---
title: "Jos vs Kampala for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/jos-vs-kampala
description: "Under balanced weights Jos edges it, 38 to 35, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Jos is stronger on climate; Kampala on safety. 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
---

# Jos vs Kampala for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Jos edges it, 38 to 35, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Jos is stronger on climate; Kampala on safety. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Safety.** Kampala leads on safety, 39 to 20, against Jos. Homicides per 100,000: 15.75 vs 8.82.
- **Climate.** Jos leads on climate, 83 to 67, against Kampala. Comfortable months: 10 vs 8.
- **Healthcare.** Kampala leads on healthcare, 48 to 39, against Jos. Health coverage index: 47 vs 54.

Where they are close: within five points on getting there & around, quality of life, visa ease, air quality.

**Pick Jos if you want** faster internet (10.5 Mbps measured); a longer comfortable season (10 months against 8).

**Pick Kampala if you want** the safer country figures; stronger healthcare.

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

| Metric | Jos | Kampala | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 72 | no data | — |
| Safety | 20 | 39 | Kampala |
| Healthcare | 39 | 48 | Kampala |
| Internet | 46 | 41 | Jos |
| Visa ease | 32 | 32 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 5 | 9 | Kampala |
| Climate | 83 | 67 | Jos |
| Air quality | 0 | 0 | tie |
| Quality of life | 40 | 43 | Kampala |

## Cost

| Metric | Jos | Kampala | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,050 | no data | — |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Jos | Kampala | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 15.75 | 8.82 | Kampala |
| Political stability (0–100) | 35.1 | 50.4 | Kampala |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 47 | 54 | Kampala |
| Life expectancy | 62.9 yrs | 66.7 yrs | Kampala |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Jos | Kampala | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 10.5 Mbps | 8 Mbps | Jos |
| Upload | 4.8 Mbps | 3.8 Mbps | Jos |

## Visa

| Metric | Jos | Kampala | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | e-visa required | e-visa required | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | e-visa required | e-visa required | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | e-visa required | e-visa required | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Jos | Kampala | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 2 | 27 | Kampala |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 1 | Jos |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 2 | Kampala |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Jos | Kampala | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 10 | 8 | Jos |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 64.7 µg/m³ | 60.2 µg/m³ | Kampala |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Jos or Kampala?

We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.

### Is Jos or Kampala safer?

Kampala scores higher on safety (39 vs 20), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Jos or Kampala?

Jos: a measured median of 10.5 Mbps versus 8 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Jos](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/jos) · [Kampala](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/kampala). 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); 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.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/jos-vs-kampala