Country Comparison

Türkiye vs United States

Compare average wages, long-term wage changes and eight consumer price categories using OECD data.

At a Glance

Türkiye flagTürkiye

vs

United StatesUnited States flag

$57,2752024

Latest Average Wage

United States +51.9%

(vs Türkiye)

$86,9772025
+61.0%2024

5-Year Wage Change

Türkiye +58.9 pts

(vs United States)

+2.1%2025
+96.2%2024

10-Year Wage Change

Türkiye +83.2 pts

(vs United States)

+13.0%2025
322024

Overall Price Level

United States +68.0 index points

(vs Türkiye)

1002024

Wages are PPP-adjusted average annual wages; price levels use the United States reference of 100. Years shown are each country's latest reported observation.

How Wages Have Changed

Follow PPP-adjusted average annual wages in constant prices across both economies.

$25k$41k$58k$75k$92k201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025

USD PPP, constant prices · missing years shown as gaps, never interpolated

Türkiye flag

Türkiye

Latest Average Wage

+61.0% · 5 years

$57,275

United States flag

United States

Latest Average Wage

+2.1% · 5 years

$86,977

Wage Milestones

Türkiye flagTürkiye

10 Years Ago

$29,200 (2014)

Historical Peak

$57,275 (2024)

Latest Wage

$57,275 (2024)

1Y +19.0% · 5Y +61.0% · At the historical peak

United States flagUnited States

10 Years Ago

$76,999 (2015)

Historical Peak

$86,977 (2025)

Latest Wage

$86,977 (2025)

1Y +1.7% · 5Y +2.1% · At the historical peak

Compare Everyday Price Levels

See how eight consumer price categories compare with the United States reference value of 100.

United States = 100 · Differences shown in index points

Türkiye (TUR)United States (USA)

Overall

−68.0 index points

100
32vs100

Food

−36.0 index points

100
64vs100

Clothing

−36.5 index points

100
63.5vs100

Housing

−83.2 index points

100
16.8vs100

Health

−85.5 index points

100
14.5vs100

Transport

−20.1 index points

100
79.9vs100

Recreation

−46.9 index points

100
53.1vs100

Restaurants & Accommodation

−44.9 index points

100
55.1vs100

What Stands Out

01

Latest Wage Gap

United States' latest average wage is $86,977 for 2025, about 51.9% higher than Türkiye's $57,275 for 2024 — a relative difference calculated from the two reported values. That is roughly $29,702 a year on the same PPP basis. The two figures come from different reference years.

02

Stronger Recent Trend

On the latest one-year change, Türkiye shows the stronger movement at +19.0%, against +1.7% for United States. The five-year horizon keeps the same ordering: +61.0% against +2.1%. Both percentages are real, PPP-adjusted changes from the reported wage series.

03

Largest Price Gap

Health shows the widest price gap of the comparable categories in 2024: 14.5 for Türkiye against 100 for United States. Measured on the US=100 scale, the two readings for this category are 85.5 index points apart, United States above Türkiye. Index points are not percentages; the two scales answer different questions.

04

Closest Price Category

The closest category is Transport: Türkiye reads 79.9 and United States 100 for 2024, just 20.1 index points apart on the US=100 scale. The next closest is Food at 36.0 index points apart. Closeness here describes the index readings only, not the baskets behind them.

Understanding the Comparison

Wage Position illustration

Wage Position

Few pairings separate this cleanly — United States' latest average wage of $86,977 for 2025 stands well above Türkiye's $57,275 for 2024. The higher figure exceeds the lower one by 51.9% in relative terms — a percentage calculated from the two reported values — or roughly $29,702 a year. Both figures are expressed in USD PPP at constant 2025 prices, so they can be set side by side without any further conversion. For scale, neither series has moved by that much within any single reported year, so the gap is structural rather than the product of one unusual observation.

Wage Direction illustration

Wage Direction

The five-year direction is shared here: both series rise, with different momentum on each side. Türkiye sits at the highest point of its series — $57,275 in 2024 is also the historical peak, with a ten-year change of +96.2%. United States sits at the highest point of its series — $86,977 in 2025 is also the historical peak, with a ten-year change of +13.0%. The shared direction still leaves room for different speeds: +61.0% for Türkiye against +2.1% for United States, so the distance between the two levels keeps shifting. All changes here are measured in real, PPP-adjusted terms, so they describe purchasing-power movement rather than nominal pay increases.

Price Profile illustration

Price Profile

Türkiye's overall consumer price level for 2024 reads 32, and United States' reads 100, each measured against the United States reference of 100. United States reads higher in 8 of the 8 comparable categories, so the price profile leans consistently to one side. The widest separation is in Health: 14.5 for Türkiye against 100 for United States, a gap of 85.5 index points. At the other end, Transport brings the two closest — 79.9 versus 100, a gap of just 20.1 index points. Relative to the US benchmark, Türkiye reads above 100 in 0 of its 8 reported categories, and United States in 0 of its 8.

Wage and price data should not be combined into a verdict on which country is better to live in.

Average wages are PPP-adjusted and expressed in constant prices. Consumer price levels use the United States as the reference value of 100.