Jacksonville vs Richmond
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Richmond edges it, 65 to 64, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Jacksonville is stronger on nothing outright; Richmond on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Florida's sprawling river city with Atlantic beaches and no state income tax
Full Jacksonville profile →Hotels in the United States →Virginia's capital with river rapids, murals and a strong food scene
Full Richmond profile →Hotels in the United States →Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Jacksonville | Richmond |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 17 | 17 |
| Safety | 51 | 51 |
| Healthcare | 81 | 81 |
| Internet | 78 | 80 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 49 | 51 ✓ |
| Climate | 50 | 50 |
| Air quality | 96 | 97 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 95 | 95 |
Cost
| Metric | Jacksonville | Richmond |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $3,000 | $3,000 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Jacksonville | Richmond |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 5.76 | 5.76 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 60.3 | 60.3 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 88 | 88 |
| Life expectancy | 76.4 yrs | 76.4 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Jacksonville | Richmond |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 67.4 Mbps | 69.5 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 12.3 Mbps | 17.6 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Jacksonville | Richmond |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | home country | home country |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Jacksonville | Richmond |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 49 ✓ | 39 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Jacksonville | Richmond |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 6 | 6 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 6.6 µg/m³ | 6.4 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Jacksonville or Richmond?
- Richmond is cheaper: about $3,000 per month versus $3,000 for one person.
- Is Jacksonville or Richmond safer?
- Jacksonville scores higher on safety (51 vs 51), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Jacksonville or Richmond?
- Richmond: a measured median of 69.5 Mbps versus 67.4 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Jacksonville vs Nashville
- Jacksonville vs San Antonio
- Richmond vs Nashville
- Richmond vs Charleston
- All 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); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.