Bandar Abbas vs Qom
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Qom edges it, 39 to 36, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Bandar Abbas is stronger on nothing outright; Qom on air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Hot Gulf port on the Strait of Hormuz with ferries to the islands
Full Bandar Abbas profile →Plan a trip to Bandar Abbas →Iran's seminary city and second holiest shrine, a short drive from Tehran
Full Qom profile →Plan a trip to Qom →Where they differ
- Air quality. Qom leads on air quality, 27 to 0, against Bandar Abbas. PM2.5: 60.9 µg/m³ vs 37.8 µg/m³.
- Getting there & around. Qom leads on getting there & around, 21 to 13, against Bandar Abbas. Non-stop airport destinations: 21 vs 79.
- Climate. Bandar Abbas leads on climate, 50 to 42, against Qom. Comfortable months: 6 vs 5.
Where they are close. Within five points on safety, healthcare, internet, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Bandar Abbas if you want
- no clear edge over Qom in the data
Pick Qom if you want
- cleaner air
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Bandar Abbas | Qom |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | no data |
| Safety | 41 | 41 |
| Healthcare | 80 | 80 |
| Internet | 30 | 30 |
| Visa ease | 15 | 15 |
| Getting there & around | 13 | 21 ✓ |
| Climate | 50 ✓ | 42 |
| Air quality | 0 | 27 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 58 | 58 |
Cost
| Metric | Bandar Abbas | Qom |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Bandar Abbas | Qom |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 2.9 | 2.9 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 36 | 36 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 81 | 81 |
| Life expectancy | 77.7 yrs | 77.7 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Bandar Abbas | Qom |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 6.1 Mbps | 6.1 Mbps |
| Upload | 0.6 Mbps | 0.6 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Bandar Abbas | Qom |
|---|---|---|
| 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 on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, UK passport | visa required | visa required |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Bandar Abbas | Qom |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 21 | 79 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Bandar Abbas | Qom |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 6 ✓ | 5 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 60.9 µg/m³ | 37.8 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Bandar Abbas or Qom?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Bandar Abbas or Qom safer?
- Bandar Abbas and Qom score the same on safety (41), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Bandar Abbas or Qom?
- The same in both: a measured median of 6.1 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); 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); OpenFlights airports and routes; 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.