Hefei vs Jeddah
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Jeddah edges it, 50 to 48, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Hefei is stronger on nothing outright; Jeddah on visa ease. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Anhui's science city of universities and electric-car makers
Full Hefei profile →Plan a trip to Hefei →Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port and its most relaxed city
Full Jeddah profile →Plan a trip to Jeddah →Where they differ
- Visa ease. Jeddah leads on visa ease, 34 to 15, against Hefei.
- Internet. Hefei leads on internet, 57 to 48, against Jeddah. Measured download: 17 Mbps vs 10.9 Mbps.
- Quality of life. Jeddah leads on quality of life, 65 to 58, against Hefei.
Where they are close. Within five points on getting there & around, safety, air quality, cost of living, healthcare, climate.
Pick Hefei if you want
- to spend about $77 less a month
- faster internet (17 Mbps measured)
Pick Jeddah if you want
- no clear edge over Hefei in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Hefei | Jeddah |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 44 ✓ | 42 |
| Safety | 76 ✓ | 73 |
| Healthcare | 83 | 83 ✓ |
| Internet | 57 ✓ | 48 |
| Visa ease | 15 | 34 ✓ |
| Getting there & around | 34 ✓ | 31 |
| Climate | 33 | 33 |
| Air quality | 37 | 39 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 58 | 65 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Hefei | Jeddah |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,850 ✓ | $1,927 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Hefei | Jeddah |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.5 ✓ | 0.8 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 66 ✓ | 65.9 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 85 ✓ | 83 |
| Life expectancy | 77.9 yrs | 78.9 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Hefei | Jeddah |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 17 Mbps ✓ | 10.9 Mbps |
| Upload | 12.3 Mbps ✓ | 6.5 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Hefei | Jeddah |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | visa required | visa on arrival ✓ |
| Entry, EU passport | 30 days | visa on arrival ✓ |
| Entry, UK passport | visa required | visa on arrival ✓ |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Hefei | Jeddah |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 64 | 147 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 ✓ | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 4 ✓ | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Hefei | Jeddah |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 4 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 33.5 µg/m³ | 32.4 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Hefei or Jeddah?
- Hefei is cheaper: about $1,850 per month versus $1,927 for one person.
- Is Hefei or Jeddah safer?
- Hefei scores higher on safety (76 vs 73), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Hefei or Jeddah?
- Hefei: a measured median of 17 Mbps versus 10.9 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); 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); Official entry rules that changed after the Passport Index snapshot; WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.