---
title: "Living in Banjul as a digital nomad: cost, safety, visa, internet"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/banjul
description: "Tiny island capital of The Gambia; the beaches and winter-sun scene are 15 km away in Serrekunda"
dataset: 2026.10.7 (2026-10-13)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Banjul, The Gambia

Banjul scores 37.5/100 for digital nomads under balanced weights, ranking 983 of 1000 cities. There is no open cost-of-living figure yet; expect no dedicated nomad visa, and a measured median download speed of 1.8 Mbps.

Banjul is a small, sleepy capital on an island at the mouth of the Gambia River, and most visitors actually base in the Serrekunda and Kololi beach area about 15 km west, where direct winter flights from Europe land. English is official and the country is friendly and safe by regional standards, but internet is slow, power cuts are common and the rainy season runs June to October.

Known for: Winter sun with direct European flights, Kololi and Kotu beaches, English-speaking, Small, with slow internet.

## Scores (balanced weights, 0–100)

| Factor | Score |
| --- | --- |
| Overall | 37.5 |
| Cost of living | — |
| Safety | 52 |
| Healthcare | 42 |
| Internet | 16 |
| Visa ease | 42 |
| Getting there & around | 36 |
| Climate | 67 |
| Air quality | 39 |
| Quality of life | 8 |

## The numbers behind the scores

| Metric | Value | Level | As of | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | — | country | 2026-09 | [^2] |
| Central 1-bedroom rent | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Outskirts 1-bedroom rent (basis of the monthly total) | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Homicide rate (per 100k) | 7.9 | country | 2021 | [^4] |
| Political stability (0–100) | 66.2 | country | 2025 | [^5] |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 53 | country | 2023 | [^6] |
| Life expectancy (years) | 64.2 | country | 2021 | [^7] |
| Median download (Mbps) | 1.8 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Median upload (Mbps) | 1.7 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Starlink residential service | Coming soon (Starting in 2026) | country | 2026-10 | [^9] |
| Nomad visa | none listed | country | 2026-07 | [^10] |
| Entry for US / EU / UK passports | visa on arrival / 90 days / 90 days | country | 2026-02 | [^11] |
| Non-stop destinations (BJL) | 14 | city | 2026-09 | [^12] |
| Restaurants within 3 km of the centre (OpenStreetMap) | 4 | city | 2026-10 | [^16] |
| Walkability / transit (1–5) | 3 / 1 | editorial | 2026-09 | [^13] |
| Comfortable months | 8 of 12 | city | 2001–2020 | [^14] |
| Annual mean PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 32.5 | city | 2023 | [^15] |
| Human Development Index | 0.524 | country | 2023 | [^17] |
| English proficiency band | — | country | 2024 | [^18] |

## Climate (2001–2020 normals)

| Month | Mean °C | Rain mm | Humidity % | Comfortable |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jan | 22.9 | 2 | 57 | yes |
| Feb | 22.6 | 2 | 61 | yes |
| Mar | 22.9 | 16 | 68 | yes |
| Apr | 22.7 | 4 | 76 | yes |
| May | 24 | 2 | 80 | yes |
| Jun | 26.3 | 45 | 80 | yes |
| Jul | 27.2 | 169 | 82 | no |
| Aug | 27.2 | 290 | 84 | no |
| Sep | 27.5 | 224 | 84 | no |
| Oct | 28.2 | 67 | 79 | no |
| Nov | 27.2 | 6 | 68 | yes |
| Dec | 24.5 | 2 | 61 | yes |

## Airports and nonstop flights

| Airport | IATA | Nonstop destinations | International | From US airports |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Banjul International Airport | BJL | 14 | 14 | 0 |

Unique destinations across all airports: 14, of which 14 international (Wikipedia, 2026-09).

