NavoyNostos

Bristol vs Exeter

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Bristol edges it, 69 to 68, winning 1 of the 9 factors. Bristol is stronger on nothing outright; Exeter on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 2.0 of 69 points (scores 18/100)Safety: 8.4 of 69 points (scores 76/100)Healthcare: 9.6 of 69 points (scores 86/100)Internet: 8.3 of 69 points (scores 74/100)Visa ease: 8.6 of 69 points (scores 77/100)Getting there & around: 8.0 of 69 points (scores 72/100)Climate: 2.8 of 69 points (scores 25/100)Air quality: 10.3 of 69 points (scores 93/100)Quality of life: 10.7 of 69 points (scores 96/100)69
Bristol
out of 100

Creative, independent and an hour and a half from London

Full Bristol profile →Where to stay in Bristol →
Cost of living: 2.1 of 68 points (scores 19/100)Safety: 8.4 of 68 points (scores 76/100)Healthcare: 9.6 of 68 points (scores 86/100)Internet: 8.3 of 68 points (scores 75/100)Visa ease: 8.6 of 68 points (scores 77/100)Getting there & around: 8.0 of 68 points (scores 72/100)Climate: 1.9 of 68 points (scores 17/100)Air quality: 10.6 of 68 points (scores 96/100)Quality of life: 10.7 of 68 points (scores 96/100)68
Exeter
out of 100

Devon's cathedral city, with Dartmoor and the coast close by

Full Exeter profile →Hotels in the United Kingdom →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricBristolExeter
Cost of living1819 ✓
Safety7676
Healthcare8686
Internet7475 ✓
Visa ease7777
Getting there & around7272 ✓
Climate25 ✓17
Air quality9396 ✓
Quality of life9696

Cost

MetricBristolExeter
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$2,971$2,900 ✓
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricBristolExeter
Homicides per 100k0.930.93
Political stability (0–100)70.770.7
UHC service coverage (0–100)8888
Life expectancy80.1 yrs80.1 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricBristolExeter
Download52.8 Mbps ✓50.2 Mbps
Upload13.1 Mbps17.9 Mbps ✓

Visa

MetricBristolExeter
Nomad visanone listednone listed
Minimum income for the visano datano data
Entry, US passporteTA required (online, before travel)eTA required (online, before travel)
Entry, EU passport180 days180 days
Entry, UK passporthome countryhome country

Getting there and around

MetricBristolExeter
Non-stop airport destinations117118 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)44
Transit (1–5, editorial)33

Climate and air

MetricBristolExeter
Comfortable months per year3 ✓2
Annual mean PM2.58.3 µg/m³7 µg/m³ ✓

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Bristol or Exeter?
Exeter is cheaper: about $2,900 per month versus $2,971 for one person.
Is Bristol or Exeter safer?
Bristol scores higher on safety (76 vs 76), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Bristol or Exeter?
Bristol: a measured median of 52.8 Mbps versus 50.2 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); 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); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.