Ballarat vs Darwin
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Ballarat edges it, 63 to 60, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Victorian gold-rush city with grand streets, about an hour from Melbourne
Full Ballarat profile →Plan a trip to Ballarat →Australia's tropical frontier capital, closest to Asia
Full Darwin profile →Plan a trip to Darwin →Where they differ
- Air quality. Ballarat leads on air quality, 98 to 89, against Darwin. PM2.5: 6 µg/m³ vs 10 µg/m³.
- Getting there & around. Ballarat leads on getting there & around, 26 to 18, against Darwin. Non-stop airport destinations: 73 vs 21.
- Internet. Ballarat leads on internet, 78 to 70, against Darwin. Measured download: 60.8 Mbps vs 43.6 Mbps.
Where they are close. Within five points on cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Ballarat if you want
- faster internet (60.8 Mbps measured)
Pick Darwin if you want
- no clear edge over Ballarat in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Ballarat | Darwin |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 15 | 15 |
| Safety | 82 | 82 |
| Healthcare | 92 | 92 |
| Internet | 78 ✓ | 70 |
| Visa ease | 42 | 42 |
| Getting there & around | 26 ✓ | 18 |
| Climate | 33 | 33 |
| Air quality | 98 ✓ | 89 |
| Quality of life | 98 | 98 |
Cost
| Metric | Ballarat | Darwin |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $3,350 | $3,350 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Ballarat | Darwin |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.94 | 0.94 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 79.3 | 79.3 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 89 | 89 |
| Life expectancy | 83 yrs | 83 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Ballarat | Darwin |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 60.8 Mbps ✓ | 43.6 Mbps |
| Upload | 18.7 Mbps ✓ | 9.7 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Ballarat | Darwin |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Ballarat | Darwin |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 73 ✓ | 21 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Ballarat | Darwin |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 4 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 6 µg/m³ ✓ | 10 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Ballarat or Darwin?
- Ballarat and Darwin cost about the same: roughly $3,350 per month for one person.
- Is Ballarat or Darwin safer?
- Ballarat and Darwin score the same on safety (82), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Ballarat or Darwin?
- Ballarat: a measured median of 60.8 Mbps versus 43.6 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); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.