---
title: "Iași vs Penang (George Town) for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/iasi-vs-penang
description: "Under balanced weights Iași edges it, 67 to 66, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Iași is stronger on air quality; Penang (George Town) on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.10.7 (2026-10-13)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Iași vs Penang (George Town) for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Iași edges it, 67 to 66, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Iași is stronger on air quality; Penang (George Town) on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

| Metric | Iași | Penang (George Town) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 54 | 61 | Penang (George Town) |
| Safety | 73 | 78 | Penang (George Town) |
| Healthcare | 69 | 71 | Penang (George Town) |
| Internet | 90 | 88 | Iași |
| Visa ease | 70 | 76 | Penang (George Town) |
| Getting there & around | 58 | 49 | Iași |
| Climate | 42 | 33 | Iași |
| Air quality | 74 | 64 | Iași |
| Quality of life | 76 | 72 | Iași |

## Cost

| Metric | Iași | Penang (George Town) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,178 | $974 | Penang (George Town) |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | $450 | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Iași | Penang (George Town) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 1.12 | 0.69 | Penang (George Town) |
| Political stability (0–100) | 69.2 | 71.6 | Penang (George Town) |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 77 | 80 | Penang (George Town) |
| Life expectancy | 72.8 yrs | 72.8 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Iași | Penang (George Town) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 108 Mbps | 93.6 Mbps | Iași |
| Upload | 45.8 Mbps | 55.3 Mbps | Penang (George Town) |

## Visa

| Metric | Iași | Penang (George Town) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | Digital nomad long-stay visa (D/AS) | DE Rantau Nomad Pass | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | $5,787/mo | $2,000/mo | Penang (George Town) |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | unlimited | 90 days | Iași |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Iași | Penang (George Town) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 29 | 30 | Penang (George Town) |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 3 | Iași |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 2 | Iași |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Iași | Penang (George Town) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 4 | Iași |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 16.6 µg/m³ | 21.2 µg/m³ | Iași |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Iași or Penang (George Town)?

Penang (George Town) is cheaper: about $974 per month versus $1,178 for one person.

### Is Iași or Penang (George Town) safer?

Penang (George Town) scores higher on safety (78 vs 73), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Iași or Penang (George Town)?

Iași: a measured median of 108 Mbps versus 93.6 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Iași](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/iasi) · [Penang (George Town)](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/penang). Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); 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); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/iasi-vs-penang