeRoadEarthquakeWildfireFlooding

Career

İzmir scores 2.9 on career (0–5 scale); Ankara has no career baseline.

/5
vs
2.9/5
Ankaraİzmir
JobsEconomyCoworking

Social & Community

İzmir scores 3.4 on social & community (0–5 scale); Ankara has no social & community baseline.

/5
vs
3.4/5
Ankaraİzmir
Everyday EnglishExpat-First CommunityMulticultural MixExpat Integration ExperienceUrban EnergyStreet AtmosphereLocal-First CommunityGovernment Immigration Friendliness

Food & Dining

İzmir scores 3.4 on food & dining (0–5 scale); Ankara has no food & dining baseline.

/5
vs
3.4/5
Ankaraİzmir
RestaurantsBrunchVeganDelivery

Family

İzmir scores 3.2 on family (0–5 scale); Ankara has no family baseline.

/5
vs
3.2/5
Ankaraİzmir
UniversitiesAmenitiesSportPlaygroundsGroceriesGymYogaSpaTennis

Healthcare

İzmir scores 3.4 on healthcare (0–5 scale); Ankara has no healthcare baseline.

/5
vs
3.4/5
Ankaraİzmir
Private Healthcare

Air Quality

Ankara averages 22.3 µg/m³ (sensitive-groups) PM2.5 annually versus İzmir's 23.7 µg/m³ (sensitive-groups) — Ankara breathes ~6% cleaner air (1.4 µg/m³ lower).

Ankara

İzmir

22.3µg/m³
23.7µg/m³

PM2.5 annual average

Sensitive Groups
Sensitive Groups

WHO classification

City Scale

Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.

Ankara (3.7M) and İzmir (2.5M) are 1.5x in population — Ankara is the larger metro, İzmir the smaller.

1.3x

Ankara is roughly 1.3x the scale of İzmir

Combined population & area comparison

TR flagAnkara
1.3x
TR flagİzmir
1x

City Scale Rankings

Population
1.TR flagAnkara3.7M1.5x
2.TR flagİzmir2.5M1x
Area
1.TR flagAnkara357 km²1.2x
2.TR flagİzmir307 km²1x
© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
27 km24 km

TR flagAnkara

© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
27 km31 km

TR flagİzmir

Who Thrives Here

Frequently asked about Ankara vs İzmir

Which is cheaper, Ankara or İzmir?
İzmir has an estimated monthly cost of $1,349.
How does the climate compare between Ankara and İzmir?
Sunny days: 248 vs 277 d — İzmir higher Annual sunshine: 2,805 vs 3,066 hrs — İzmir higher Winter sunshine: 123 vs 131 hrs/day — Similar Hot days (>30°C): 54 vs 92 d — Ankara lower Frost days: 79 vs 9 d — İzmir lower Rainy days: 69 vs 79 d — Ankara lower Snowy days: 6 vs 0 d — İzmir lower
Is Ankara or İzmir safer?
İzmir has a safety score of 1.8/5.
Should I move to Ankara or İzmir?
Ankara and İzmir are both popular relocation destinations with distinct characteristics. The best choice depends on your priorities — climate preferences, career opportunities, cost constraints, and lifestyle needs. Take the personalized quiz to find your ideal match, or explore the map to compare cities by region and lifestyle factors.

The best city depends on what matters to you

This comparison shows how Ankara and İzmir stack up on the data. But your climate preferences, budget, career needs, and lifestyle priorities can shift the picture entirely. A personalized diagnostic finds what fits your life.

Take the free diagnostic

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