---
title: "Hefei vs Jeddah for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/hefei-vs-jeddah
description: "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."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# 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.

## 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 | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 44 | 42 | Hefei |
| Safety | 76 | 73 | Hefei |
| Healthcare | 83 | 83 | Jeddah |
| Internet | 57 | 48 | Hefei |
| Visa ease | 15 | 34 | Jeddah |
| Getting there & around | 34 | 31 | Hefei |
| Climate | 33 | 33 | tie |
| Air quality | 37 | 39 | Jeddah |
| Quality of life | 58 | 65 | Jeddah |

## Cost

| Metric | Hefei | Jeddah | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,850 | $1,927 | Hefei |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Hefei | Jeddah | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 0.5 | 0.8 | Hefei |
| Political stability (0–100) | 66 | 65.9 | Hefei |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 85 | 83 | Hefei |
| Life expectancy | 77.9 yrs | 78.9 yrs | Jeddah |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Hefei | Jeddah | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 17 Mbps | 10.9 Mbps | Hefei |
| Upload | 12.3 Mbps | 6.5 Mbps | Hefei |

## Visa

| Metric | Hefei | Jeddah | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | visa required | visa on arrival | Jeddah |
| Entry, EU passport | 30 days | visa on arrival | Jeddah |
| Entry, UK passport | visa required | visa on arrival | Jeddah |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Hefei | Jeddah | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 64 | 147 | Jeddah |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 2 | Hefei |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 2 | Hefei |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Hefei | Jeddah | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 4 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 33.5 µg/m³ | 32.4 µg/m³ | Jeddah |

## FAQ

### 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).

City pages: [Hefei](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/hefei) · [Jeddah](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/jeddah). 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.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/hefei-vs-jeddah