NavoyNostos

Kathmandu vs Yangon

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Kathmandu edges it, 47 to 41, winning 7 of the 9 factors. Kathmandu is stronger on safety, internet; Yangon on air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 8.4 of 47 points (scores 76/100)Safety: 6.6 of 47 points (scores 60/100)Healthcare: 5.9 of 47 points (scores 53/100)Internet: 6.5 of 47 points (scores 58/100)Visa ease: 3.8 of 47 points (scores 34/100)Getting there & around: 4.9 of 47 points (scores 44/100)Climate: 4.6 of 47 points (scores 42/100)Air quality: 3.2 of 47 points (scores 29/100)Quality of life: 3.3 of 47 points (scores 30/100)47
Kathmandu
out of 100

Gateway to the Himalayas

Full Kathmandu profile →Where to stay in Kathmandu →
Cost of living: 7.5 of 41 points (scores 68/100)Safety: 3.5 of 41 points (scores 32/100)Healthcare: 5.1 of 41 points (scores 46/100)Internet: 4.9 of 41 points (scores 44/100)Visa ease: 3.6 of 41 points (scores 32/100)Getting there & around: 4.8 of 41 points (scores 43/100)Climate: 4.6 of 41 points (scores 42/100)Air quality: 4.8 of 41 points (scores 43/100)Quality of life: 2.5 of 41 points (scores 22/100)41
Yangon
out of 100

Myanmar's largest city, now largely off-limits under an ongoing civil conflict

Full Yangon profile →Where to stay in Yangon →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricKathmanduYangon
Cost of living76 ✓68
Safety60 ✓32
Healthcare53 ✓46
Internet58 ✓44
Visa ease34 ✓32
Getting there & around44 ✓43
Climate4242
Air quality2943 ✓
Quality of life30 ✓22

Cost

MetricKathmanduYangon
Monthly cost, one person$666 ✓$820
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricKathmanduYangon
Homicides per 100k2.13 ✓3.9
Political stability (0–100)57.8 ✓28.5
UHC service coverage (0–100)58 ✓52
Life expectancy70 yrs ✓67.8 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricKathmanduYangon
Download17.1 Mbps ✓8.1 Mbps
Upload16.2 Mbps ✓8 Mbps

Visa

MetricKathmanduYangon
Nomad visanone listednone listed
Minimum income for the visano datano data
Entry, US passportvisa on arrival ✓e-visa required
Entry, EU passportvisa on arrival ✓e-visa required
Entry, UK passportvisa on arrival ✓e-visa required

Getting there and around

MetricKathmanduYangon
Non-stop airport destinations50 ✓29
Walkability (1–5, editorial)22
Transit (1–5, editorial)12 ✓

Climate and air

MetricKathmanduYangon
Comfortable months per year55
Annual mean PM2.537 µg/m³30.7 µg/m³ ✓

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Kathmandu or Yangon?
Kathmandu is cheaper: about $666 per month versus $820 for one person.
Is Kathmandu or Yangon safer?
Kathmandu scores higher on safety (60 vs 32), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Kathmandu or Yangon?
Kathmandu: a measured median of 17.1 Mbps versus 8.1 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); 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); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.