NavoyNostos

Hoi An vs Sapa

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Sapa edges it, 59 to 56, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Hoi An is stronger on nothing outright; Sapa on climate. 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: 7.1 of 59 points (scores 64/100)Safety: 7.5 of 59 points (scores 68/100)Healthcare: 7.4 of 59 points (scores 67/100)Internet: 7.0 of 59 points (scores 63/100)Visa ease: 3.9 of 59 points (scores 35/100)Getting there & around: 6.1 of 59 points (scores 55/100)Climate: 4.6 of 59 points (scores 42/100)Air quality: 8.7 of 59 points (scores 79/100)Quality of life: 6.5 of 59 points (scores 58/100)59
Sapa
out of 100

Mountain hill station with rice terraces and Vietnam's highest peak

Full Sapa profile →Where to stay in Sapa →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricHoi AnSapa
Cost of living6464
Safety6868
Healthcare6767
Internet6263 ✓
Visa ease3535
Getting there & around5155 ✓
Climate1742 ✓
Air quality81 ✓79
Quality of life5858

Cost

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

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricHoi AnSapa
Homicides per 100k1.91.9
Political stability (0–100)67.767.7
UHC service coverage (0–100)7171
Life expectancy73.8 yrs73.8 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricHoi AnSapa
Download20.4 Mbps22.7 Mbps ✓
Upload20.4 Mbps20.7 Mbps ✓

Visa

MetricHoi AnSapa
Nomad visanone listednone listed
Minimum income for the visano datano data
Entry, US passporte-visa requirede-visa required
Entry, EU passport45 days45 days
Entry, UK passport45 days45 days

Getting there and around

MetricHoi AnSapa
Non-stop airport destinations3689 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)4 ✓3
Transit (1–5, editorial)11

Climate and air

MetricHoi AnSapa
Comfortable months per year25 ✓
Annual mean PM2.513.4 µg/m³ ✓14.6 µg/m³

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Hoi An or Sapa?
Sapa is cheaper: about $900 per month versus $900 for one person.
Is Hoi An or Sapa safer?
Hoi An scores higher on safety (68 vs 68), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Hoi An or Sapa?
Sapa: a measured median of 22.7 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; 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.