Arugam Bay vs Turkistan
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Arugam Bay edges it, 56 to 53, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Arugam Bay is stronger on getting there & around; Turkistan on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Sri Lanka's surf capital, a single beach road on the east coast
Full Arugam Bay profile →Plan a trip to Arugam Bay →Kazakh pilgrimage town around a Timurid mausoleum
Full Turkistan profile →Plan a trip to Turkistan →Where they differ
- Getting there & around. Arugam Bay leads on getting there & around, 23 to 12, against Turkistan. Non-stop airport destinations: 58 vs 11.
- Climate. Turkistan leads on climate, 33 to 25, against Arugam Bay. Comfortable months: 3 vs 4.
- Quality of life. Turkistan leads on quality of life, 63 to 55, against Arugam Bay.
Where they are close. Within five points on healthcare, visa ease, safety, air quality, internet.
Pick Arugam Bay if you want
- faster internet (7.8 Mbps measured)
- more flights and easier getting around
Pick Turkistan if you want
- no clear edge over Arugam Bay in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Arugam Bay | Turkistan |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 88 | no data |
| Safety | 63 ✓ | 61 |
| Healthcare | 72 | 77 ✓ |
| Internet | 39 ✓ | 39 |
| Visa ease | 64 ✓ | 60 |
| Getting there & around | 23 ✓ | 12 |
| Climate | 25 | 33 ✓ |
| Air quality | 74 | 77 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 55 | 63 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Arugam Bay | Turkistan |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $750 | no data |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Arugam Bay | Turkistan |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 2.51 ✓ | 2.55 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 64.9 ✓ | 62 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 72 | 83 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 76.2 yrs ✓ | 74.8 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Arugam Bay | Turkistan |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 7.8 Mbps ✓ | 6.4 Mbps |
| Upload | 2.5 Mbps | 5.1 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Arugam Bay | Turkistan |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Digital nomad visa | Neo Nomad visa (B12-1) |
| Minimum income for the visa | $2,000/mo ✓ | $3,000/mo |
| Entry, US passport | visa on arrival ✓ | 30 days |
| Entry, EU passport | visa on arrival ✓ | 30 days |
| Entry, UK passport | visa on arrival ✓ | 30 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Arugam Bay | Turkistan |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 58 ✓ | 11 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 ✓ | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Arugam Bay | Turkistan |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 4 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 16.5 µg/m³ | 15.5 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Arugam Bay or Turkistan?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Arugam Bay or Turkistan safer?
- Arugam Bay scores higher on safety (63 vs 61), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Arugam Bay or Turkistan?
- Arugam Bay: a measured median of 7.8 Mbps versus 6.4 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Arugam Bay vs Trincomalee
- Arugam Bay vs Negombo
- Turkistan vs Atyrau
- Turkistan vs Shymkent
- All comparisons
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); 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. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.