---
title: "Hanoi vs Samarkand for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/hanoi-vs-samarkand
description: "Under balanced weights Hanoi edges it, 56 to 49, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Hanoi is stronger on quality of life, climate; Samarkand on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.10.7 (2026-10-13)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Hanoi vs Samarkand for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Hanoi edges it, 56 to 49, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Hanoi is stronger on quality of life, climate; Samarkand on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

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

| Metric | Hanoi | Samarkand | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 70 | no data | — |
| Safety | 68 | 70 | Samarkand |
| Healthcare | 67 | 69 | Samarkand |
| Internet | 61 | 58 | Hanoi |
| Visa ease | 35 | 33 | Hanoi |
| Getting there & around | 55 | 48 | Hanoi |
| Climate | 58 | 42 | Hanoi |
| Air quality | 32 | 32 | Hanoi |
| Quality of life | 58 | 41 | Hanoi |

## Cost

| Metric | Hanoi | Samarkand | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $768 | no data | — |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Hanoi | Samarkand | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 1.9 | 1.4 | Samarkand |
| Political stability (0–100) | 67.7 | 67.4 | Hanoi |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 71 | 79 | Samarkand |
| Life expectancy | 73.8 yrs | 72.2 yrs | Hanoi |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Hanoi | Samarkand | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 20.3 Mbps | 16.3 Mbps | Hanoi |
| Upload | 19 Mbps | 18.5 Mbps | Hanoi |

## Visa

| Metric | Hanoi | Samarkand | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | e-visa required | e-visa required | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | 45 days | 30 days | Hanoi |
| Entry, UK passport | 45 days | 30 days | Hanoi |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Hanoi | Samarkand | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 89 | 28 | Hanoi |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 | Samarkand |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Hanoi | Samarkand | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 7 | 5 | Hanoi |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 35.7 µg/m³ | 35.8 µg/m³ | Hanoi |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Hanoi or Samarkand?

We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.

### Is Hanoi or Samarkand safer?

Samarkand scores higher on safety (70 vs 68), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Hanoi or Samarkand?

Hanoi: a measured median of 20.3 Mbps versus 16.3 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Hanoi](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/hanoi) · [Samarkand](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/samarkand). 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); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; 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); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/hanoi-vs-samarkand