NavoyNostos

Boise vs Madison

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Madison edges it, 64 to 63, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Boise is stronger on nothing outright; Madison on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 1.9 of 63 points (scores 17/100)Safety: 5.7 of 63 points (scores 51/100)Healthcare: 9.0 of 63 points (scores 81/100)Internet: 8.8 of 63 points (scores 79/100)Visa ease: 6.8 of 63 points (scores 61/100)Getting there & around: 5.3 of 63 points (scores 48/100)Climate: 3.7 of 63 points (scores 33/100)Air quality: 10.9 of 63 points (scores 98/100)Quality of life: 10.6 of 63 points (scores 95/100)63
Boise
out of 100

Idaho's fast-growing capital with a river through it

Full Boise profile →Hotels in the United States →
Cost of living: 1.9 of 64 points (scores 17/100)Safety: 5.7 of 64 points (scores 51/100)Healthcare: 9.0 of 64 points (scores 81/100)Internet: 9.5 of 64 points (scores 85/100)Visa ease: 6.8 of 64 points (scores 61/100)Getting there & around: 6.0 of 64 points (scores 54/100)Climate: 3.7 of 64 points (scores 33/100)Air quality: 10.7 of 64 points (scores 96/100)Quality of life: 10.6 of 64 points (scores 95/100)64
Madison
out of 100

Lakeside university city with a strong bike culture

Full Madison profile →Hotels in the United States →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricBoiseMadison
Cost of living1717
Safety5151
Healthcare8181
Internet7985 ✓
Visa ease6161
Getting there & around4854 ✓
Climate3333
Air quality98 ✓96
Quality of life9595

Cost

MetricBoiseMadison
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$3,000$3,000
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricBoiseMadison
Homicides per 100k5.765.76
Political stability (0–100)60.360.3
UHC service coverage (0–100)8888
Life expectancy76.4 yrs76.4 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricBoiseMadison
Download70.2 Mbps105.7 Mbps ✓
Upload14.2 Mbps15.5 Mbps ✓

Visa

MetricBoiseMadison
Nomad visanone listednone listed
Minimum income for the visano datano data
Entry, US passporthome countryhome country
Entry, EU passporteTA required (online, before travel)eTA required (online, before travel)
Entry, UK passporteTA required (online, before travel)eTA required (online, before travel)

Getting there and around

MetricBoiseMadison
Non-stop airport destinations27 ✓19
Walkability (1–5, editorial)34 ✓
Transit (1–5, editorial)23 ✓

Climate and air

MetricBoiseMadison
Comfortable months per year44
Annual mean PM2.56 µg/m³ ✓6.7 µg/m³

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Boise or Madison?
Madison is cheaper: about $3,000 per month versus $3,000 for one person.
Is Boise or Madison safer?
Boise scores higher on safety (51 vs 51), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Boise or Madison?
Madison: a measured median of 105.7 Mbps versus 70.2 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); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); 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.