## Similar cities

- [Kigali](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/kigali) (48) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/banjul-vs-kigali)
- [Cotonou](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/cotonou) (33.1) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/banjul-vs-cotonou)
- [Harare](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/harare) (41.9) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/banjul-vs-harare)
- [Lusaka](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/lusaka) (47.4) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/banjul-vs-lusaka)
- [Zanzibar City](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/zanzibar-city) (43) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/banjul-vs-zanzibar-city)

## FAQ

### How much does it cost to live in Banjul as a digital nomad?

We do not have a reliable monthly cost figure for Banjul yet.

### Is Banjul safe for digital nomads?

Banjul scores 52/100 on safety. The Gambia records 7.9 homicides per 100,000 people per year (WHO, 2021) and a political-stability score of 66.2/100 (World Bank WGI). Both figures are national, so neighbourhood-level risk can differ.

### Does The Gambia have a digital nomad visa?

No dedicated digital nomad visa was listed for The Gambia as of 2026-07. Visitors from the US get a visa on arrival.

### How fast is the internet in Banjul?

Measured median download speed in Banjul was 1.8 Mbps (upload 1.7 Mbps) across 610 M-Lab tests in 2024. Measured speeds run below advertised plan speeds everywhere, so compare cities rather than reading the number as a plan.

### Is Starlink available in Banjul?

Not yet. Starlink's availability map lists The Gambia as coming soon (Starting in 2026) as of 2026-10. Roaming plans may work for short stays, but local rules on using them vary.

### Which airports serve Banjul and how many nonstop flights are there?

Banjul is served by Banjul International Airport (BJL) with 14 nonstop destinations, of which 14 are international. 0 US airports have a nonstop link. Source: Wikipedia, 2026-09.

### When is the best time of year to be in Banjul?

The most comfortable months are Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Nov, Dec. Mean temperatures range from 73°F (23°C) in Feb to 83°F (28°C) in Oct (NASA POWER 2001–2020 climatology).

### Banjul or Kigali: which is better for digital nomads?

Kigali is the city with the closest factor profile to Banjul in this dataset. Which one wins depends on your weights; the comparison page puts every factor side by side with the numbers behind them.

## Plan a trip

[Plan a trip with Navoy](https://navoy.io) on Navoy, the AI travel planner behind Nostos.

## Sources

[^1]: City population (latest census or official estimate), Wikipedia (citing national statistics offices). CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^2]: 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level), WhereNext. CC BY 4.0. https://getwherenext.com/data/cost-of-living-2026 (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^3]: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows), WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. https://github.com/0brien18/global-emigration-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^4]: Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/estimates-of-rates-of-homicides-per-100-000-population (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^5]: Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100), World Bank. CC BY 4.0. https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^6]: UHC service coverage index, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/uhc-index-of-service-coverage (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^7]: Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/life-expectancy-at-birth-(years) (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^8]: M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024), Measurement Lab. CC0 1.0. https://statistics.measurementlab.net/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^9]: Starlink availability map, SpaceX (Starlink). Factual status cited from starlink.com. https://www.starlink.com/map (retrieved 2026-10-07)
[^10]: Digital Nomad Visas 2026, WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. https://github.com/0brien18/global-emigration-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^11]: Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations), Ilya Ilyankou (compiled from passportindex.org). MIT. https://github.com/ilyankou/passport-index-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^12]: Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables), Wikipedia contributors; countries via Wikidata. CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-24)
[^13]: Walkability and transit ratings (editorial), Navoy. CC BY 4.0. https://nostos.navoy.io/methodology (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^14]: NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means), NASA Langley Research Center. Public domain (US Government). https://power.larc.nasa.gov/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^15]: SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04), Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis. CC BY 4.0. https://sites.wustl.edu/acag/surface-pm2-5/ (retrieved 2026-10-07)
[^16]: OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API), OpenStreetMap contributors. ODbL 1.0. https://overpass-api.de/ (retrieved 2026-10-02)
[^17]: Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023), United Nations Development Programme. CC BY 3.0 IGO. https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/documentation-and-downloads (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^18]: EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band), EF Education First. Proprietary; band cited as a fact with attribution. https://www.ef.com/epi/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/banjul