Cairo vs Dakar
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Cairo edges it, 38 to 30, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Cairo is stronger on quality of life, getting there & around, healthcare; Dakar on visa ease. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Cairo | Dakar |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 75 | no data |
| Safety | 44 | 48 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 57 ✓ | 41 |
| Internet | 32 ✓ | 22 |
| Visa ease | 6 | 46 ✓ |
| Getting there & around | 32 ✓ | 14 |
| Climate | 50 | 50 |
| Air quality | 0 | 0 |
| Quality of life | 48 ✓ | 15 |
Cost
| Metric | Cairo | Dakar |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $833 | no data |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $311 | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Cairo | Dakar |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 4.2 ✓ | 7.9 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 49.2 | 62 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 71 ✓ | 48 |
| Life expectancy | 69.1 yrs ✓ | 67.8 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Cairo | Dakar |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 10.6 Mbps ✓ | 5.5 Mbps |
| Upload | 1.6 Mbps | 2.8 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Cairo | Dakar |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Visa-free days, US passport | visa or e-visa required | 90 days ✓ |
| Visa-free days, EU passport | visa or e-visa required | 90 days ✓ |
| Visa-free days, UK passport | visa or e-visa required | 90 days ✓ |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Cairo | Dakar |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 123 ✓ | 31 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 ✓ | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Cairo | Dakar |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 6 | 6 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 285 µg/m³ | 53.1 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Cairo or Dakar?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Cairo or Dakar safer?
- Dakar scores higher on safety (48 vs 44), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Cairo or Dakar?
- Cairo: a measured median of 10.6 Mbps versus 5.5 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); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; 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); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages). Dataset 2026.09.4. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.