Benin City vs Port Harcourt
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Port Harcourt edges it, 31 to 29, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Benin City is stronger on nothing outright; Port Harcourt on internet. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Edo State's capital and the historic seat of the Kingdom of Benin
Full Benin City profile →Plan a trip to Benin City →Niger Delta oil capital with money, soot and security risks
Full Port Harcourt profile →Plan a trip to Port Harcourt →Where they differ
- Internet. Port Harcourt leads on internet, 43 to 29, against Benin City. Measured download: 4 Mbps vs 8.9 Mbps.
Where they are close. Within five points on getting there & around, air quality, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Benin City if you want
- no clear edge over Port Harcourt in the data
Pick Port Harcourt if you want
- faster internet (8.9 Mbps measured)
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Benin City | Port Harcourt |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 72 | 72 |
| Safety | 20 | 20 |
| Healthcare | 39 | 39 |
| Internet | 29 | 43 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 32 | 32 |
| Getting there & around | 5 ✓ | 1 |
| Climate | 25 | 25 |
| Air quality | 0 | 2 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 40 | 40 |
Cost
| Metric | Benin City | Port Harcourt |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,050 | $1,050 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Benin City | Port Harcourt |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 15.75 | 15.75 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 35.1 | 35.1 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 47 | 47 |
| Life expectancy | 62.9 yrs | 62.9 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Benin City | Port Harcourt |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 4 Mbps | 8.9 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 2.6 Mbps | 4.5 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Benin City | Port Harcourt |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | e-visa required | e-visa required |
| Entry, EU passport | e-visa required | e-visa required |
| Entry, UK passport | e-visa required | e-visa required |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Benin City | Port Harcourt |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 3 | 6 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 ✓ | 1 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Benin City | Port Harcourt |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 3 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 52.1 µg/m³ | 49 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Benin City or Port Harcourt?
- Benin City and Port Harcourt cost about the same: roughly $1,050 per month for one person.
- Is Benin City or Port Harcourt safer?
- Benin City and Port Harcourt score the same on safety (20), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Benin City or Port Harcourt?
- Port Harcourt: a measured median of 8.9 Mbps versus 4 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Benin City vs Faisalabad
- Benin City vs Sargodha
- Port Harcourt vs Ibadan
- Port Harcourt vs Kano
- All 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); 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.