Dili vs Zanzibar City
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Dili edges it, 48 to 41, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Dili is stronger on quality of life, air quality; Zanzibar City on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Timor-Leste's small seaside capital, dollar-based and off the radar
Full Dili profile →Plan a trip to Dili →Stone Town and the island beaches beyond
Full Zanzibar City profile →Plan a trip to Zanzibar City →Where they differ
- Quality of life. Dili leads on quality of life, 37 to 26, against Zanzibar City.
- Air quality. Dili leads on air quality, 81 to 71, against Zanzibar City. PM2.5: 13.4 µg/m³ vs 17.9 µg/m³.
- Safety. Dili leads on safety, 65 to 55, against Zanzibar City. Homicides per 100,000: 5.1 vs 3.3.
Where they are close. Within five points on visa ease, healthcare.
Pick Dili if you want
- the safer country figures
Pick Zanzibar City if you want
- no clear edge over Dili in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Dili | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | no data |
| Safety | 65 ✓ | 55 |
| Healthcare | 48 ✓ | 48 |
| Internet | no data | 21 |
| Visa ease | 38 ✓ | 34 |
| Getting there & around | 11 | 20 ✓ |
| Climate | 58 ✓ | 50 |
| Air quality | 81 ✓ | 71 |
| Quality of life | 37 ✓ | 26 |
Cost
| Metric | Dili | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | no data |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Dili | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 5.1 | 3.3 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 76.9 ✓ | 57.3 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 48 | 49 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 69.3 yrs ✓ | 68.3 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Dili | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Download | no data | 2.6 Mbps |
| Upload | no data | 1.5 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Dili | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, EU passport | 90 days ✓ | visa on arrival |
| Entry, UK passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Dili | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 10 | 34 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 4 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Dili | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 7 ✓ | 6 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 13.4 µg/m³ ✓ | 17.9 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Dili or Zanzibar City?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Dili or Zanzibar City safer?
- Dili scores higher on safety (65 vs 55), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Dili or Zanzibar City?
- M-Lab has no reliable measurement for one of the two cities.
More comparisons
- Dili vs Paje (Zanzibar)
- Dili vs Dar es Salaam
- Zanzibar City vs Paje (Zanzibar)
- Zanzibar City vs Blantyre
- All 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; 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. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.