Almaty vs Colombo
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Colombo edges it, 47 to 46, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Almaty is stronger on visa ease, getting there & around; Colombo on climate. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Almaty | Colombo |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | 75 |
| Safety | 54 | 63 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 66 | 71 ✓ |
| Internet | 28 ✓ | 26 |
| Visa ease | 57 ✓ | 34 |
| Getting there & around | 32 ✓ | 16 |
| Climate | 0 | 25 ✓ |
| Air quality | 67 ✓ | 59 |
| Quality of life | 61 ✓ | 52 |
Cost
| Metric | Almaty | Colombo |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | $833 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Almaty | Colombo |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 4.4 | 1.8 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 61.1 ✓ | 59.9 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 83 ✓ | 72 |
| Life expectancy | 70.3 yrs | 77.2 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Almaty | Colombo |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 6.6 Mbps | 7.2 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 4.7 Mbps ✓ | 2 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Almaty | Colombo |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | A B12-1 tourist visa (Neo Nomad Visa) | Digital Nomad |
| Minimum income for the visa | $2,999/mo | $1,999/mo ✓ |
| Visa-free days, US passport | 30 days ✓ | visa or e-visa required |
| Visa-free days, EU passport | 30 days ✓ | visa or e-visa required |
| Visa-free days, UK passport | 30 days ✓ | visa or e-visa required |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Almaty | Colombo |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 83 ✓ | 45 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 ✓ | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 ✓ | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Almaty | Colombo |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 0 | 3 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 20 µg/m³ ✓ | 23.6 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Almaty or Colombo?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Almaty or Colombo safer?
- Colombo scores higher on safety (63 vs 54), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Almaty or Colombo?
- Colombo: a measured median of 7.2 Mbps versus 6.6 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); 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); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); 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). Dataset 2026.09.4. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.