---
title: "Dakar vs Kano for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/dakar-vs-kano
description: "Under balanced weights Kano edges it, 34 to 33, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Dakar is stronger on safety, visa ease; Kano on quality of life. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Dakar vs Kano for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Kano edges it, 34 to 33, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Dakar is stronger on safety, visa ease; Kano on quality of life. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Safety.** Dakar leads on safety, 49 to 20, against Kano. Homicides per 100,000: 7.9 vs 15.75.
- **Quality of life.** Kano leads on quality of life, 40 to 23, against Dakar.
- **Visa ease.** Dakar leads on visa ease, 46 to 32, against Kano.

Where they are close: within five points on air quality.

**Pick Dakar if you want** the safer country figures; stronger healthcare.

**Pick Kano if you want** faster internet (9.3 Mbps measured).

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

| Metric | Dakar | Kano | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | no data | 72 | — |
| Safety | 49 | 20 | Dakar |
| Healthcare | 47 | 39 | Dakar |
| Internet | 34 | 42 | Kano |
| Visa ease | 46 | 32 | Dakar |
| Getting there & around | 14 | 7 | Dakar |
| Climate | 50 | 58 | Kano |
| Air quality | 0 | 0 | tie |
| Quality of life | 23 | 40 | Kano |

## Cost

| Metric | Dakar | Kano | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | no data | $1,050 | — |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Dakar | Kano | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 7.9 | 15.75 | Dakar |
| Political stability (0–100) | 62.7 | 35.1 | Dakar |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 48 | 47 | Dakar |
| Life expectancy | 68.6 yrs | 62.9 yrs | Dakar |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Dakar | Kano | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 5.5 Mbps | 9.3 Mbps | Kano |
| Upload | 2.8 Mbps | 2.5 Mbps | Dakar |

## Visa

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

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Dakar | Kano | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 31 | 12 | Dakar |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 1 | Dakar |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Dakar | Kano | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 6 | 7 | Kano |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 53.1 µg/m³ | 62.8 µg/m³ | Dakar |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Dakar or Kano?

We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.

### Is Dakar or Kano safer?

Dakar scores higher on safety (49 vs 20), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Dakar or Kano?

Kano: a measured median of 9.3 Mbps versus 5.5 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Dakar](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/dakar) · [Kano](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/kano). 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); 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.

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