---
title: "Living in Monrovia as a digital nomad: cost, safety, visa, internet"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/monrovia
description: "Rainy Atlantic capital run on US dollars and generators"
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Monrovia, Liberia

Monrovia scores 33.8/100 for digital nomads under balanced weights, ranking 1469 of 1501 cities. There is no open cost-of-living figure yet; expect no dedicated nomad visa, and a measured median download speed of 4.5 Mbps.

Monrovia is an English-speaking capital on a peninsula between the Atlantic and the Mesurado River, with beach bars in Sinkor, the hilltop ruins of the Ducor Hotel and surf at Robertsport up the coast. US dollars circulate alongside Liberian dollars. Mains power is unreliable, so most buildings run on generators, internet is slow and costly, and May to October brings some of the heaviest rain of any capital.

Known for: Ducor Hotel ruins, Robertsport surf trips, US dollars used everywhere, Power cuts and heavy rain.

## Scores (balanced weights, 0–100)

| Factor | Score |
| --- | --- |
| Overall | 33.8 |
| Cost of living | — |
| Safety | 47 |
| Healthcare | 41 |
| Internet | 30 |
| Visa ease | 6 |
| Getting there & around | 7 |
| Climate | 58 |
| Air quality | 68 |
| Quality of life | 13 |

## 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) | 9.4 | country | 2021 | [^4] |
| Political stability (0–100) | 63.2 | country | 2025 | [^5] |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 49 | country | 2023 | [^6] |
| Life expectancy (years) | 63.4 | country | 2023 | [^7] |
| Median download (Mbps) | 4.5 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Median upload (Mbps) | 2.1 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Starlink residential service | Available | country | 2026-10 | [^9] |
| Nomad visa | none listed | country | 2026-07 | [^10] |
| Entry for US / EU / UK passports | visa required / visa required / visa required | country | 2026-02 | [^11] |
| Non-stop destinations (ROB) | 12 | city | 2026-10 | [^12] |
| Restaurants within 3 km of the centre (OpenStreetMap) | 17 | city | 2026-11 | [^16] |
| Walkability / transit (1–5) | 2 / 1 | editorial | 2026-09 | [^13] |
| Comfortable months | 7 of 12 | city | 2001–2020 | [^14] |
| Annual mean PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 19.5 | city | 2023 | [^15] |
| Human Development Index | 0.51 | country | 2023 | [^17] |
| English proficiency band | — | country | 2024 | [^18] |

## Climate (2001–2020 normals)

| Month | Mean °C | Rain mm | Humidity % | Comfortable |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jan | 26.8 | 11 | 74 | yes |
| Feb | 27.3 | 23 | 78 | yes |
| Mar | 27.6 | 44 | 80 | yes |
| Apr | 27.7 | 59 | 80 | yes |
| May | 27.3 | 109 | 82 | yes |
| Jun | 26.2 | 226 | 84 | no |
| Jul | 25.2 | 257 | 85 | no |
| Aug | 24.9 | 399 | 86 | no |
| Sep | 25.3 | 265 | 88 | no |
| Oct | 26 | 210 | 87 | no |
| Nov | 26.5 | 79 | 85 | yes |
| Dec | 26.6 | 37 | 79 | yes |

## Airports and nonstop flights

| Airport | IATA | Nonstop destinations | International | From US airports |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Roberts International Airport | ROB | 12 | 12 | 0 |

Unique destinations across all airports: 12, of which 12 international (Wikipedia, 2026-10).

## Similar cities

- [Conakry](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/conakry) (33.4) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/conakry-vs-monrovia)
- [Blantyre](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/blantyre) (41.5) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/blantyre-vs-monrovia)
- [Harare](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/harare) (40.6) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/harare-vs-monrovia)
- [Lilongwe](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/lilongwe) (42.4) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/lilongwe-vs-monrovia)
- [Zanzibar City](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/zanzibar-city) (40.5) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/monrovia-vs-zanzibar-city)

## FAQ

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

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

### Is Monrovia safe for digital nomads?

Monrovia scores 47/100 on safety. Liberia records 9.4 homicides per 100,000 people per year (WHO, 2021) and a political-stability score of 63.2/100 (World Bank WGI). Both figures are national, so neighbourhood-level risk can differ.

### Does Liberia have a digital nomad visa?

No dedicated digital nomad visa was listed for Liberia as of 2026-07. Visitors from the US need a visa from a consulate.

### How fast is the internet in Monrovia?

Measured median download speed in Monrovia was 4.5 Mbps (upload 2.1 Mbps) across 856 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 Monrovia?

Yes. Starlink's availability map lists residential service as available in Liberia (checked 2026-10), so a dish can serve as a backup line in Monrovia. Check the exact address on starlink.com before ordering, since capacity varies by area.

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

Monrovia is served by Roberts International Airport (ROB) with 12 nonstop destinations, of which 12 are international. 0 US airports have a nonstop link. Source: Wikipedia, 2026-10.

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

The most comfortable months are Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Nov, Dec. Mean temperatures range from 77°F (25°C) in Aug to 82°F (28°C) in Apr (NASA POWER 2001–2020 climatology).

### Monrovia or Conakry: which is better for digital nomads?

Conakry is the city with the closest factor profile to Monrovia 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 to Monrovia](https://dashboard.navoy.io/trip/new?utm_source=nostos&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=plan_trip&utm_content=monrovia&destination=Monrovia%2C+Liberia) 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/monrovia