Darwin vs Hobart
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 60. Darwin is stronger on nothing outright; Hobart on air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Australia's tropical frontier capital, closest to Asia
Full Darwin profile →Plan a trip to Darwin →Small island capital with wilderness close by
Full Hobart profile →Plan a trip to Hobart →Where they differ
- Air quality. Hobart leads on air quality, 100 to 89, against Darwin. PM2.5: 10 µg/m³ vs 4.9 µg/m³.
- Climate. Darwin leads on climate, 33 to 25, against Hobart. Comfortable months: 4 vs 3.
Where they are close. Within five points on getting there & around, internet, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Darwin if you want
- no clear edge over Hobart in the data
Pick Hobart if you want
- cleaner air
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Darwin | Hobart |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 15 | 15 |
| Safety | 82 | 82 |
| Healthcare | 92 | 92 |
| Internet | 70 ✓ | 69 |
| Visa ease | 42 | 42 |
| Getting there & around | 18 ✓ | 16 |
| Climate | 33 ✓ | 25 |
| Air quality | 89 | 100 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 98 | 98 |
Cost
| Metric | Darwin | Hobart |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $3,350 | $3,350 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Darwin | Hobart |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.94 | 0.94 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 79.3 | 79.3 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 89 | 89 |
| Life expectancy | 83 yrs | 83 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Darwin | Hobart |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 43.6 Mbps ✓ | 38.9 Mbps |
| Upload | 9.7 Mbps | 10.7 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Darwin | Hobart |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Darwin | Hobart |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 21 ✓ | 9 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Darwin | Hobart |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 4 ✓ | 3 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 10 µg/m³ | 4.9 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Darwin or Hobart?
- Darwin and Hobart cost about the same: roughly $3,350 per month for one person.
- Is Darwin or Hobart safer?
- Darwin and Hobart score the same on safety (82), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Darwin or Hobart?
- Darwin: a measured median of 43.6 Mbps versus 38.9 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); 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 2026.11.3. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.