NavoyNostos

Hyderabad vs Surat

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Hyderabad edges it, 49 to 48, winning 1 of the 9 factors. Hyderabad is stronger on getting there & around; Surat on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 7.8 of 49 points (scores 70/100)Safety: 6.1 of 49 points (scores 55/100)Healthcare: 6.2 of 49 points (scores 56/100)Internet: 7.2 of 49 points (scores 65/100)Visa ease: 3.6 of 49 points (scores 32/100)Getting there & around: 6.7 of 49 points (scores 60/100)Climate: 4.6 of 49 points (scores 42/100)Air quality: 2.7 of 49 points (scores 24/100)Quality of life: 4.3 of 49 points (scores 39/100)49
Hyderabad
out of 100

India's second tech capital with biryani and a real metro

Full Hyderabad profile →Where to stay in Hyderabad →
Cost of living: 7.9 of 48 points (scores 71/100)Safety: 6.1 of 48 points (scores 55/100)Healthcare: 6.2 of 48 points (scores 56/100)Internet: 7.2 of 48 points (scores 65/100)Visa ease: 3.6 of 48 points (scores 32/100)Getting there & around: 4.4 of 48 points (scores 40/100)Climate: 4.6 of 48 points (scores 42/100)Air quality: 3.7 of 48 points (scores 33/100)Quality of life: 4.3 of 48 points (scores 39/100)48
Surat
out of 100

Diamond and textile boomtown on the Tapi, almost unvisited by foreigners

Full Surat profile →Hotels in India →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricHyderabadSurat
Cost of living7071 ✓
Safety5555
Healthcare5656
Internet6565 ✓
Visa ease3232
Getting there & around60 ✓40
Climate4242
Air quality2433 ✓
Quality of life3939

Cost

MetricHyderabadSurat
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$768$750 ✓
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricHyderabadSurat
Homicides per 100k2.722.72
Political stability (0–100)5555
UHC service coverage (0–100)6969
Life expectancy67.3 yrs67.3 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricHyderabadSurat
Download30.2 Mbps30.6 Mbps ✓
Upload9.3 Mbps9.7 Mbps ✓

Visa

MetricHyderabadSurat
Nomad visanone listednone listed
Minimum income for the visano datano data
Entry, US passporte-visa requirede-visa required
Entry, EU passporte-visa requirede-visa required
Entry, UK passporte-visa requirede-visa required

Getting there and around

MetricHyderabadSurat
Non-stop airport destinations96 ✓12
Walkability (1–5, editorial)22
Transit (1–5, editorial)33

Climate and air

MetricHyderabadSurat
Comfortable months per year55
Annual mean PM2.539 µg/m³35 µg/m³ ✓

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Hyderabad or Surat?
Surat is cheaper: about $750 per month versus $768 for one person.
Is Hyderabad or Surat safer?
Hyderabad scores higher on safety (55 vs 55), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Hyderabad or Surat?
Surat: a measured median of 30.6 Mbps versus 30.2 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); 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); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.