Kelowna vs Sudbury
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Sudbury edges it, 62 to 61, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Okanagan lake and wine country with ski hills nearby
Full Kelowna profile →Plan a trip to Kelowna →Nickel-mining city of lakes in northern Ontario
Full Sudbury profile →Plan a trip to Sudbury →Where they differ
- Climate. Sudbury leads on climate, 25 to 17, against Kelowna. Comfortable months: 2 vs 3.
- Internet. Kelowna leads on internet, 88 to 82, against Sudbury. Measured download: 94.8 Mbps vs 94.4 Mbps.
Where they are close. Within five points on air quality, getting there & around, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Kelowna if you want
- no clear edge over Sudbury in the data
Pick Sudbury if you want
- no clear edge over Kelowna in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Kelowna | Sudbury |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 23 | 23 |
| Safety | 76 | 76 |
| Healthcare | 92 | 92 |
| Internet | 88 ✓ | 82 |
| Visa ease | 58 | 58 |
| Getting there & around | 13 ✓ | 11 |
| Climate | 17 | 25 ✓ |
| Air quality | 89 | 91 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 96 | 96 |
Cost
| Metric | Kelowna | Sudbury |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $2,850 | $2,850 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Kelowna | Sudbury |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 1.98 | 1.98 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 79.8 | 79.8 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 92 | 92 |
| Life expectancy | 81.4 yrs | 81.4 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Kelowna | Sudbury |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 94.8 Mbps ✓ | 94.4 Mbps |
| Upload | 54.2 Mbps ✓ | 10.8 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Kelowna | Sudbury |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | 180 days | 180 days |
| 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 | Kelowna | Sudbury |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 21 ✓ | 8 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Kelowna | Sudbury |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 2 | 3 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 10 µg/m³ | 9 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Kelowna or Sudbury?
- Kelowna and Sudbury cost about the same: roughly $2,850 per month for one person.
- Is Kelowna or Sudbury safer?
- Kelowna and Sudbury score the same on safety (76), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Kelowna or Sudbury?
- Kelowna: a measured median of 94.8 Mbps versus 94.4 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); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.