---
title: "Dar es Salaam vs Lilongwe for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/dar-es-salaam-vs-lilongwe
description: "Under balanced weights Dar es Salaam edges it, 48 to 44, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Dar es Salaam is stronger on getting there & around, quality of life; Lilongwe on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.10.7 (2026-10-13)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Dar es Salaam vs Lilongwe for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Dar es Salaam edges it, 48 to 44, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Dar es Salaam is stronger on getting there & around, quality of life; Lilongwe on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

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

| Metric | Dar es Salaam | Lilongwe | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | no data | no data | — |
| Safety | 55 | 64 | Lilongwe |
| Healthcare | 43 | 38 | Dar es Salaam |
| Internet | 43 | 39 | Dar es Salaam |
| Visa ease | 34 | 33 | Dar es Salaam |
| Getting there & around | 44 | 24 | Dar es Salaam |
| Climate | 75 | 67 | Dar es Salaam |
| Air quality | 72 | 76 | Lilongwe |
| Quality of life | 20 | 9 | Dar es Salaam |

## Cost

| Metric | Dar es Salaam | Lilongwe | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | no data | no data | — |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Dar es Salaam | Lilongwe | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 3.3 | 1.9 | Lilongwe |
| Political stability (0–100) | 57.3 | 62.7 | Lilongwe |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 49 | 52 | Lilongwe |
| Life expectancy | 66.8 yrs | 62.5 yrs | Dar es Salaam |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Dar es Salaam | Lilongwe | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 9.5 Mbps | 8.4 Mbps | Dar es Salaam |
| Upload | 3.2 Mbps | 1.6 Mbps | Dar es Salaam |

## Visa

| Metric | Dar es Salaam | Lilongwe | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | visa on arrival | 30 days | Dar es Salaam |
| Entry, EU passport | visa on arrival | 30 days | Dar es Salaam |
| Entry, UK passport | visa on arrival | 30 days | Dar es Salaam |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Dar es Salaam | Lilongwe | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 50 | 11 | Dar es Salaam |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 1 | Dar es Salaam |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Dar es Salaam | Lilongwe | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 9 | 8 | Dar es Salaam |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 17.4 µg/m³ | 15.6 µg/m³ | Lilongwe |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Dar es Salaam or Lilongwe?

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

### Is Dar es Salaam or Lilongwe safer?

Lilongwe scores higher on safety (64 vs 55), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Dar es Salaam or Lilongwe?

Dar es Salaam: a measured median of 9.5 Mbps versus 8.4 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Dar es Salaam](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/dar-es-salaam) · [Lilongwe](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/lilongwe). 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); 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/dar-es-salaam-vs-lilongwe