Kolkata vs Mathura
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Kolkata edges it, 48 to 46, winning 4 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.
India's literary capital, cheap and under-visited
Full Kolkata profile →Plan a trip to Kolkata →Krishna's birthplace on the Yamuna, twinned with Vrindavan's temples
Full Mathura profile →Plan a trip to Mathura →Where they differ
- Internet. Kolkata leads on internet, 63 to 54, against Mathura. Measured download: 28.2 Mbps vs 18.2 Mbps.
- Climate. Kolkata leads on climate, 50 to 42, against Mathura. Comfortable months: 6 vs 5.
Where they are close. Within five points on air quality, getting there & around, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Kolkata if you want
- faster internet (28.2 Mbps measured)
Pick Mathura if you want
- no clear edge over Kolkata in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Kolkata | Mathura |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 88 | 88 |
| Safety | 55 | 55 |
| Healthcare | 63 | 63 |
| Internet | 63 ✓ | 54 |
| Visa ease | 32 | 32 |
| Getting there & around | 35 ✓ | 32 |
| Climate | 50 ✓ | 42 |
| Air quality | 4 ✓ | 0 |
| Quality of life | 43 | 43 |
Cost
| Metric | Kolkata | Mathura |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $750 | $750 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Kolkata | Mathura |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 2.72 | 2.72 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 55 | 55 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 69 | 69 |
| Life expectancy | 71 yrs | 71 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Kolkata | Mathura |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 28.2 Mbps ✓ | 18.2 Mbps |
| Upload | 9 Mbps ✓ | 4.8 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Kolkata | Mathura |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | e-visa required | e-visa required |
| Entry, EU passport | e-visa required | e-visa required |
| Entry, UK passport | e-visa required | e-visa required |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Kolkata | Mathura |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 68 | 152 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 ✓ | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 4 ✓ | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Kolkata | Mathura |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 6 ✓ | 5 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 48 µg/m³ ✓ | 67.3 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Kolkata or Mathura?
- Kolkata and Mathura cost about the same: roughly $750 per month for one person.
- Is Kolkata or Mathura safer?
- Kolkata and Mathura score the same on safety (55), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Kolkata or Mathura?
- Kolkata: a measured median of 28.2 Mbps versus 18.2 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); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.