NavoyNostos

Dhaka vs Dushanbe

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Dhaka edges it, 45 to 38, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Dhaka is stronger on internet; Dushanbe on safety. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 11.1 of 45 points (scores 100/100)Safety: 6.1 of 45 points (scores 55/100)Healthcare: 6.2 of 45 points (scores 55/100)Internet: 4.3 of 45 points (scores 39/100)Visa ease: 3.8 of 45 points (scores 34/100)Getting there & around: 4.7 of 45 points (scores 43/100)Climate: 4.6 of 45 points (scores 42/100)Air quality: 0.0 of 45 points (scores 0/100)Quality of life: 4.3 of 45 points (scores 39/100)45
Dhaka
out of 100

Megacity on the delta with energy and gridlock

Full Dhaka profile →Where to stay in Dhaka →
Safety: 8.5 of 38 points (scores 68/100)Healthcare: 8.0 of 38 points (scores 64/100)Internet: 1.4 of 38 points (scores 11/100)Visa ease: 4.2 of 38 points (scores 34/100)Getting there & around: 6.5 of 38 points (scores 52/100)Climate: 5.2 of 38 points (scores 42/100)Air quality: 0.0 of 38 points (scores 0/100)Quality of life: 4.2 of 38 points (scores 34/100)38
Dushanbe
out of 100

Tajikistan's quiet capital at the foot of the Pamirs

Full Dushanbe profile →Where to stay in Dushanbe →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricDhakaDushanbe
Cost of living100no data
Safety5568 ✓
Healthcare5564 ✓
Internet39 ✓11
Visa ease34 ✓34
Getting there & around4352 ✓
Climate4242
Air quality00
Quality of life39 ✓34

Cost

MetricDhakaDushanbe
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$359no data
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricDhakaDushanbe
Homicides per 100k1.760.89 ✓
Political stability (0–100)49.160.4 ✓
UHC service coverage (0–100)5472 ✓
Life expectancy73.1 yrs ✓71.8 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricDhakaDushanbe
Download5.5 Mbps ✓1.4 Mbps
Upload8.3 Mbps ✓1.4 Mbps

Visa

MetricDhakaDushanbe
Nomad visanone listednone listed
Minimum income for the visano datano data
Entry, US passportvisa on arrival ✓30 days
Entry, EU passportvisa on arrival ✓30 days
Entry, UK passportvisa on arrivalvisa on arrival

Getting there and around

MetricDhakaDushanbe
Non-stop airport destinations2741 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)23 ✓
Transit (1–5, editorial)22

Climate and air

MetricDhakaDushanbe
Comfortable months per year55
Annual mean PM2.589.8 µg/m³51 µg/m³ ✓

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Dhaka or Dushanbe?
We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
Is Dhaka or Dushanbe safer?
Dushanbe scores higher on safety (68 vs 55), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Dhaka or Dushanbe?
Dhaka: a measured median of 5.5 Mbps versus 1.4 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); 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); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.