Banjul vs Kigali
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Kigali edges it, 48 to 38, winning 7 of the 9 factors. Banjul is stronger on nothing outright; Kigali on internet, quality of life, air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Tiny island capital of The Gambia; the beaches and winter-sun scene are 15 km away in Serrekunda
Full Banjul profile →Plan a trip with Navoy →Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Banjul | Kigali |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | 68 |
| Safety | 52 | 62 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 42 | 50 ✓ |
| Internet | 16 | 33 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 42 ✓ | 34 |
| Getting there & around | 36 | 38 ✓ |
| Climate | 67 | 75 ✓ |
| Air quality | 39 | 50 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 8 | 24 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Banjul | Kigali |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | $820 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Banjul | Kigali |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 7.9 | 3.61 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 66.2 | 67.7 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 53 | 59 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 64.2 yrs | 67.5 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Banjul | Kigali |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 1.8 Mbps | 5.1 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 1.7 Mbps | 2.6 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Banjul | Kigali |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, EU passport | 90 days ✓ | visa on arrival |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days ✓ | 30 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Banjul | Kigali |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 14 | 16 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 ✓ | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 2 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | Banjul | Kigali |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 8 | 9 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 32.5 µg/m³ | 27.5 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Banjul or Kigali?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Banjul or Kigali safer?
- Kigali scores higher on safety (62 vs 52), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Banjul or Kigali?
- Kigali: a measured median of 5.1 Mbps versus 1.8 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; 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); 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); Monitoring and Dispersion Modelling of PM2.5 in Rwanda (2019–2024); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.