Canberra vs Geelong
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Geelong edges it, 65 to 62, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Planned capital of parks, museums and cycling paths
Full Canberra profile →Plan a trip to Canberra →Victoria's second city: a waterfront, surf coast and a train to Melbourne
Full Geelong profile →Plan a trip to Geelong →Where they differ
- Climate. Geelong leads on climate, 50 to 42, against Canberra. Comfortable months: 5 vs 6.
- Internet. Geelong leads on internet, 79 to 73, against Canberra. Measured download: 46.7 Mbps vs 63.9 Mbps.
- Getting there & around. Geelong leads on getting there & around, 28 to 22, against Canberra. Non-stop airport destinations: 12 vs 55.
Where they are close. Within five points on air quality, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Canberra if you want
- no clear edge over Geelong in the data
Pick Geelong if you want
- faster internet (63.9 Mbps measured)
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Canberra | Geelong |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 15 | 15 |
| Safety | 82 | 82 |
| Healthcare | 92 | 92 |
| Internet | 73 | 79 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 42 | 42 |
| Getting there & around | 22 | 28 ✓ |
| Climate | 42 | 50 ✓ |
| Air quality | 96 | 98 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 98 | 98 |
Cost
| Metric | Canberra | Geelong |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $3,350 | $3,350 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Canberra | Geelong |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.94 | 0.94 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 79.3 | 79.3 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 89 | 89 |
| Life expectancy | 83 yrs | 83 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Canberra | Geelong |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 46.7 Mbps | 63.9 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 15.1 Mbps | 23.2 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Canberra | Geelong |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Canberra | Geelong |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 12 | 55 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Canberra | Geelong |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 6 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 6.8 µg/m³ | 6.1 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Canberra or Geelong?
- Canberra and Geelong cost about the same: roughly $3,350 per month for one person.
- Is Canberra or Geelong safer?
- Canberra and Geelong score the same on safety (82), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Canberra or Geelong?
- Geelong: a measured median of 63.9 Mbps versus 46.7 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); OpenFlights airports and routes; 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); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.