Ashgabat vs Shiraz
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Shiraz edges it, 43 to 38, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Ashgabat is stronger on safety; Shiraz on internet, getting there & around, healthcare. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Marble showcase capital of one of the world's most closed countries
Full Ashgabat profile →Plan a trip to Ashgabat →City of poets and gardens with Persepolis an hour away
Full Shiraz profile →Plan a trip to Shiraz →Where they differ
- Safety. Ashgabat leads on safety, 64 to 41, against Shiraz. Homicides per 100,000: 3.4 vs 2.9.
- Internet. Shiraz leads on internet, 30 to 10, against Ashgabat. Measured download: 1.7 Mbps vs 6.1 Mbps.
- Getting there & around. Shiraz leads on getting there & around, 25 to 13, against Ashgabat. Non-stop airport destinations: 19 vs 35.
Where they are close. Within five points on quality of life, air quality.
Pick Ashgabat if you want
- the safer country figures
Pick Shiraz if you want
- faster internet (6.1 Mbps measured)
- stronger healthcare
- more flights and easier getting around
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Ashgabat | Shiraz |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | no data |
| Safety | 64 ✓ | 41 |
| Healthcare | 68 | 80 ✓ |
| Internet | 10 | 30 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 6 | 15 ✓ |
| Getting there & around | 13 | 25 ✓ |
| Climate | 42 | 50 ✓ |
| Air quality | 42 | 45 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 61 ✓ | 58 |
Cost
| Metric | Ashgabat | Shiraz |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | no data |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Ashgabat | Shiraz |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 3.4 | 2.9 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 69.7 ✓ | 36 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 81 | 81 |
| Life expectancy | 69.3 yrs | 77.7 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Ashgabat | Shiraz |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 1.7 Mbps | 6.1 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 0.4 Mbps | 0.6 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Ashgabat | Shiraz |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | visa required | visa required |
| Entry, EU passport | visa required | visa on arrival ✓ |
| Entry, UK passport | visa required | visa required |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Ashgabat | Shiraz |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 19 | 35 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | Ashgabat | Shiraz |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 6 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 31 µg/m³ | 29.8 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Ashgabat or Shiraz?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Ashgabat or Shiraz safer?
- Ashgabat scores higher on safety (64 vs 41), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Ashgabat or Shiraz?
- Shiraz: a measured median of 6.1 Mbps versus 1.7 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Ashgabat vs Mary (Turkmenistan)
- Ashgabat vs Nishapur
- Shiraz vs Nishapur
- Shiraz vs Tehran
- 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); 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. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.