Banda Aceh vs Nusa Penida
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 57. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Aceh's capital, rebuilt after the 2004 tsunami, and the gateway to Weh Island
Full Banda Aceh profile →Plan a trip to Banda Aceh →Rugged island of cliffs and manta rays, 45 minutes from Sanur
Full Nusa Penida profile →Plan a trip to Nusa Penida →Where they differ
- Air quality. Nusa Penida leads on air quality, 85 to 76, against Banda Aceh. PM2.5: 16 µg/m³ vs 11.9 µg/m³.
- Getting there & around. Banda Aceh leads on getting there & around, 16 to 9, against Nusa Penida. Non-stop airport destinations: 9 vs 65.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Banda Aceh if you want
- no clear edge over Nusa Penida in the data
Pick Nusa Penida if you want
- no clear edge over Banda Aceh in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Banda Aceh | Nusa Penida |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 74 | 74 |
| Safety | 67 | 67 |
| Healthcare | 65 | 65 |
| Internet | 52 | 57 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 54 | 54 |
| Getting there & around | 16 ✓ | 9 |
| Climate | 58 | 58 |
| Air quality | 76 | 85 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 49 | 49 |
Cost
| Metric | Banda Aceh | Nusa Penida |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Banda Aceh | Nusa Penida |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.41 | 0.41 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 52.7 | 52.7 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 67 | 67 |
| Life expectancy | 72.7 yrs | 72.7 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Banda Aceh | Nusa Penida |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 15.8 Mbps | 17.9 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 4.9 Mbps | 9.4 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Banda Aceh | Nusa Penida |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Remote worker visa (E33G) | Remote worker visa (E33G) |
| Minimum income for the visa | $5,000/mo | $5,000/mo |
| Entry, US passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, EU passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, UK passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Banda Aceh | Nusa Penida |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 9 | 65 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 ✓ | 1 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 ✓ | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Banda Aceh | Nusa Penida |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 7 | 7 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 16 µg/m³ | 11.9 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Banda Aceh or Nusa Penida?
- Banda Aceh and Nusa Penida cost about the same: roughly $1,000 per month for one person.
- Is Banda Aceh or Nusa Penida safer?
- Banda Aceh and Nusa Penida score the same on safety (67), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Banda Aceh or Nusa Penida?
- Nusa Penida: a measured median of 17.9 Mbps versus 15.8 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Banda Aceh vs Yogyakarta
- Banda Aceh vs Amed (Bali)
- Nusa Penida vs Amed (Bali)
- Nusa Penida vs Uluwatu (Bali)
- 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); 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); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.