Dakar vs Ulaanbaatar
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Ulaanbaatar edges it, 34 to 30, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Dakar is stronger on climate; Ulaanbaatar on quality of life, healthcare, safety. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
World's coldest capital, with the steppe at the edge of town
Full Ulaanbaatar profile →Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Dakar | Ulaanbaatar |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | 51 |
| Safety | 48 | 63 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 41 | 58 ✓ |
| Internet | 22 | 29 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 46 ✓ | 38 |
| Getting there & around | 14 | 15 ✓ |
| Climate | 50 ✓ | 8 |
| Air quality | 0 | 0 |
| Quality of life | 15 | 47 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Dakar | Ulaanbaatar |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | $1,458 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Dakar | Ulaanbaatar |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 7.9 | 5.3 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 62 | 73.1 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 48 | 70 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 67.8 yrs | 70.1 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Dakar | Ulaanbaatar |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 5.5 Mbps | 7 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 2.8 Mbps | 4.3 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Dakar | Ulaanbaatar |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Visa-free days, US passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Visa-free days, EU passport | 90 days ✓ | 30 days |
| Visa-free days, UK passport | 90 days ✓ | 30 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Dakar | Ulaanbaatar |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 31 | 35 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Dakar | Ulaanbaatar |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 6 ✓ | 1 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 53.1 µg/m³ ✓ | 60 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Dakar or Ulaanbaatar?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Dakar or Ulaanbaatar safer?
- Ulaanbaatar scores higher on safety (63 vs 48), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Dakar or Ulaanbaatar?
- Ulaanbaatar: a measured median of 7 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; 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). Dataset 2026.09.4. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.