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Groningen vs Nijmegen

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Groningen edges it, 71 to 70, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Groningen is stronger on nothing outright; Nijmegen on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 2.3 of 71 points (scores 21/100)Safety: 9.0 of 71 points (scores 81/100)Healthcare: 9.5 of 71 points (scores 86/100)Internet: 9.7 of 71 points (scores 88/100)Visa ease: 6.7 of 71 points (scores 61/100)Getting there & around: 9.6 of 71 points (scores 86/100)Climate: 2.8 of 71 points (scores 25/100)Air quality: 10.6 of 71 points (scores 95/100)Quality of life: 10.7 of 71 points (scores 96/100)71
Groningen
out of 100

Student city of the Dutch north, built around bikes

Full Groningen profile →Where to stay in Groningen →
Cost of living: 2.3 of 70 points (scores 21/100)Safety: 9.0 of 70 points (scores 81/100)Healthcare: 9.5 of 70 points (scores 86/100)Internet: 9.8 of 70 points (scores 88/100)Visa ease: 6.7 of 70 points (scores 61/100)Getting there & around: 9.1 of 70 points (scores 82/100)Climate: 2.8 of 70 points (scores 25/100)Air quality: 10.0 of 70 points (scores 90/100)Quality of life: 10.7 of 70 points (scores 96/100)70
Nijmegen
out of 100

The Netherlands' oldest city, hilly and green by the Waal river

Full Nijmegen profile →Where to stay in Nijmegen →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricGroningenNijmegen
Cost of living2121
Safety8181
Healthcare8686
Internet8888 ✓
Visa ease6161
Getting there & around86 ✓82
Climate2525
Air quality95 ✓90
Quality of life9696

Cost

MetricGroningenNijmegen
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$2,750$2,750
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricGroningenNijmegen
Homicides per 100k0.660.66
Political stability (0–100)7575
UHC service coverage (0–100)8585
Life expectancy81.1 yrs81.1 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricGroningenNijmegen
Download94.6 Mbps ✓92.9 Mbps
Upload45.3 Mbps52.8 Mbps ✓

Visa

MetricGroningenNijmegen
Nomad visanone listednone listed
Minimum income for the visano datano data
Entry, US passport90 days90 days
Entry, EU passportunlimitedunlimited
Entry, UK passport90 days90 days

Getting there and around

MetricGroningenNijmegen
Non-stop airport destinations291298 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)5 ✓4
Transit (1–5, editorial)33

Climate and air

MetricGroningenNijmegen
Comfortable months per year33
Annual mean PM2.57.1 µg/m³ ✓9.3 µg/m³

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Groningen or Nijmegen?
Nijmegen is cheaper: about $2,750 per month versus $2,750 for one person.
Is Groningen or Nijmegen safer?
Groningen scores higher on safety (81 vs 81), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Groningen or Nijmegen?
Groningen: a measured median of 94.6 Mbps versus 92.9 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); 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 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.