---
title: "Albufeira vs Chania (Crete) for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/albufeira-vs-chania
description: "Under balanced weights Albufeira edges it, 71 to 69, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Albufeira vs Chania (Crete) for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Albufeira edges it, 71 to 69, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Air quality.** Albufeira leads on air quality, 95 to 86, against Chania (Crete). PM2.5: 7.1 µg/m³ vs 11.4 µg/m³.
- **Safety.** Albufeira leads on safety, 83 to 76, against Chania (Crete). Homicides per 100,000: 0.71 vs 0.85.
- **Internet.** Albufeira leads on internet, 73 to 67, against Chania (Crete). Measured download: 43 Mbps vs 40.9 Mbps.

Where they are close: within five points on healthcare, cost of living, quality of life, getting there & around, visa ease, climate.

**Pick Albufeira if you want** the safer country figures.

**Pick Chania (Crete) if you want** to spend about $100 less a month.

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

| Metric | Albufeira | Chania (Crete) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 40 | 43 | Chania (Crete) |
| Safety | 83 | 76 | Albufeira |
| Healthcare | 87 | 83 | Albufeira |
| Internet | 73 | 67 | Albufeira |
| Visa ease | 75 | 76 | Chania (Crete) |
| Getting there & around | 28 | 29 | Chania (Crete) |
| Climate | 67 | 67 | tie |
| Air quality | 95 | 86 | Albufeira |
| Quality of life | 88 | 90 | Chania (Crete) |

## Cost

| Metric | Albufeira | Chania (Crete) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $2,000 | $1,900 | Chania (Crete) |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Albufeira | Chania (Crete) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 0.71 | 0.85 | Albufeira |
| Political stability (0–100) | 77.9 | 70.5 | Albufeira |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 83 | 77 | Albufeira |
| Life expectancy | 81.9 yrs | 81.9 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Albufeira | Chania (Crete) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 43 Mbps | 40.9 Mbps | Albufeira |
| Upload | 23.8 Mbps | 5.1 Mbps | Albufeira |

## Visa

| Metric | Albufeira | Chania (Crete) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | Digital nomad residence visa (D8) | Digital Nomad Visa (Z.1) | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | $4,131/mo | $3,929/mo | Chania (Crete) |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | unlimited | unlimited | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Albufeira | Chania (Crete) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 90 | 65 | Albufeira |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 4 | Chania (Crete) |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Albufeira | Chania (Crete) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 8 | 8 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 7.1 µg/m³ | 11.4 µg/m³ | Albufeira |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Albufeira or Chania (Crete)?

Chania (Crete) is cheaper: about $1,900 per month versus $2,000 for one person.

### Is Albufeira or Chania (Crete) safer?

Albufeira scores higher on safety (83 vs 76), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Albufeira or Chania (Crete)?

Albufeira: a measured median of 43 Mbps versus 40.9 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Albufeira](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/albufeira) · [Chania (Crete)](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/chania). Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); 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); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/albufeira-vs-chania