Addis Ababa vs Zanzibar City
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Zanzibar City edges it, 41 to 37, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Addis Ababa is stronger on getting there & around; Zanzibar City on safety. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Africa's diplomatic capital at altitude
Full Addis Ababa profile →Plan a trip to Addis Ababa →Stone Town and the island beaches beyond
Full Zanzibar City profile →Plan a trip to Zanzibar City →Where they differ
- Safety. Zanzibar City leads on safety, 55 to 29, against Addis Ababa. Homicides per 100,000: 6.7 vs 3.3.
- Getting there & around. Addis Ababa leads on getting there & around, 36 to 20, against Zanzibar City. Non-stop airport destinations: 149 vs 34.
- Healthcare. Zanzibar City leads on healthcare, 48 to 39, against Addis Ababa. Health coverage index: 33 vs 49.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, visa ease.
Pick Addis Ababa if you want
- more flights and easier getting around
Pick Zanzibar City if you want
- faster internet (2.6 Mbps measured)
- the safer country figures
- stronger healthcare
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Addis Ababa | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | no data |
| Safety | 29 | 55 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 39 | 48 ✓ |
| Internet | 17 | 21 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 34 | 34 |
| Getting there & around | 36 ✓ | 20 |
| Climate | 58 ✓ | 50 |
| Air quality | 66 | 71 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 18 | 26 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Addis Ababa | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | no data |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Addis Ababa | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 6.7 | 3.3 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 33.1 | 57.3 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 33 | 49 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 68.7 yrs ✓ | 68.3 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Addis Ababa | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 2.2 Mbps | 2.6 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 1.1 Mbps | 1.5 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Addis Ababa | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, EU passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, UK passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Addis Ababa | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 149 ✓ | 34 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 4 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 ✓ | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Addis Ababa | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 7 ✓ | 6 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 20.5 µg/m³ | 17.9 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Addis Ababa or Zanzibar City?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Addis Ababa or Zanzibar City safer?
- Zanzibar City scores higher on safety (55 vs 29), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Addis Ababa or Zanzibar City?
- Zanzibar City: a measured median of 2.6 Mbps versus 2.2 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Addis Ababa vs Gondar
- Addis Ababa vs Conakry
- Zanzibar City vs Paje (Zanzibar)
- Zanzibar City vs Dili
- All comparisons
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; Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); 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); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); 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. Dataset 2026.11.3. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.