NavoyNostos

Cologne vs Graz

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Cologne edges it, 69 to 66, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Cologne is stronger on air quality; Graz on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 2.6 of 69 points (scores 23/100)Safety: 8.3 of 69 points (scores 75/100)Healthcare: 9.6 of 69 points (scores 86/100)Internet: 7.8 of 69 points (scores 70/100)Visa ease: 7.1 of 69 points (scores 64/100)Getting there & around: 8.5 of 69 points (scores 77/100)Climate: 3.7 of 69 points (scores 33/100)Air quality: 10.3 of 69 points (scores 93/100)Quality of life: 10.7 of 69 points (scores 97/100)69
Cologne
out of 100

Cathedral, carnival and a relaxed Rhine city

Full Cologne profile →Where to stay in Cologne →
Cost of living: 3.5 of 66 points (scores 32/100)Safety: 8.7 of 66 points (scores 78/100)Healthcare: 9.5 of 66 points (scores 85/100)Internet: 7.3 of 66 points (scores 65/100)Visa ease: 6.7 of 66 points (scores 61/100)Getting there & around: 7.6 of 66 points (scores 68/100)Climate: 3.7 of 66 points (scores 33/100)Air quality: 8.7 of 66 points (scores 78/100)Quality of life: 10.3 of 66 points (scores 92/100)66
Graz
out of 100

Austria's student city with a Mediterranean lean

Full Graz profile →Where to stay in Graz →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricCologneGraz
Cost of living2332 ✓
Safety7578 ✓
Healthcare86 ✓85
Internet70 ✓65
Visa ease64 ✓61
Getting there & around77 ✓68
Climate3333
Air quality93 ✓78
Quality of life97 ✓92

Cost

MetricCologneGraz
Monthly cost, one person$2,562$2,069 ✓
Central one-bedroom rentno data$860

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricCologneGraz
Homicides per 100k0.92 ✓0.99
Political stability (0–100)69.374.9 ✓
UHC service coverage (0–100)87 ✓84
Life expectancy80.5 yrs81 yrs ✓

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricCologneGraz
Download42.4 Mbps ✓31.2 Mbps
Upload10.1 Mbps ✓9.9 Mbps

Visa

MetricCologneGraz
Nomad visanone listednone listed
Minimum income for the visano datano data
Entry, US passport90 days90 days
Entry, EU passporthome countryunlimited
Entry, UK passport90 days90 days

Getting there and around

MetricCologneGraz
Non-stop airport destinations112 ✓29
Walkability (1–5, editorial)45 ✓
Transit (1–5, editorial)44

Climate and air

MetricCologneGraz
Comfortable months per year44
Annual mean PM2.58.3 µg/m³ ✓14.8 µg/m³

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Cologne or Graz?
Graz is cheaper: about $2,069 per month versus $2,562 for one person.
Is Cologne or Graz safer?
Graz scores higher on safety (78 vs 75), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Cologne or Graz?
Cologne: a measured median of 42.4 Mbps versus 31.2 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); 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); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.