---
title: "Iași vs Satu Mare for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/iasi-vs-satu-mare
description: "Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 67. Iași is stronger on nothing outright; Satu Mare on air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Iași vs Satu Mare for digital nomads

Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 67. Iași is stronger on nothing outright; Satu Mare on air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Air quality.** Satu Mare leads on air quality, 88 to 78, against Iași. PM2.5: 14.7 µg/m³ vs 10.2 µg/m³.
- **Getting there & around.** Iași leads on getting there & around, 29 to 21, against Satu Mare. Non-stop airport destinations: 29 vs 9.
- **Internet.** Iași leads on internet, 89 to 84, against Satu Mare. Measured download: 108 Mbps vs 81 Mbps.

Where they are close: within five points on cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.

**Pick Iași if you want** faster internet (108 Mbps measured).

**Pick Satu Mare if you want** no clear edge over Iași in the data.

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

| Metric | Iași | Satu Mare | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 67 | 67 | tie |
| Safety | 73 | 73 | tie |
| Healthcare | 75 | 75 | tie |
| Internet | 89 | 84 | Iași |
| Visa ease | 70 | 70 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 29 | 21 | Iași |
| Climate | 42 | 42 | tie |
| Air quality | 78 | 88 | Satu Mare |
| Quality of life | 77 | 77 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Iași | Satu Mare | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,150 | $1,150 | tie |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Iași | Satu Mare | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 1.12 | 1.12 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 69.2 | 69.2 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 77 | 77 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 76.2 yrs | 76.2 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Iași | Satu Mare | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 108 Mbps | 81 Mbps | Iași |
| Upload | 45.8 Mbps | 34.4 Mbps | Iași |

## Visa

| Metric | Iași | Satu Mare | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | Digital nomad long-stay visa (D/AS) | Digital nomad long-stay visa (D/AS) | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | $5,787/mo | $5,787/mo | tie |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | unlimited | unlimited | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Iași | Satu Mare | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 29 | 9 | Iași |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 4 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 2 | Iași |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Iași | Satu Mare | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 5 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 14.7 µg/m³ | 10.2 µg/m³ | Satu Mare |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Iași or Satu Mare?

Iași and Satu Mare cost about the same: roughly $1,150 per month for one person.

### Is Iași or Satu Mare safer?

Iași and Satu Mare score the same on safety (73), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Iași or Satu Mare?

Iași: a measured median of 108 Mbps versus 81 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Iași](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/iasi) · [Satu Mare](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/satu-mare). 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); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map.

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