Byblos vs Taif
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Taif edges it, 54 to 51, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Byblos is stronger on air quality; Taif on safety, healthcare. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
One of the world's oldest harbours, 40 km up the coast from Beirut
Full Byblos profile →Plan a trip to Byblos →Saudi Arabia's cool mountain summer town, known for roses
Full Taif profile →Plan a trip to Taif →Where they differ
- Safety. Taif leads on safety, 73 to 47, against Byblos. Homicides per 100,000: 2.64 vs 0.8.
- Air quality. Byblos leads on air quality, 77 to 53, against Taif. PM2.5: 15.2 µg/m³ vs 26.1 µg/m³.
- Healthcare. Taif leads on healthcare, 83 to 73, against Byblos. Health coverage index: 67 vs 83.
Where they are close. Within five points on getting there & around, quality of life, visa ease, climate.
Pick Byblos if you want
- cleaner air
Pick Taif if you want
- faster internet (4.4 Mbps measured)
- the safer country figures
- stronger healthcare
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Byblos | Taif |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | 53 |
| Safety | 47 | 73 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 73 | 83 ✓ |
| Internet | 21 | 31 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 34 | 34 |
| Getting there & around | 23 | 27 ✓ |
| Climate | 67 | 67 |
| Air quality | 77 ✓ | 53 |
| Quality of life | 65 ✓ | 65 |
Cost
| Metric | Byblos | Taif |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | $1,550 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Byblos | Taif |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 2.64 | 0.8 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 43.4 | 65.9 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 67 | 83 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 78.5 yrs | 78.9 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Byblos | Taif |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 2.4 Mbps | 4.4 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 2.5 Mbps | 2.9 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Byblos | Taif |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, EU passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, UK passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Byblos | Taif |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 54 | 150 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 ✓ | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Byblos | Taif |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 8 | 8 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 15.2 µg/m³ ✓ | 26.1 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Byblos or Taif?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Byblos or Taif safer?
- Taif scores higher on safety (73 vs 47), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Byblos or Taif?
- Taif: a measured median of 4.4 Mbps versus 2.4 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); 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.