Kampala vs Marsa Alam
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Marsa Alam edges it, 47 to 37, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Kampala is stronger on nothing outright; Marsa Alam on air quality, healthcare, quality of life. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Remote southern Red Sea diving village with an international airport and little else
Full Marsa Alam profile →Where to stay in Marsa Alam →Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Kampala | Marsa Alam |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | 74 |
| Safety | 39 | 47 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 45 | 60 ✓ |
| Internet | 41 | 44 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 32 | 34 ✓ |
| Getting there & around | 37 ✓ | 32 |
| Climate | 67 | 67 |
| Air quality | 0 | 16 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 38 | 49 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Kampala | Marsa Alam |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | $700 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Kampala | Marsa Alam |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 8.82 | 4.2 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 50.4 ✓ | 50 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 54 | 71 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 66 yrs | 69.1 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Kampala | Marsa Alam |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 8 Mbps | 12.1 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 3.8 Mbps ✓ | 1.6 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Kampala | Marsa Alam |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | e-visa required | visa on arrival ✓ |
| Entry, EU passport | e-visa required | visa on arrival ✓ |
| Entry, UK passport | e-visa required | visa on arrival ✓ |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Kampala | Marsa Alam |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 25 | 25 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 ✓ | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Kampala | Marsa Alam |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 8 | 8 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 60.2 µg/m³ | 42.7 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Kampala or Marsa Alam?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Kampala or Marsa Alam safer?
- Marsa Alam scores higher on safety (47 vs 39), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Kampala or Marsa Alam?
- Marsa Alam: a measured median of 12.1 Mbps versus 8 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); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; 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. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.