Bendigo vs Wollongong
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Wollongong edges it, 66 to 64, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Gold-rush city of grand facades, Chinese heritage and a food scene
Full Bendigo profile →Plan a trip to Bendigo →Sydney's cheaper beach-and-escarpment neighbour, 85 km down the coast
Full Wollongong profile →Plan a trip to Wollongong →Where they differ
- Climate. Wollongong leads on climate, 58 to 50, against Bendigo. Comfortable months: 6 vs 7.
- Getting there & around. Wollongong leads on getting there & around, 32 to 26, against Bendigo. Non-stop airport destinations: 73 vs 85.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, air quality, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Bendigo if you want
- no clear edge over Wollongong in the data
Pick Wollongong if you want
- faster internet (48.5 Mbps measured)
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Bendigo | Wollongong |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 15 | 15 |
| Safety | 82 | 82 |
| Healthcare | 92 | 92 |
| Internet | 70 | 74 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 42 | 42 |
| Getting there & around | 26 | 32 ✓ |
| Climate | 50 | 58 ✓ |
| Air quality | 98 ✓ | 98 |
| Quality of life | 98 | 98 |
Cost
| Metric | Bendigo | Wollongong |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $3,350 | $3,350 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Bendigo | Wollongong |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.94 | 0.94 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 79.3 | 79.3 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 89 | 89 |
| Life expectancy | 83 yrs | 83 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Bendigo | Wollongong |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 40.2 Mbps | 48.5 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 11.8 Mbps | 16.9 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Bendigo | Wollongong |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Bendigo | Wollongong |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 73 | 85 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | Bendigo | Wollongong |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 6 | 7 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 5.7 µg/m³ ✓ | 5.8 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Bendigo or Wollongong?
- Bendigo and Wollongong cost about the same: roughly $3,350 per month for one person.
- Is Bendigo or Wollongong safer?
- Bendigo and Wollongong score the same on safety (82), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Bendigo or Wollongong?
- Wollongong: a measured median of 48.5 Mbps versus 40.2 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); 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); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.