MULKIYA · GUIDES
Saudi Arabia or Turkey: An Honest Comparison for Foreign Buyers
Reviewed against the official register · Updated 2026-07-30
Turkey is a mature market, open to most foreign buyers for years. Saudi Arabia opened ownership inside 100+ designated zones on 22-01-2026. An honest comparison.
Two regimes of different ages
Turkey has admitted foreign buyers for years, across most of the country and for most nationalities, with defined exceptions such as military and security areas. Saudi Arabia built a different model. The Law of Real Estate Ownership by Non-Saudis, Royal Decree M/14, entered into force on 22-01-2026. Council of Ministers Decision 43 of 23-06-2026 approved the Implementing Regulations and endorsed the designated-zones document. A non-Saudi individual buys inside the 100+ designated zones, and the map is part of the permission: confirm the parcel on the official register before you price it. Turkey's permission is broad and set in general geographic terms. Saudi's is parcel-level and set by buyer class.
Who may own what
In Saudi Arabia, eligibility follows your buyer class. A non-resident foreign individual may own inside the designated zones. A resident with an iqama may also seek approval for one home outside them. In the designated Makkah and Madinah zones, ownership is limited to Muslim individuals and Saudi companies, and Premium Residency holders may hold usufruct for up to 99 years there instead. Turkey applies no religious carve-out and sells to most passports in most districts. The practical result: a Muslim buyer can weigh holy-city property inside a Saudi comparison, while a non-Muslim buyer compares Turkey against the other Saudi zones.
What each side costs
The verified Saudi list is short. The Real Estate Transaction Tax is 5% of the price, legally the seller's liability and commonly priced into the deal. Brokerage is capped at 2.5%, plus 15% VAT on the commission, and is payable only if a broker is engaged. When a non-Saudi owner sells, a 2% disposal fee applies in Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah, 0% elsewhere, under a statutory cap of 5%. Turkey has its own transfer taxes, registry fees and commission customs. We publish no verified Turkish figures, so this article prints none. Budget the Turkish side from official Turkish sources; a comparison built on one cost stack is a guess.
Residency and citizenship are separate questions
Turkey links property to stay rights: a purchase can support a residence permit and, at higher values, citizenship routes, under rules that have changed over time. Saudi Arabia keeps the tracks apart. Buying property does not grant residency, and no residency comes with the deed. Premium Residency is a separate regime with its own fees and rights. Decide what you are actually buying. If the goal is a residence permit or a second citizenship through property, the two markets are not substitutes. If the goal is the asset, compare the assets.
The market, honestly
The Saudi market is cooling. The official residential price index recorded -3.6% year on year in Q1 2026. Gross residential yields sit in a band of roughly 7-9%, per licensed yield data for Q1 2026: a range to verify per asset, not a promise. In Riyadh, residential and commercial rents inside the urban boundary are frozen for five years, so underwrite the rent you sign today. We hold no verified Turkish market figures, so we print none; read the Turkish market the same way, from its official index and traded prices rather than brochures. Neither side is the answer. A cooling market rewards a verified entry price and punishes momentum buying, on either side.
What is genuinely different, and the next step
Three things set the Saudi regime apart. First, youth: the regime took effect in 2026, so its processes are new and early buyers price that in. Second, the register: the official register, not a brochure, decides whether a parcel is open. Third, determinism: eligibility follows your class and can be checked in advance. Mulkiya is not the seller and not the broker, and it takes no commission. The honest first step is the eligibility check: seven questions about your status and your target property, answered by a deterministic rules engine against the law. Run it, then compare assets on both sides with verified numbers.
Is buying in Turkey easier than buying in Saudi Arabia?
It is different, not easier. Turkey is broadly open to most nationalities across most of the country. Saudi Arabia opens ownership inside 100+ designated zones, with eligibility set by buyer class and the parcel confirmed on the official register. In both markets the real work is verification: of the parcel, the seller and the costs.
Does buying property in Saudi Arabia grant residency?
No. Ownership and residency are separate tracks. Premium Residency is its own regime with its own rights and fees. Turkey, by contrast, has property-linked residence and citizenship routes. If residency is the goal, the two markets answer different questions.
Which side is cheaper to buy?
On the Saudi side the verified lines are the 5% transfer tax, brokerage capped at 2.5% plus VAT on the commission, and a 2% disposal fee on exit in Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah. We publish no verified Turkish cost figures, so there is no honest total comparison here. Budget the Turkish side from official sources, then compare.
Can a non-Muslim buy in Makkah or Madinah?
No. Ownership inside the designated Makkah and Madinah zones is limited to Muslim individuals and Saudi companies. Turkey has no equivalent carve-out. Non-Muslim buyers compare Turkey against the remaining Saudi zones.