---
title: "Aqaba vs Jubail for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/aqaba-vs-jubail
description: "Under balanced weights Jubail edges it, 54 to 52, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Aqaba is stronger on nothing outright; Jubail on quality of life, air quality. 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
---

# Aqaba vs Jubail for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Jubail edges it, 54 to 52, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Aqaba is stronger on nothing outright; Jubail on quality of life, air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Quality of life.** Jubail leads on quality of life, 65 to 52, against Aqaba.
- **Air quality.** Jubail leads on air quality, 52 to 42, against Aqaba. PM2.5: 31.3 µg/m³ vs 26.6 µg/m³.
- **Cost of living.** Aqaba leads on cost of living, 61 to 53, against Jubail. Monthly cost, one person: $1,300 vs $1,550.

Where they are close: within five points on safety, internet, healthcare, getting there & around, visa ease.

**Pick Aqaba if you want** to spend about $250 less a month.

**Pick Jubail if you want** faster internet (24.1 Mbps measured); cleaner air.

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

| Metric | Aqaba | Jubail | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 61 | 53 | Aqaba |
| Safety | 68 | 73 | Jubail |
| Healthcare | 80 | 83 | Jubail |
| Internet | 58 | 62 | Jubail |
| Visa ease | 34 | 34 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 11 | 11 | Jubail |
| Climate | 58 | 50 | Aqaba |
| Air quality | 42 | 52 | Jubail |
| Quality of life | 52 | 65 | Jubail |

## Cost

| Metric | Aqaba | Jubail | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,300 | $1,550 | Aqaba |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Aqaba | Jubail | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 0.84 | 0.8 | Jubail |
| Political stability (0–100) | 60.1 | 65.9 | Jubail |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 74 | 83 | Jubail |
| Life expectancy | 80.6 yrs | 78.9 yrs | Aqaba |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Aqaba | Jubail | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 18.2 Mbps | 24.1 Mbps | Jubail |
| Upload | 13.4 Mbps | 13.8 Mbps | Jubail |

## Visa

| Metric | Aqaba | Jubail | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Aqaba | Jubail | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 4 | 40 | Jubail |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 2 | Aqaba |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Aqaba | Jubail | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 7 | 6 | Aqaba |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 31.3 µg/m³ | 26.6 µg/m³ | Jubail |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Aqaba or Jubail?

Aqaba is cheaper: about $1,300 per month versus $1,550 for one person.

### Is Aqaba or Jubail safer?

Jubail scores higher on safety (73 vs 68), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Aqaba or Jubail?

Jubail: a measured median of 24.1 Mbps versus 18.2 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Aqaba](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/aqaba) · [Jubail](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/jubail). 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); 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.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/aqaba-vs-jubail