Dakar vs Kampala
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Kampala edges it, 35 to 33, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Dakar is stronger on visa ease, safety; Kampala on quality of life, climate. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
West Africa's cultural capital on the Atlantic
Full Dakar profile →Plan a trip to Dakar →Where they differ
- Quality of life. Kampala leads on quality of life, 43 to 23, against Dakar.
- Climate. Kampala leads on climate, 67 to 50, against Dakar. Comfortable months: 6 vs 8.
- Visa ease. Dakar leads on visa ease, 46 to 32, against Kampala.
Where they are close. Within five points on healthcare, air quality.
Pick Dakar if you want
- the safer country figures
Pick Kampala if you want
- faster internet (8 Mbps measured)
- a longer comfortable season (8 months against 6)
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Dakar | Kampala |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | no data |
| Safety | 49 ✓ | 39 |
| Healthcare | 47 | 48 ✓ |
| Internet | 34 | 41 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 46 ✓ | 32 |
| Getting there & around | 14 ✓ | 9 |
| Climate | 50 | 67 ✓ |
| Air quality | 0 | 0 |
| Quality of life | 23 | 43 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Dakar | Kampala |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | no data |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Dakar | Kampala |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 7.9 ✓ | 8.82 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 62.7 ✓ | 50.4 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 48 | 54 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 68.6 yrs ✓ | 66.7 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Dakar | Kampala |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 5.5 Mbps | 8 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 2.8 Mbps | 3.8 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Dakar | Kampala |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days ✓ | e-visa required |
| Entry, EU passport | 90 days ✓ | e-visa required |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days ✓ | e-visa required |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Dakar | Kampala |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 31 ✓ | 27 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 ✓ | 1 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Dakar | Kampala |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 6 | 8 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 53.1 µg/m³ ✓ | 60.2 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Dakar or Kampala?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Dakar or Kampala safer?
- Dakar scores higher on safety (49 vs 39), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Dakar or Kampala?
- Kampala: a measured median of 8 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; 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); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.