- CostPricey≈22% over Asia
- SafetyCaution1.7/5
- MobilityDecent3.1/5
- CultureRich3.9/5
- ClimateVariable-6–39°
Top cities
- Istanbul14.2M residents
- Ankara3.7M residents
- Bursa2.4M residents
- İzmir2.5M residents
- Gaziantep1.7M residents
Source: GeoNames
Cost of living in Turkey
On the pricey side for Asia.
Its $1,349 median runs ~22% above Asia's median major city ($1,102); Istanbul ($1,616) runs 1.4× Antalya ($1,149).
Good to know — low cost often trades against local salaries and visa options — budget for income, not just spending. Learn how we measure this →
Safety in Turkey
The one thing to watch: earthquakes.
Most hazards across Turkey sit in a normal range — earthquakes is the one area that runs higher.
Good to know — a calm national average can hide neighbourhood-level crime — research the specific district you would live in. Learn how we measure this →
Getting around Turkey
Mobility in Turkey runs middling overall across its cities.
Across 3 cities, getting around stays within a narrow band — no single city is a real outlier.
Good to know — strong airport access can coexist with weak everyday transit — check the mode you would actually use. Learn how we measure this →
Culture in Turkey
Culture in Turkey concentrates in its big cities — Istanbul leads, Antalya is lighter.
The country average (3.9) is carried by a few cities: Istanbul reaches 4.2 while Antalya sits at 2.1. Check the specific city, not the country.
Good to know — a strong national culture score can be carried by one or two big cities — check the specific city, not only the country average. Learn how we measure this →
Airports in Turkey
İstanbul Airport is Turkey's busiest gateway.
17 major airports handle about 283M passengers a year. Tap any to see its nearest cities and how far they are.
+12 more airports on the map
Good to know — passenger volume is total throughput, not direct-route breadth; a large hub can still lack flights to your region. Learn how we measure this →
Passport strength in Turkey
Turkey's passport offers solid global access.
- Mobility
- #44110 destinations
- GDP reach
- #11419.7% of world GDP
- Heritage
- #82478 of 1,353 UNESCO sites
Good to know — a mobility rank counts how many destinations you can enter, not how useful they are; a strong passport can still gate the one place you care about. Learn how we measure this →
Climate in Turkey
Warm summers, gentle winters.
Across its cities, summer highs top out near 39°C feels-like while the coldest spots dip to around -6°C; sun is plentiful, up to ~305 days a year in Mersin.
Feels-like °C — monthly range across cities
Good to know— a country isn't one climate but a range; the extremes here are different cities, not the same place across seasons. Learn how we measure this →
Who thrives in Turkey
Turkey suits a wide range of lifestyles.
Fit is scored per lifestyle and anchored to the cities that serve each best — Big City Energy leads. Pick one to see exactly where it works.
Great fit
Decent fit
Good to know — fit is by city, not country; a lifestyle that thrives here may only do so in one or two of its cities. Learn how we measure this →