Baku vs Haikou
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Haikou edges it, 55 to 54, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Baku is stronger on visa ease; Haikou on healthcare, safety. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Hainan's capital, more lived-in and cheaper than Sanya
Full Haikou profile →Plan a trip to Haikou →Where they differ
- Visa ease. Baku leads on visa ease, 32 to 15, against Haikou.
- Healthcare. Haikou leads on healthcare, 83 to 69, against Baku. Health coverage index: 67 vs 85.
- Safety. Haikou leads on safety, 76 to 65, against Baku. Homicides per 100,000: 1.99 vs 0.5.
Where they are close. Within five points on air quality, climate.
Pick Baku if you want
- no clear edge over Haikou in the data
Pick Haikou if you want
- faster internet (17 Mbps measured)
- the safer country figures
- stronger healthcare
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Baku | Haikou |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | 44 |
| Safety | 65 | 76 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 69 | 83 ✓ |
| Internet | 51 | 57 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 32 ✓ | 15 |
| Getting there & around | 41 ✓ | 36 |
| Climate | 50 | 50 |
| Air quality | 74 | 75 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 51 | 58 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Baku | Haikou |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | $1,850 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Baku | Haikou |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 1.99 | 0.5 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 64 | 66 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 67 | 85 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 75.5 yrs | 77.9 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Baku | Haikou |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 11.4 Mbps | 17 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 13.6 Mbps ✓ | 12.3 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Baku | Haikou |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | e-visa required ✓ | visa required |
| Entry, EU passport | e-visa required | 30 days ✓ |
| Entry, UK passport | e-visa required ✓ | visa required |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Baku | Haikou |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 78 | 147 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 ✓ | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 4 ✓ | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Baku | Haikou |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 6 | 6 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 16.5 µg/m³ | 16.2 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Baku or Haikou?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Baku or Haikou safer?
- Haikou scores higher on safety (76 vs 65), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Baku or Haikou?
- Haikou: a measured median of 17 Mbps versus 11.4 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More 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); 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); Official entry rules that changed after the Passport Index snapshot; OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.