Faisalabad vs Islamabad
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Islamabad edges it, 30 to 28, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Pakistan's textile capital, built around a clock tower and eight bazaars
Full Faisalabad profile →Plan a trip to Faisalabad →Pakistan's planned capital against the Margalla Hills
Full Islamabad profile →Plan a trip to Islamabad →Where they differ
- Climate. Islamabad leads on climate, 42 to 33, against Faisalabad. Comfortable months: 4 vs 5.
- Getting there & around. Islamabad leads on getting there & around, 16 to 9, against Faisalabad. Non-stop airport destinations: 26 vs 42.
- Internet. Islamabad leads on internet, 34 to 27, against Faisalabad. Measured download: 3.3 Mbps vs 4.9 Mbps.
Where they are close. Within five points on safety, healthcare, visa ease, air quality, quality of life.
Pick Faisalabad if you want
- no clear edge over Islamabad in the data
Pick Islamabad if you want
- faster internet (4.9 Mbps measured)
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Faisalabad | Islamabad |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | no data |
| Safety | 33 | 33 |
| Healthcare | 52 | 52 |
| Internet | 27 | 34 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 42 | 42 |
| Getting there & around | 9 | 16 ✓ |
| Climate | 33 | 42 ✓ |
| Air quality | 0 | 0 |
| Quality of life | 24 | 24 |
Cost
| Metric | Faisalabad | Islamabad |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Faisalabad | Islamabad |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 4.33 | 4.33 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 31.4 | 31.4 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 56 | 56 |
| Life expectancy | 68.2 yrs | 68.2 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Faisalabad | Islamabad |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 3.3 Mbps | 4.9 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 3.1 Mbps | 4.3 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Faisalabad | Islamabad |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| 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 | Faisalabad | Islamabad |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 26 | 42 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 2 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | Faisalabad | Islamabad |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 5 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 68.5 µg/m³ ✓ | 85.3 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Faisalabad or Islamabad?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Faisalabad or Islamabad safer?
- Faisalabad and Islamabad score the same on safety (33), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Faisalabad or Islamabad?
- Islamabad: a measured median of 4.9 Mbps versus 3.3 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More 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); 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.