NavoyNostos

Hoi An vs Leh

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Hoi An edges it, 56 to 49, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Hoi An is stronger on getting there & around, quality of life, climate; Leh on air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 7.1 of 56 points (scores 64/100)Safety: 7.5 of 56 points (scores 68/100)Healthcare: 7.4 of 56 points (scores 67/100)Internet: 6.8 of 56 points (scores 62/100)Visa ease: 3.9 of 56 points (scores 35/100)Getting there & around: 5.6 of 56 points (scores 51/100)Climate: 1.9 of 56 points (scores 17/100)Air quality: 9.0 of 56 points (scores 81/100)Quality of life: 6.5 of 56 points (scores 58/100)56
Hoi An
out of 100

Lantern-lit old town with a beach and a slower Vietnam

Full Hoi An profile →Where to stay in Hoi An →
Cost of living: 7.9 of 49 points (scores 71/100)Safety: 6.1 of 49 points (scores 55/100)Healthcare: 6.2 of 49 points (scores 56/100)Internet: 6.9 of 49 points (scores 62/100)Visa ease: 3.6 of 49 points (scores 32/100)Getting there & around: 3.4 of 49 points (scores 31/100)Climate: 0.0 of 49 points (scores 0/100)Air quality: 10.2 of 49 points (scores 92/100)Quality of life: 4.3 of 49 points (scores 39/100)49
Leh
out of 100

High-desert capital of Ladakh at 3,500 m, open to visitors from May to October

Full Leh profile →Where to stay in Leh →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricHoi AnLeh
Cost of living6471 ✓
Safety68 ✓55
Healthcare67 ✓56
Internet6262 ✓
Visa ease35 ✓32
Getting there & around51 ✓31
Climate17 ✓0
Air quality8192 ✓
Quality of life58 ✓39

Cost

MetricHoi AnLeh
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$900$750 ✓
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricHoi AnLeh
Homicides per 100k1.9 ✓2.72
Political stability (0–100)67.7 ✓55
UHC service coverage (0–100)71 ✓69
Life expectancy73.8 yrs ✓67.3 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricHoi AnLeh
Download20.4 Mbps27.2 Mbps ✓
Upload20.4 Mbps ✓7.6 Mbps

Visa

MetricHoi AnLeh
Nomad visanone listednone listed
Minimum income for the visano datano data
Entry, US passporte-visa requirede-visa required
Entry, EU passport45 days ✓e-visa required
Entry, UK passport45 days ✓e-visa required

Getting there and around

MetricHoi AnLeh
Non-stop airport destinations36 ✓5
Walkability (1–5, editorial)44
Transit (1–5, editorial)11

Climate and air

MetricHoi AnLeh
Comfortable months per year2 ✓0
Annual mean PM2.513.4 µg/m³8.7 µg/m³ ✓

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Hoi An or Leh?
Leh is cheaper: about $750 per month versus $900 for one person.
Is Hoi An or Leh safer?
Hoi An scores higher on safety (68 vs 55), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Hoi An or Leh?
Leh: a measured median of 27.2 Mbps versus 20.4 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); 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); 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); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.