---
title: "Banda Aceh vs Nusa Penida for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/banda-aceh-vs-nusa-penida
description: "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."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# 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.

## 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 | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 74 | 74 | tie |
| Safety | 67 | 67 | tie |
| Healthcare | 65 | 65 | tie |
| Internet | 52 | 57 | Nusa Penida |
| Visa ease | 54 | 54 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 16 | 9 | Banda Aceh |
| Climate | 58 | 58 | tie |
| Air quality | 76 | 85 | Nusa Penida |
| Quality of life | 49 | 49 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Banda Aceh | Nusa Penida | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,000 | $1,000 | tie |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Banda Aceh | Nusa Penida | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 0.41 | 0.41 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 52.7 | 52.7 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 67 | 67 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 72.7 yrs | 72.7 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Banda Aceh | Nusa Penida | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 15.8 Mbps | 17.9 Mbps | Nusa Penida |
| Upload | 4.9 Mbps | 9.4 Mbps | Nusa Penida |

## Visa

| Metric | Banda Aceh | Nusa Penida | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | Remote worker visa (E33G) | Remote worker visa (E33G) | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | $5,000/mo | $5,000/mo | tie |
| Entry, US passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Banda Aceh | Nusa Penida | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 9 | 65 | Nusa Penida |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 1 | Banda Aceh |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 1 | Banda Aceh |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Banda Aceh | Nusa Penida | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 7 | 7 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 16 µg/m³ | 11.9 µg/m³ | Nusa Penida |

## FAQ

### 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).

City pages: [Banda Aceh](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/banda-aceh) · [Nusa Penida](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/nusa-penida). 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.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/banda-aceh-vs-nusa-penida
