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Akureyri vs Tromsø

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Akureyri edges it, 66 to 66, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Akureyri is stronger on nothing outright; Tromsø on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 1.0 of 66 points (scores 9/100)Safety: 9.2 of 66 points (scores 83/100)Healthcare: 10.1 of 66 points (scores 91/100)Internet: 9.8 of 66 points (scores 88/100)Visa ease: 6.7 of 66 points (scores 61/100)Getting there & around: 7.2 of 66 points (scores 65/100)Climate: 0.0 of 66 points (scores 0/100)Air quality: 11.1 of 66 points (scores 100/100)Quality of life: 10.9 of 66 points (scores 99/100)66
Akureyri
out of 100

Iceland's capital of the north, a fjord town far from Reykjavík's crowds

Full Akureyri profile →Where to stay in Akureyri →
Cost of living: 1.2 of 66 points (scores 11/100)Safety: 9.7 of 66 points (scores 88/100)Healthcare: 10.1 of 66 points (scores 91/100)Internet: 9.9 of 66 points (scores 89/100)Visa ease: 6.7 of 66 points (scores 61/100)Getting there & around: 6.5 of 66 points (scores 58/100)Climate: 0.0 of 66 points (scores 0/100)Air quality: 10.8 of 66 points (scores 97/100)Quality of life: 10.9 of 66 points (scores 98/100)66
Tromsø
out of 100

Arctic city of northern lights, polar night and midnight sun

Full Tromsø profile →Where to stay in Tromsø →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricAkureyriTromsø
Cost of living911 ✓
Safety8388 ✓
Healthcare91 ✓91
Internet8889 ✓
Visa ease6161
Getting there & around65 ✓58
Climate00
Air quality100 ✓97
Quality of life99 ✓98

Cost

MetricAkureyriTromsø
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$3,689$3,500 ✓
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricAkureyriTromsø
Homicides per 100k2.030.7 ✓
Political stability (0–100)88.8 ✓84.5
UHC service coverage (0–100)90 ✓89
Life expectancy82.6 yrs82.9 yrs ✓

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricAkureyriTromsø
Download101 Mbps ✓91.5 Mbps
Upload40.3 Mbps68.4 Mbps ✓

Visa

MetricAkureyriTromsø
Nomad visanone listednone listed
Minimum income for the visano datano data
Entry, US passport90 days90 days
Entry, EU passportunlimitedunlimited
Entry, UK passport90 days90 days

Getting there and around

MetricAkureyriTromsø
Non-stop airport destinations93 ✓48
Walkability (1–5, editorial)44
Transit (1–5, editorial)22

Climate and air

MetricAkureyriTromsø
Comfortable months per year00
Annual mean PM2.53.7 µg/m³ ✓6.2 µg/m³

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Akureyri or Tromsø?
Tromsø is cheaper: about $3,500 per month versus $3,689 for one person.
Is Akureyri or Tromsø safer?
Tromsø scores higher on safety (88 vs 83), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Akureyri or Tromsø?
Akureyri: a measured median of 101 Mbps versus 91.5 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

More 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); 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); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.