---
title: "Fort Collins vs Naperville for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/fort-collins-vs-naperville
description: "Under balanced weights Naperville edges it, 65 to 64, winning 1 of the 9 factors. Fort Collins is stronger on nothing outright; Naperville on getting there & around. 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
---

# Fort Collins vs Naperville for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Naperville edges it, 65 to 64, winning 1 of the 9 factors. Fort Collins is stronger on nothing outright; Naperville on getting there & around. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Getting there & around.** Naperville leads on getting there & around, 61 to 48, against Fort Collins. Non-stop airport destinations: 233 vs 288.

Where they are close: within five points on cost of living, internet, air quality, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.

**Pick Fort Collins if you want** to spend about $74 less a month.

**Pick Naperville if you want** more flights and easier getting around.

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

| Metric | Fort Collins | Naperville | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 20 | 19 | Fort Collins |
| Safety | 51 | 51 | tie |
| Healthcare | 85 | 85 | tie |
| Internet | 88 | 87 | Fort Collins |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 48 | 61 | Naperville |
| Climate | 33 | 33 | tie |
| Air quality | 92 | 92 | Fort Collins |
| Quality of life | 96 | 96 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Fort Collins | Naperville | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $3,034 | $3,108 | Fort Collins |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Fort Collins | Naperville | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 5.76 | 5.76 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 60.3 | 60.3 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 88 | 88 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 78.5 yrs | 78.5 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Fort Collins | Naperville | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 111.8 Mbps | 109.6 Mbps | Fort Collins |
| Upload | 24.5 Mbps | 20.4 Mbps | Fort Collins |

## Visa

| Metric | Fort Collins | Naperville | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | home country | home country | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Fort Collins | Naperville | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 233 | 288 | Naperville |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 | Naperville |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Fort Collins | Naperville | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 4 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 8.5 µg/m³ | 8.7 µg/m³ | Fort Collins |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Fort Collins or Naperville?

Fort Collins is cheaper: about $3,034 per month versus $3,108 for one person.

### Is Fort Collins or Naperville safer?

Fort Collins and Naperville score the same on safety (51), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Fort Collins or Naperville?

Fort Collins: a measured median of 111.8 Mbps versus 109.6 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Fort Collins](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/fort-collins) · [Naperville](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/naperville). 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); 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); Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (all items); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/fort-collins-vs-naperville