Country guide · Turkey
Moving to Turkey: cost of living, salaries, taxes, visas
Istanbul bridges Europe and Asia on a very low euro cost base; high inflation moves lira figures fast; residence-permit routes are straightforward.
Turkey — anchored by Istanbul for our data — is exceptionally cheap measured in euros or dollars, which has drawn a large community of remote workers and entrepreneurs to Istanbul's Kadıköy and Beşiktaş districts. The trade-off is macro volatility: persistent high inflation means lira-denominated costs and salaries reprice quickly, so treat figures as a moving snapshot.
Tax residency triggers at 183 days, after which worldwide income is taxable on a progressive scale. Short-term residence permits are relatively accessible, and private healthcare is modern and inexpensive by Western standards — a major reason Istanbul also attracts medical tourism.
Data signals
What the numbers say about Turkey
The take-home math
Take-home pay in Turkey is shaped by a roughly 28% effective payroll deduction (income tax + social security), with VAT at 20%.
The main hub
Its primary hub, Istanbul, carries a cost index of 36 (New York = 100).
Cost spread within the country
Across the 2 Turkey cities we track, the cost index spans 29 (Ankara) to 36 (Istanbul).
Economy
Inflation and jobs in Turkey
Consumer prices rose 34.9% in 2025, averaging 41.9% a year across 2020–2025 — a mean pulled up by the 72.3% of 2022, so the 2025 rate is the better guide to today.
A missing year in a series means the source reported no observation, not zero. From the World Bank (World Development Indicators, updated 2026-07-13).
Average wage
Average salary in Turkey
The average annual wage in Turkey is about $47,253 (PPP-adjusted US$), per the OECD (2023). PPP-adjusted means it's comparable across countries on what the money actually buys — the OECD-wide average is ~$61,000. Source: OECD.
This is a country-wide figure. For what you actually need to earn in a specific city, see the salary-by-lifestyle breakdown on each city's cost-of-living page.
See take-home pay in Turkey after tax → or compare with another country.
At a glance
Turkey relocation profile
Vs the catalog average
Is Istanbul cheap or expensive, relatively?
Istanbul's cost and rent index against the mean across every city Mundevo covers.
Index base: New York = 100. Catalog average is the unweighted mean across all cities Mundevo tracks, recomputed on every build.
Tax and visa landscape
Headline tax model + entry-point visa overview for relocators.
- Effective income tax: 12.6%
- Social security (employee): 15.0%
- Total payroll deduction: 27.6%
- VAT: 20.0%
- Currency: TRY
Effective rates assume a single salaried filer at country median wage. Special regimes (e.g. expat-favoring schemes) are not applied here — see the visa guide for those.
A dedicated visa guide for Turkey is not yet published. For current rules and category eligibility, contact the Turkey consulate in your country of residence.
Salary bands at Istanbul — by role
Illustrative gross-salary bands for 6 senior IC roles in Istanbul. Derived from NYC anchor × Turkey pay-tier multiplier. Cross-check Levels.fyi, Glassdoor before negotiating.
| Role | P25 | P50 | P75 | NYC anchor (P50) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software engineer | TRY 3,563,318 | TRY 4,423,430 | TRY 5,652,160 | $180,000 |
| Product manager | TRY 3,686,192 | TRY 4,792,049 | TRY 6,389,399 | $195,000 |
| UX / product designer | TRY 2,432,886 | TRY 3,206,987 | TRY 4,312,844 | $145,000 |
| Marketing manager | TRY 2,101,129 | TRY 2,875,229 | TRY 3,870,501 | $130,000 |
| Data scientist | TRY 3,317,572 | TRY 4,300,557 | TRY 5,652,160 | $175,000 |
| Finance analyst | TRY 2,703,207 | TRY 3,809,065 | TRY 5,406,414 | $155,000 |
Top relocation corridors
Closest peers by cost-of-living index — the moves most commonly considered alongside Turkey.
Turkey-specific questions
Pulled from Mundevo's global FAQ where the answer mentions Turkey directly.
Is Turkey expensive to live in?
Istanbul, the anchor city used here, scores 36 on a cost-of-living index where New York is 100 — about 64% below the New York baseline. Rent alone scores 27. Figures are from a sourced basket, measured 2026-06-10.
How much tax do you pay in Turkey?
On the average wage, a single filer with no children loses about 13% to income tax and 15% to employee social security — roughly 28% of gross in total. These are effective rates from OECD Taxing Wages, not marginal rates, so your own liability varies with deductions and income level.
What is the average salary in Turkey?
About $47,253 a year gross, purchasing-power adjusted (OECD, 2023, average annual wage). After the payroll deductions above that leaves roughly $34,211 net.
Is the cost of living rising in Turkey?
Consumer prices rose 34.9% in 2025 and have averaged 41.9% a year across 2020–2025 (World Bank). That is a national figure; a single city, and rent in particular, can move differently.