---
title: "Dili vs Lilongwe for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/dili-vs-lilongwe
description: "Under balanced weights Dili edges it, 48 to 42, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Dili is stronger on quality of life; Lilongwe on nothing outright. 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
---

# Dili vs Lilongwe for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Dili edges it, 48 to 42, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Dili is stronger on quality of life; Lilongwe on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Quality of life.** Dili leads on quality of life, 37 to 15, against Lilongwe.
- **Getting there & around.** Dili leads on getting there & around, 11 to 2, against Lilongwe. Non-stop airport destinations: 10 vs 11.
- **Climate.** Lilongwe leads on climate, 67 to 58, against Dili. Comfortable months: 7 vs 8.

Where they are close: within five points on air quality, visa ease, healthcare, safety.

**Pick Dili if you want** no clear edge over Lilongwe in the data.

**Pick Lilongwe if you want** no clear edge over Dili in the data.

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

| Metric | Dili | Lilongwe | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | no data | no data | — |
| Safety | 65 | 64 | Dili |
| Healthcare | 48 | 44 | Dili |
| Internet | no data | 39 | — |
| Visa ease | 38 | 33 | Dili |
| Getting there & around | 11 | 2 | Dili |
| Climate | 58 | 67 | Lilongwe |
| Air quality | 81 | 76 | Dili |
| Quality of life | 37 | 15 | Dili |

## Cost

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

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Dili | Lilongwe | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 5.1 | 1.9 | Lilongwe |
| Political stability (0–100) | 76.9 | 62.7 | Dili |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 48 | 52 | Lilongwe |
| Life expectancy | 69.3 yrs | 64.3 yrs | Dili |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Dili | Lilongwe | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | no data | 8.4 Mbps | — |
| Upload | no data | 1.6 Mbps | — |

## Visa

| Metric | Dili | 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 | Dili |
| Entry, EU passport | 90 days | 30 days | Dili |
| Entry, UK passport | visa on arrival | 30 days | Dili |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Dili | Lilongwe | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 10 | 11 | Lilongwe |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 1 | Dili |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Dili | Lilongwe | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 7 | 8 | Lilongwe |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 13.4 µg/m³ | 15.6 µg/m³ | Dili |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Dili or Lilongwe?

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

### Is Dili or Lilongwe safer?

Dili scores higher on safety (65 vs 64), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Dili or Lilongwe?

M-Lab has no reliable measurement for one of the two cities.

City pages: [Dili](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/dili) · [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; 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/dili-vs-lilongwe