---
title: "Douala vs Lagos for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/douala-vs-lagos
description: "Under balanced weights Lagos edges it, 38 to 29, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Douala is stronger on safety; Lagos on internet, quality of life, air quality. 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
---

# Douala vs Lagos for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Lagos edges it, 38 to 29, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Douala is stronger on safety; Lagos on internet, quality of life, air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

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

| Metric | Douala | Lagos | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | no data | 63 | — |
| Safety | 31 | 20 | Douala |
| Healthcare | 35 | 37 | Lagos |
| Internet | 25 | 47 | Lagos |
| Visa ease | 32 | 32 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 40 | 39 | Douala |
| Climate | 25 | 33 | Lagos |
| Air quality | 20 | 34 | Lagos |
| Quality of life | 19 | 35 | Lagos |

## Cost

| Metric | Douala | Lagos | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | no data | $922 | — |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | $532 | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Douala | Lagos | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 6.76 | 15.75 | Douala |
| Political stability (0–100) | 36 | 35.1 | Douala |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 48 | 47 | Douala |
| Life expectancy | 61.8 yrs | 63.4 yrs | Lagos |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Douala | Lagos | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 3.7 Mbps | 11.2 Mbps | Lagos |
| Upload | 1.2 Mbps | 4.7 Mbps | Lagos |

## Visa

| Metric | Douala | Lagos | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | e-visa required | e-visa required | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | e-visa required | e-visa required | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | e-visa required | e-visa required | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Douala | Lagos | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 21 | 50 | Lagos |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 1 | Douala |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 1 | Douala |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Douala | Lagos | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 4 | Lagos |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 41.1 µg/m³ | 34.6 µg/m³ | Lagos |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Douala or Lagos?

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

### Is Douala or Lagos safer?

Douala scores higher on safety (31 vs 20), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Douala or Lagos?

Lagos: a measured median of 11.2 Mbps versus 3.7 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Douala](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/douala) · [Lagos](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/lagos). 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.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/douala-vs-lagos