Which is cheaper, Banjul or Lusaka?

We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.

Is Banjul or Lusaka safer?

Lusaka scores higher on safety (54 vs 52), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

Where is the internet faster, Banjul or Lusaka?

Lusaka: a measured median of 6.2 Mbps versus 1.8 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

Banjul vs Lusaka

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Lusaka edges it, 47 to 38, winning 7 of the 9 factors. Banjul is stronger on nothing outright; Lusaka on air quality, internet, climate. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Banjul

out of 100

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 →

Lusaka

out of 100

Zambia's fast-growing capital and gateway to the Zambezi

Full Lusaka profile →Where to stay in Lusaka →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

Metric	Banjul	Lusaka
Cost of living	no data	no data
Safety	52	54 ✓
Healthcare	42	42 ✓
Internet	16	35 ✓
Visa ease	42	46 ✓
Getting there & around	36 ✓	29
Climate	67	83 ✓
Air quality	39	68 ✓
Quality of life	8	22 ✓

Cost

Metric	Banjul	Lusaka
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	Banjul	Lusaka
Homicides per 100k	7.9	5.9 ✓
Political stability (0–100)	66.2 ✓	64.6
UHC service coverage (0–100)	53	62 ✓
Life expectancy	64.2 yrs ✓	61 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

Metric	Banjul	Lusaka
Download	1.8 Mbps	6.2 Mbps ✓
Upload	1.7 Mbps	1.8 Mbps ✓

Visa

Metric	Banjul	Lusaka
Nomad visa	none listed	none listed
Minimum income for the visa	no data	no data
Entry, US passport	visa on arrival	90 days ✓
Entry, EU passport	90 days	90 days
Entry, UK passport	90 days	90 days

Getting there and around

Metric	Banjul	Lusaka
Non-stop airport destinations	14	19 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)	3 ✓	1
Transit (1–5, editorial)	1	1

Climate and air

Metric	Banjul	Lusaka
Comfortable months per year	8	10 ✓
Annual mean PM2.5	32.5 µg/m³	19.5 µg/m³ ✓

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Banjul or Lusaka?: We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
Is Banjul or Lusaka safer?: Lusaka scores higher on safety (54 vs 52), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Banjul or Lusaka?: Lusaka: a measured median of 6.2 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; 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); 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 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.