---
title: "Ashgabat vs Mary (Turkmenistan) for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/ashgabat-vs-mary-turkmenistan
description: "Under balanced weights Ashgabat edges it, 38 to 34, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Ashgabat is stronger on air quality; Mary (Turkmenistan) on nothing outright. 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
---

# Ashgabat vs Mary (Turkmenistan) for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Ashgabat edges it, 38 to 34, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Ashgabat is stronger on air quality; Mary (Turkmenistan) on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Air quality.** Ashgabat leads on air quality, 42 to 17, against Mary (Turkmenistan). PM2.5: 31 µg/m³ vs 42.4 µg/m³.
- **Climate.** Ashgabat leads on climate, 42 to 33, against Mary (Turkmenistan). Comfortable months: 5 vs 4.

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

**Pick Ashgabat if you want** cleaner air.

**Pick Mary (Turkmenistan) if you want** no clear edge over Ashgabat in the data.

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

| Metric | Ashgabat | Mary (Turkmenistan) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | no data | no data | — |
| Safety | 64 | 64 | tie |
| Healthcare | 68 | 68 | tie |
| Internet | 10 | 9 | Ashgabat |
| Visa ease | 6 | 6 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 13 | 15 | Mary (Turkmenistan) |
| Climate | 42 | 33 | Ashgabat |
| Air quality | 42 | 17 | Ashgabat |
| Quality of life | 61 | 61 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Ashgabat | Mary (Turkmenistan) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | no data | no data | — |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Ashgabat | Mary (Turkmenistan) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 3.4 | 3.4 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 69.7 | 69.7 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 81 | 81 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 69.3 yrs | 69.3 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Ashgabat | Mary (Turkmenistan) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 1.7 Mbps | 1.6 Mbps | Ashgabat |
| Upload | 0.4 Mbps | 0.4 Mbps | tie |

## Visa

| Metric | Ashgabat | Mary (Turkmenistan) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | visa required | visa required | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | visa required | visa required | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | visa required | visa required | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Ashgabat | Mary (Turkmenistan) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 19 | 3 | Ashgabat |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 | Mary (Turkmenistan) |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Ashgabat | Mary (Turkmenistan) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 4 | Ashgabat |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 31 µg/m³ | 42.4 µg/m³ | Ashgabat |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Ashgabat or Mary (Turkmenistan)?

We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.

### Is Ashgabat or Mary (Turkmenistan) safer?

Ashgabat and Mary (Turkmenistan) score the same on safety (64), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Ashgabat or Mary (Turkmenistan)?

Ashgabat: a measured median of 1.7 Mbps versus 1.6 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Ashgabat](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/ashgabat) · [Mary (Turkmenistan)](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/mary-turkmenistan). 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); 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/ashgabat-vs-mary-turkmenistan