Portal Book a Call
Comparison9 measuresChecked 2026-08-21Türkiye incentive programme

Türkiye vs South Korea for a software or game company

South Korea is the largest games market in this comparison and the closest to Türkiye on rent, with a rent index of 13.6 against 12.3. Corporate tax matches Türkiye's 25%, the research credit reaches 25% for a smaller company, and dividends to a foreign parent leave at 20% against Türkiye's 15%.

The short verdict

By Tom HuseynzadeCo-founder, CyberScope Solutions
TürkiyeSouth Korea
Cash back on growth spend50% to 70%None
Tax on software sold abroad0%Taxed
Cost of living40.256.7
Dividends to a foreign parent15%20%
See what your spend is worth Three numbers, twenty seconds, no email needed.

01Where each one wins, 5 measures to 2

Where Türkiye wins

  • Dividends at 15%, against South Korea's 20%.
  • Advertising, hosting and platform fees, reimbursed at 50% to 70% where Korea reimburses nothing.
  • A cost base about 41% below Korea's, on a corporate rate that matches.
  • Income from customers abroad, untaxed under the export regime.

Where South Korea wins

  • A research credit worth 25% to a smaller company, rising further on designated strategic technologies.
  • Rents only about 11% above Türkiye's, which is the narrowest gap of any country here.
  • One of the deepest games markets and development talent pools in the world.
  • Local purchasing power 42% above Türkiye's.

02How do Türkiye and South Korea compare, line by line?

Of 9 measures, Türkiye takes 5 and South Korea takes 2, with 2 level. Every figure links to its source and carries the date we last checked it.

Public money

MeasureTürkiyeSouth Korea
Cash back on ads, hosting and platform feesbetter for the company50% of what you spend, rising to 70% when the customers you are targeting are in one of the twenty countries on Türkiye's target listsource Nothing comparablesource
Support for development costsYes, through two separate programmes: TÜBİTAK, which funds defined research projects, and teknopark status, which removes corporate tax on software developed inside a technology parkBoth are applied for separately from the export refund, and a company can hold them at the same time.source better for the companyA research tax credit at 25% for smaller companies, 8% for mid-sized ones and up to 2% for large onessource

What it costs to live there

MeasureTürkiyeSouth Korea
Cost of living indexbetter for the company40.2Numbeo index, mid-2026.source 56.7, 41% higher than Türkiyesource
Rent indexbetter for the company12.3source 13.6, 11% higher than Türkiyesource
Local purchasing power index71.8Salaries buy less locally, which is the other side of a low cost base.source better for staff101.7, 42% higher than Türkiyesource

Tax

MeasureTürkiyeSouth Korea
Corporate tax on ordinary profit25%source 25%source
Tax on income from software sold abroadbetter for the company0% under the IT export regimeApplies to income earned from customers outside Türkiye.source Taxed the same as any other profitsource
VAT or equivalent, standard rate20%Exported services are outside the scope, so this matters less to an exporter than the headline suggests.source 10%source
Withholding tax on dividends to a foreign parentbetter for the company15%A double tax treaty can reduce it.source 20%source

03What is it like to run a company in South Korea?

Seoul is six hours ahead of Istanbul and about ten by plane. Korea is a market to sell into as much as a place to build from, and the companies that put development there are usually chasing the domestic audience rather than a cost advantage. The research credit steps down sharply with company size, so a large publisher sees close to nothing from it.

04What does the Turkish programme pay back, and what are the limits?

What you spend it onProgramme itemPaid backAnnual cap
Ads and player acquisitionDigital product promotion: ads & marketing (up to 10 products/yr)50% to 70%50 000 000 ₺ ≈ $1,043,841
App store and platform commissionsApp store & platform commissions (up to 10 products/yr)50%20 000 000 ₺ ≈ $417,537
Hosting and serversHosting costs50%5 000 000 ₺ ≈ $104,384

What Türkiye would pay back on your spending

Türkiye runs a government programme that refunds part of what a software company or game studio spends on reaching customers abroad. It covers advertising, app store and platform commissions, and hosting. The refund is paid in cash against invoices the company has already settled, so it does not depend on the company making a profit. The standard rate is 50%, and it rises to 70% when the customers being targeted are in one of the twenty countries on the Turkish Ministry of Trade's target list.

Put your own yearly figures in below. The rates and the annual caps come from the same file as our full calculator, and the total updates as you type.

Back in cash, every year $0

    Have us check this figure Open the full calculator, all 16 items

    05Questions we get asked

    How big is the Korean credit for a large company?

    Between zero and 2% of qualifying research spend, against 25% for a small company. The design deliberately favours smaller firms, so a scaled publisher should not build a plan around it.

    Is Korea expensive?

    Less than the European countries here. Living costs run about 41% above Türkiye's and rents about 11% above, which puts it closer to Türkiye than anywhere else on this list except Georgia and Romania.

    Can a foreign studio claim Korean support?

    The credit follows a Korean company doing qualifying research in Korea. It has no bearing on what a Turkish company can claim on the same group's marketing spend, and the two do not interact.

    Where this comparison comes from

    CyberScope Solutions is an Istanbul consultancy that manages Türkiye's IT export incentive claims for software companies and game studios. We build these comparisons because clients ask for them before deciding, and we keep the rows where the other country wins because a comparison nobody believes is worth nothing.

    • Every figure is sourced. Each number links to the page it came from and carries the date we last checked it.
    • These pages get rebuilt, not left. Rates and caps come from the same file as our calculator, so when one changes the page changes with it.
    • You find out early if it is not for you. The first call is thirty minutes and we will say plainly if your spend pattern does not suit the programme.

    Turn that number into money

    Send us the rough shape of your spend. You get back what it is worth, what setting it up involves, and how fast the first claim can go in. Companies already operating here treat this as routine, and the six month window means the clock is running on invoices you have already paid.

    • A reply from a person within one working day
    • No mailing list, no drip sequence
    • Thirty minutes, and you keep the numbers either way

    Would rather just talk? Book a 30 minute call

    06Where these numbers come from

    Read next

    The Türkiye and South Korea tax treatyTürkiye against JapanThe full calculator, all 16 items
    See what your spend is worth Show me