Eldoret vs Lamu
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Lamu edges it, 55 to 49, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Eldoret is stronger on nothing outright; Lamu on climate, air quality, getting there & around. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Highland farm town that trains Kenya's distance runners
Full Eldoret profile →Plan a trip to Eldoret →Car-free Swahili island town, a UNESCO site of donkeys and dhows
Full Lamu profile →Plan a trip to Lamu →Where they differ
- Climate. Lamu leads on climate, 58 to 33, against Eldoret. Comfortable months: 4 vs 7.
- Air quality. Lamu leads on air quality, 96 to 79, against Eldoret. PM2.5: 14.4 µg/m³ vs 6.9 µg/m³.
- Getting there & around. Lamu leads on getting there & around, 21 to 11, against Eldoret. Non-stop airport destinations: 4 vs 4.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Eldoret if you want
- faster internet (10.4 Mbps measured)
Pick Lamu if you want
- a longer comfortable season (7 months against 4)
- cleaner air
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Eldoret | Lamu |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 70 | 70 |
| Safety | 43 | 43 |
| Healthcare | 51 | 51 |
| Internet | 45 ✓ | 42 |
| Visa ease | 63 | 63 |
| Getting there & around | 11 | 21 ✓ |
| Climate | 33 | 58 ✓ |
| Air quality | 79 | 96 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 49 | 49 |
Cost
| Metric | Eldoret | Lamu |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,100 | $1,100 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Eldoret | Lamu |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 4.65 | 4.65 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 46 | 46 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 57 | 57 |
| Life expectancy | 67.6 yrs | 67.6 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Eldoret | Lamu |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 10.4 Mbps ✓ | 8.5 Mbps |
| Upload | 4 Mbps | 4 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Eldoret | Lamu |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Digital nomad work permit (Class N) | Digital nomad work permit (Class N) |
| Minimum income for the visa | $4,583/mo | $4,583/mo |
| Entry, US passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Eldoret | Lamu |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 4 | 4 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 5 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 ✓ | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Eldoret | Lamu |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 7 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 14.4 µg/m³ | 6.9 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Eldoret or Lamu?
- Eldoret and Lamu cost about the same: roughly $1,100 per month for one person.
- Is Eldoret or Lamu safer?
- Eldoret and Lamu score the same on safety (43), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Eldoret or Lamu?
- Eldoret: a measured median of 10.4 Mbps versus 8.5 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); 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); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.