Batumi vs Kota Kinabalu
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Batumi edges it, 58 to 57, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Batumi is stronger on climate, visa ease, cost of living; Kota Kinabalu on safety, air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Borneo's easy-going capital between islands and Mount Kinabalu
Full Kota Kinabalu profile →Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Batumi | Kota Kinabalu |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 75 ✓ | 63 |
| Safety | 58 | 70 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 61 | 69 ✓ |
| Internet | 53 | 59 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 90 ✓ | 74 |
| Getting there & around | 25 ✓ | 20 |
| Climate | 33 ✓ | 17 |
| Air quality | 58 | 70 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 69 | 72 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Batumi | Kota Kinabalu |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one person | $833 ✓ | $1,094 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $485 | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Batumi | Kota Kinabalu |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 1.9 ✓ | 2.6 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 55.4 | 72.5 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 71 | 80 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 71.2 yrs | 72.8 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Batumi | Kota Kinabalu |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 21.5 Mbps | 27.1 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 11.7 Mbps | 16.9 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Batumi | Kota Kinabalu |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | DE Rantau Sarawak ✓ |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | $1,999/mo |
| Visa-free days, US passport | 360 days ✓ | 90 days |
| Visa-free days, EU passport | 360 days ✓ | 90 days |
| Visa-free days, UK passport | 360 days ✓ | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Batumi | Kota Kinabalu |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 38 ✓ | 34 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 ✓ | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Batumi | Kota Kinabalu |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 4 ✓ | 2 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 23.7 µg/m³ | 18.7 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Batumi or Kota Kinabalu?
- Batumi is cheaper: about $833 per month versus $1,094 for one person.
- Is Batumi or Kota Kinabalu safer?
- Kota Kinabalu scores higher on safety (70 vs 58), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Batumi or Kota Kinabalu?
- Kota Kinabalu: a measured median of 27.1 Mbps versus 21.5 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); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages). Dataset 2026.09.4. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.