---
title: "Abidjan vs Cotonou for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/abidjan-vs-cotonou
description: "Under balanced weights Abidjan edges it, 38 to 33, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Abidjan is stronger on getting there & around, internet, visa ease; Cotonou on safety. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.10.7 (2026-10-13)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Abidjan vs Cotonou for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Abidjan edges it, 38 to 33, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Abidjan is stronger on getting there & around, internet, visa ease; Cotonou on safety. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

| Metric | Abidjan | Cotonou | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | no data | no data | — |
| Safety | 38 | 50 | Cotonou |
| Healthcare | 36 | 32 | Abidjan |
| Internet | 44 | 30 | Abidjan |
| Visa ease | 42 | 32 | Abidjan |
| Getting there & around | 47 | 30 | Abidjan |
| Climate | 42 | 42 | tie |
| Air quality | 41 | 40 | Abidjan |
| Quality of life | 18 | 9 | Abidjan |

## Cost

| Metric | Abidjan | Cotonou | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | no data | no data | — |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Abidjan | Cotonou | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 11 | 5.8 | Cotonou |
| Political stability (0–100) | 53.1 | 58.6 | Cotonou |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 46 | 38 | Abidjan |
| Life expectancy | 63.5 yrs | 64 yrs | Cotonou |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Abidjan | Cotonou | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 8.6 Mbps | 4.6 Mbps | Abidjan |
| Upload | 5.6 Mbps | 1.9 Mbps | Abidjan |

## Visa

| Metric | Abidjan | Cotonou | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | e-visa required | Abidjan |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | e-visa required | Abidjan |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | e-visa required | Abidjan |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Abidjan | Cotonou | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 41 | 13 | Abidjan |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 1 | Abidjan |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Abidjan | Cotonou | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 5 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 31.6 µg/m³ | 31.9 µg/m³ | Abidjan |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Abidjan or Cotonou?

We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.

### Is Abidjan or Cotonou safer?

Cotonou scores higher on safety (50 vs 38), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Abidjan or Cotonou?

Abidjan: a measured median of 8.6 Mbps versus 4.6 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Abidjan](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/abidjan) · [Cotonou](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/cotonou). Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/abidjan-vs-cotonou