---
title: "Dakar vs Kampala for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/dakar-vs-kampala
description: "Under balanced weights Dakar edges it, 30 to 27, winning 3 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."
dataset: 2026.09.4 (2026-09-26)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Dakar vs Kampala for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Dakar edges it, 30 to 27, winning 3 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.

## Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

| Metric | Dakar | Kampala | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | no data | no data | — |
| Safety | 48 | 27 | Dakar |
| Healthcare | 41 | 42 | Kampala |
| Internet | 22 | 31 | Kampala |
| Visa ease | 46 | 6 | Dakar |
| Getting there & around | 14 | 9 | Dakar |
| Climate | 50 | 67 | Kampala |
| Air quality | 0 | 0 | tie |
| Quality of life | 15 | 37 | Kampala |

## Cost

| Metric | Dakar | Kampala | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | no data | no data | — |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Dakar | Kampala | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 7.9 | 15.5 | Dakar |
| Political stability (0–100) | 62 | 48.4 | Dakar |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 48 | 54 | Kampala |
| Life expectancy | 67.8 yrs | 66 yrs | Dakar |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Dakar | Kampala | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 5.5 Mbps | 8 Mbps | Kampala |
| Upload | 2.8 Mbps | 3.8 Mbps | Kampala |

## Visa

| Metric | Dakar | Kampala | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Visa-free days, US passport | 90 days | visa or e-visa required | Dakar |
| Visa-free days, EU passport | 90 days | visa or e-visa required | Dakar |
| Visa-free days, UK passport | 90 days | visa or e-visa required | Dakar |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Dakar | Kampala | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 31 | 25 | Dakar |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 1 | Dakar |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Dakar | Kampala | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 6 | 8 | Kampala |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 53.1 µg/m³ | 60.2 µg/m³ | Dakar |

## FAQ

### 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 (48 vs 27), 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).

City pages: [Dakar](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/dakar) · [Kampala](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/kampala). 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).

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/dakar-vs-kampala