Ann Arbor vs New Bedford
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 63. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Big Ten college town with a dense, walkable core and long Michigan winters
Full Ann Arbor profile →Plan a trip to Ann Arbor →Old whaling port with a working fishing fleet and a new rail link to Boston
Full New Bedford profile →Plan a trip to New Bedford →Where they differ
- Getting there & around. Ann Arbor leads on getting there & around, 44 to 37, against New Bedford. Non-stop airport destinations: 129 vs 153.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, air quality, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Ann Arbor if you want
- to spend about $27 less a month
Pick New Bedford if you want
- faster internet (118 Mbps measured)
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Ann Arbor | New Bedford |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 20 ✓ | 20 |
| Safety | 51 | 51 |
| Healthcare | 85 | 85 |
| Internet | 83 | 88 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 44 ✓ | 37 |
| Climate | 33 | 33 |
| Air quality | 92 | 95 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 96 | 96 |
Cost
| Metric | Ann Arbor | New Bedford |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one person | $3,026 ✓ | $3,053 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Ann Arbor | New Bedford |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 5.76 | 5.76 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 60.3 | 60.3 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 88 | 88 |
| Life expectancy | 78.5 yrs | 78.5 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Ann Arbor | New Bedford |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 94.2 Mbps | 118 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 14.9 Mbps | 19.8 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Ann Arbor | New Bedford |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | home country | home country |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Ann Arbor | New Bedford |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 129 | 153 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 ✓ | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 ✓ | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Ann Arbor | New Bedford |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 4 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 8.8 µg/m³ | 7.1 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Ann Arbor or New Bedford?
- Ann Arbor is cheaper: about $3,026 per month versus $3,053 for one person.
- Is Ann Arbor or New Bedford safer?
- Ann Arbor and New Bedford score the same on safety (51), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Ann Arbor or New Bedford?
- New Bedford: a measured median of 118 Mbps versus 94.2 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Ann Arbor vs Fort Collins
- Ann Arbor vs Colorado Springs
- New Bedford vs Salt Lake City
- New Bedford vs Provo
- 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); 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); 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); Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (all items); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.