Kos vs Larnaca
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 67. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Flat, bike-friendly Dodecanese island facing Bodrum
Full Kos profile →Plan a trip to Kos →Seafront Cyprus town next to the main airport
Full Larnaca profile →Plan a trip to Larnaca →Where they differ
- Climate. Larnaca leads on climate, 67 to 58, against Kos. Comfortable months: 7 vs 8.
Where they are close. Within five points on cost of living, quality of life, air quality, internet, getting there & around, safety, healthcare, visa ease.
Pick Kos if you want
- to spend about $200 less a month
Pick Larnaca if you want
- no clear edge over Kos in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Kos | Larnaca |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 43 ✓ | 38 |
| Safety | 76 | 77 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 83 ✓ | 83 |
| Internet | 64 | 67 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 76 | 76 |
| Getting there & around | 31 ✓ | 28 |
| Climate | 58 | 67 ✓ |
| Air quality | 82 ✓ | 78 |
| Quality of life | 90 ✓ | 86 |
Cost
| Metric | Kos | Larnaca |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,900 ✓ | $2,100 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Kos | Larnaca |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.85 ✓ | 0.96 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 70.5 | 73.3 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 77 ✓ | 76 |
| Life expectancy | 81.9 yrs | 82 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Kos | Larnaca |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 34.3 Mbps | 35 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 5 Mbps | 10.6 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Kos | Larnaca |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Digital Nomad Visa (Z.1) | Digital nomad visa |
| Minimum income for the visa | $3,929/mo | $3,929/mo |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Entry, EU passport | unlimited | unlimited |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Kos | Larnaca |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 74 | 91 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 ✓ | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Kos | Larnaca |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 7 | 8 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 13.3 µg/m³ ✓ | 14.7 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Kos or Larnaca?
- Kos is cheaper: about $1,900 per month versus $2,100 for one person.
- Is Kos or Larnaca safer?
- Larnaca scores higher on safety (77 vs 76), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Kos or Larnaca?
- Larnaca: a measured median of 35 Mbps versus 34.3 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); 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); 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); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.