NavoyNostos

Hurghada vs Marsa Alam

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Hurghada edges it, 49 to 47, winning 1 of the 9 factors. Hurghada is stronger on getting there & around; Marsa Alam on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 8.2 of 49 points (scores 74/100)Safety: 5.2 of 49 points (scores 47/100)Healthcare: 6.6 of 49 points (scores 60/100)Internet: 4.9 of 49 points (scores 44/100)Visa ease: 3.8 of 49 points (scores 34/100)Getting there & around: 6.0 of 49 points (scores 54/100)Climate: 7.4 of 49 points (scores 67/100)Air quality: 1.8 of 49 points (scores 16/100)Quality of life: 5.4 of 49 points (scores 49/100)49
Hurghada
out of 100

Red Sea resort city with diving and winter sun

Full Hurghada profile →Where to stay in Hurghada →
Cost of living: 8.2 of 47 points (scores 74/100)Safety: 5.2 of 47 points (scores 47/100)Healthcare: 6.6 of 47 points (scores 60/100)Internet: 4.9 of 47 points (scores 44/100)Visa ease: 3.8 of 47 points (scores 34/100)Getting there & around: 3.5 of 47 points (scores 32/100)Climate: 7.4 of 47 points (scores 67/100)Air quality: 1.8 of 47 points (scores 16/100)Quality of life: 5.4 of 47 points (scores 49/100)47
Marsa Alam
out of 100

Remote southern Red Sea diving village with an international airport and little else

Full Marsa Alam profile →Where to stay in Marsa Alam →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricHurghadaMarsa Alam
Cost of living7474
Safety4747
Healthcare6060
Internet4444 ✓
Visa ease3434
Getting there & around54 ✓32
Climate6767
Air quality1616
Quality of life4949

Cost

MetricHurghadaMarsa Alam
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$700$700
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricHurghadaMarsa Alam
Homicides per 100k4.24.2
Political stability (0–100)5050
UHC service coverage (0–100)7171
Life expectancy69.1 yrs69.1 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricHurghadaMarsa Alam
Download11.8 Mbps12.1 Mbps ✓
Upload1.6 Mbps1.6 Mbps

Visa

MetricHurghadaMarsa Alam
Nomad visanone listednone listed
Minimum income for the visano datano data
Entry, US passportvisa on arrivalvisa on arrival
Entry, EU passportvisa on arrivalvisa on arrival
Entry, UK passportvisa on arrivalvisa on arrival

Getting there and around

MetricHurghadaMarsa Alam
Non-stop airport destinations82 ✓25
Walkability (1–5, editorial)2 ✓1
Transit (1–5, editorial)2 ✓1

Climate and air

MetricHurghadaMarsa Alam
Comfortable months per year88
Annual mean PM2.542.7 µg/m³42.7 µg/m³

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Hurghada or Marsa Alam?
Marsa Alam is cheaper: about $700 per month versus $700 for one person.
Is Hurghada or Marsa Alam safer?
Hurghada scores higher on safety (47 vs 47), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Hurghada or Marsa Alam?
Marsa Alam: a measured median of 12.1 Mbps versus 11.8 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.