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Kos vs Nicosia

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Kos edges it, 69 to 66, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Kos is stronger on internet; Nicosia on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 3.9 of 69 points (scores 35/100)Safety: 8.4 of 69 points (scores 76/100)Healthcare: 8.8 of 69 points (scores 79/100)Internet: 7.1 of 69 points (scores 64/100)Visa ease: 8.4 of 69 points (scores 76/100)Getting there & around: 7.0 of 69 points (scores 63/100)Climate: 6.5 of 69 points (scores 58/100)Air quality: 9.1 of 69 points (scores 82/100)Quality of life: 9.9 of 69 points (scores 89/100)69
Kos
out of 100

Flat, bike-friendly Dodecanese island facing Bodrum

Full Kos profile →Where to stay in Kos →
Cost of living: 3.4 of 66 points (scores 30/100)Safety: 8.6 of 66 points (scores 77/100)Healthcare: 9.1 of 66 points (scores 82/100)Internet: 5.9 of 66 points (scores 53/100)Visa ease: 8.4 of 66 points (scores 76/100)Getting there & around: 6.6 of 66 points (scores 60/100)Climate: 5.6 of 66 points (scores 50/100)Air quality: 9.0 of 66 points (scores 81/100)Quality of life: 9.5 of 66 points (scores 86/100)66
Nicosia
out of 100

Cyprus's inland capital, divided by the Green Line

Full Nicosia profile →Where to stay in Nicosia →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricKosNicosia
Cost of living35 ✓30
Safety7677 ✓
Healthcare7982 ✓
Internet64 ✓53
Visa ease7676
Getting there & around63 ✓60
Climate58 ✓50
Air quality82 ✓81
Quality of life89 ✓86

Cost

MetricKosNicosia
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,900 ✓$2,152
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricKosNicosia
Homicides per 100k0.85 ✓0.96
Political stability (0–100)70.573.3 ✓
UHC service coverage (0–100)77 ✓76
Life expectancy79.6 yrs81.9 yrs ✓

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricKosNicosia
Download34.3 Mbps ✓16.4 Mbps
Upload5 Mbps ✓4.7 Mbps

Visa

MetricKosNicosia
Nomad visaDigital Nomad Visa (Z.1)Digital nomad visa
Minimum income for the visa$3,929/mo$3,929/mo
Entry, US passport90 days90 days
Entry, EU passportunlimitedunlimited
Entry, UK passport90 days90 days

Getting there and around

MetricKosNicosia
Non-stop airport destinations7490 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)4 ✓3
Transit (1–5, editorial)22

Climate and air

MetricKosNicosia
Comfortable months per year7 ✓6
Annual mean PM2.513.3 µg/m³ ✓13.5 µg/m³

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Kos or Nicosia?
Kos is cheaper: about $1,900 per month versus $2,152 for one person.
Is Kos or Nicosia safer?
Nicosia 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 Nicosia?
Kos: a measured median of 34.3 Mbps versus 16.4 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); 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); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.