Fès vs Kairouan
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 52. Fès is stronger on safety; Kairouan on healthcare. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Medieval medina city and Morocco's cultural capital
Full Fès profile →Plan a trip to Fès →Tunisia's holy city, with the Great Mosque and a carpet-selling medina
Full Kairouan profile →Plan a trip to Kairouan →Where they differ
- Safety. Fès leads on safety, 61 to 48, against Kairouan. Homicides per 100,000: 1.67 vs 4.69.
- Healthcare. Kairouan leads on healthcare, 77 to 67, against Fès. Health coverage index: 65 vs 76.
- Air quality. Fès leads on air quality, 84 to 76, against Kairouan. PM2.5: 12.4 µg/m³ vs 15.8 µg/m³.
Where they are close. Within five points on getting there & around, quality of life, visa ease, internet, cost of living, climate.
Pick Fès if you want
- faster internet (9.3 Mbps measured)
- the safer country figures
Pick Kairouan if you want
- stronger healthcare
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Fès | Kairouan |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 61 | 61 |
| Safety | 61 ✓ | 48 |
| Healthcare | 67 | 77 ✓ |
| Internet | 37 ✓ | 34 |
| Visa ease | 46 | 50 ✓ |
| Getting there & around | 20 | 25 ✓ |
| Climate | 42 | 42 |
| Air quality | 84 ✓ | 76 |
| Quality of life | 46 | 51 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Fès | Kairouan |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,300 | $1,300 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Fès | Kairouan |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 1.67 ✓ | 4.69 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 56.1 ✓ | 53.4 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 65 | 76 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 75.2 yrs | 77.7 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Fès | Kairouan |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 9.3 Mbps ✓ | 7 Mbps |
| Upload | 0.7 Mbps | 0.9 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Fès | Kairouan |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 120 days ✓ |
| Entry, EU passport | 90 days | 120 days ✓ |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Fès | Kairouan |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 35 | 68 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 4 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 ✓ | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Fès | Kairouan |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 5 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 12.4 µg/m³ ✓ | 15.8 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Fès or Kairouan?
- Fès and Kairouan cost about the same: roughly $1,300 per month for one person.
- Is Fès or Kairouan safer?
- Fès scores higher on safety (61 vs 48), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Fès or Kairouan?
- Fès: a measured median of 9.3 Mbps versus 7 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); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); 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.