NavoyNostos

Kaunas vs Zakopane

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Zakopane edges it, 67 to 65, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Kaunas is stronger on internet; Zakopane on getting there & around. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 4.7 of 65 points (scores 42/100)Safety: 8.4 of 65 points (scores 75/100)Healthcare: 7.9 of 65 points (scores 71/100)Internet: 9.7 of 65 points (scores 88/100)Visa ease: 6.7 of 65 points (scores 61/100)Getting there & around: 6.4 of 65 points (scores 58/100)Climate: 2.8 of 65 points (scores 25/100)Air quality: 9.1 of 65 points (scores 82/100)Quality of life: 9.2 of 65 points (scores 83/100)65
Kaunas
out of 100

Lithuania's modernist second city

Full Kaunas profile →Where to stay in Kaunas →
Cost of living: 5.5 of 67 points (scores 50/100)Safety: 9.2 of 67 points (scores 83/100)Healthcare: 8.4 of 67 points (scores 76/100)Internet: 8.2 of 67 points (scores 73/100)Visa ease: 6.7 of 67 points (scores 61/100)Getting there & around: 7.6 of 67 points (scores 69/100)Climate: 2.8 of 67 points (scores 25/100)Air quality: 8.8 of 67 points (scores 79/100)Quality of life: 9.4 of 67 points (scores 85/100)67
Zakopane
out of 100

Poland's Tatra resort, crowded but mountain-perfect

Full Zakopane profile →Where to stay in Zakopane →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricKaunasZakopane
Cost of living4250 ✓
Safety7583 ✓
Healthcare7176 ✓
Internet88 ✓73
Visa ease6161
Getting there & around5869 ✓
Climate2525
Air quality82 ✓79
Quality of life8385 ✓

Cost

MetricKaunasZakopane
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,588$1,300 ✓
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricKaunasZakopane
Homicides per 100k2.660.68 ✓
Political stability (0–100)82 ✓77.8
UHC service coverage (0–100)7882 ✓
Life expectancy74.1 yrs75.4 yrs ✓

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricKaunasZakopane
Download92.5 Mbps ✓44.4 Mbps
Upload50.4 Mbps ✓20.9 Mbps

Visa

MetricKaunasZakopane
Nomad visanone listednone listed
Minimum income for the visano datano data
Entry, US passport90 days90 days
Entry, EU passportunlimitedunlimited
Entry, UK passport90 days90 days

Getting there and around

MetricKaunasZakopane
Non-stop airport destinations27134 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)44
Transit (1–5, editorial)3 ✓2

Climate and air

MetricKaunasZakopane
Comfortable months per year33
Annual mean PM2.513.3 µg/m³ ✓14.3 µg/m³

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Kaunas or Zakopane?
Zakopane is cheaper: about $1,300 per month versus $1,588 for one person.
Is Kaunas or Zakopane safer?
Zakopane scores higher on safety (83 vs 75), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Kaunas or Zakopane?
Kaunas: a measured median of 92.5 Mbps versus 44.4 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); 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.