Chengdu vs Tehran
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Chengdu edges it, 52 to 45, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Chengdu is stronger on safety, internet; Tehran on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Sichuan's laid-back megacity of tea houses and hotpot
Full Chengdu profile →Where to stay in Chengdu →Iran's sprawling capital under the Alborz, cut off from global payments
Full Tehran profile →Hotels in Iran →Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Chengdu | Tehran |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 35 | no data |
| Safety | 76 ✓ | 41 |
| Healthcare | 81 ✓ | 74 |
| Internet | 51 ✓ | 33 |
| Visa ease | 15 | 15 ✓ |
| Getting there & around | 73 ✓ | 63 |
| Climate | 42 | 42 |
| Air quality | 40 ✓ | 39 |
| Quality of life | 55 | 56 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Chengdu | Tehran |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,896 | no data |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Chengdu | Tehran |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.5 ✓ | 2.9 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 66 ✓ | 36 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 85 ✓ | 81 |
| Life expectancy | 77.6 yrs ✓ | 74.7 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Chengdu | Tehran |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 12.9 Mbps ✓ | 6.8 Mbps |
| Upload | 8.4 Mbps ✓ | 0.7 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Chengdu | Tehran |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | visa required | visa required |
| Entry, EU passport | 30 days | visa on arrival ✓ |
| Entry, UK passport | visa required | visa required |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Chengdu | Tehran |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 78 | 79 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 ✓ | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 5 ✓ | 4 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Chengdu | Tehran |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 5 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 32 µg/m³ ✓ | 32.5 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Chengdu or Tehran?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Chengdu or Tehran safer?
- Chengdu scores higher on safety (76 vs 41), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Chengdu or Tehran?
- Chengdu: a measured median of 12.9 Mbps versus 6.8 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; 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); Official entry rules that changed after the Passport Index snapshot; 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.