---
title: "El Gouna vs Ismailia for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/el-gouna-vs-ismailia
description: "Under balanced weights Ismailia edges it, 51 to 50, winning 2 of the 9 factors. El Gouna is stronger on nothing outright; Ismailia on air quality. 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
---

# El Gouna vs Ismailia for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Ismailia edges it, 51 to 50, winning 2 of the 9 factors. El Gouna is stronger on nothing outright; Ismailia on air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Air quality.** Ismailia leads on air quality, 34 to 21, against El Gouna. PM2.5: 40.7 µg/m³ vs 34.5 µg/m³.
- **Climate.** El Gouna leads on climate, 67 to 58, against Ismailia. Comfortable months: 8 vs 7.

Where they are close: within five points on internet, getting there & around, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.

**Pick El Gouna if you want** faster internet (12.1 Mbps measured).

**Pick Ismailia if you want** cleaner air.

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

| Metric | El Gouna | Ismailia | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 92 | 92 | tie |
| Safety | 47 | 47 | tie |
| Healthcare | 66 | 66 | tie |
| Internet | 44 | 41 | El Gouna |
| Visa ease | 34 | 34 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 32 | 33 | Ismailia |
| Climate | 67 | 58 | El Gouna |
| Air quality | 21 | 34 | Ismailia |
| Quality of life | 52 | 52 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | El Gouna | Ismailia | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $700 | $700 | tie |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | El Gouna | Ismailia | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 4.2 | 4.2 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 50 | 50 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 71 | 71 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 71.9 yrs | 71.9 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | El Gouna | Ismailia | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 12.1 Mbps | 9.6 Mbps | El Gouna |
| Upload | 1.6 Mbps | 1.6 Mbps | tie |

## Visa

| Metric | El Gouna | Ismailia | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | El Gouna | Ismailia | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 85 | 128 | Ismailia |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 2 | El Gouna |

## Climate and air

| Metric | El Gouna | Ismailia | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 8 | 7 | El Gouna |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 40.7 µg/m³ | 34.5 µg/m³ | Ismailia |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, El Gouna or Ismailia?

El Gouna and Ismailia cost about the same: roughly $700 per month for one person.

### Is El Gouna or Ismailia safer?

El Gouna and Ismailia score the same on safety (47), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, El Gouna or Ismailia?

El Gouna: a measured median of 12.1 Mbps versus 9.6 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [El Gouna](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/el-gouna) · [Ismailia](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/ismailia). 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/el-gouna-vs-ismailia