NavoyNostos

Kos vs Rhodes

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Rhodes edges it, 70 to 69, winning 1 of the 9 factors. Kos is stronger on nothing outright; Rhodes 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: 3.9 of 70 points (scores 35/100)Safety: 8.4 of 70 points (scores 76/100)Healthcare: 8.8 of 70 points (scores 79/100)Internet: 7.1 of 70 points (scores 64/100)Visa ease: 8.4 of 70 points (scores 76/100)Getting there & around: 7.6 of 70 points (scores 68/100)Climate: 6.5 of 70 points (scores 58/100)Air quality: 8.9 of 70 points (scores 80/100)Quality of life: 9.9 of 70 points (scores 89/100)70
Rhodes
out of 100

Medieval walled island city with a long summer

Full Rhodes profile →Hotels in Greece →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricKosRhodes
Cost of living3535
Safety7676
Healthcare7979
Internet6464
Visa ease7676
Getting there & around6368 ✓
Climate5858
Air quality82 ✓80
Quality of life8989

Cost

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

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricKosRhodes
Homicides per 100k0.850.85
Political stability (0–100)70.570.5
UHC service coverage (0–100)7777
Life expectancy79.6 yrs79.6 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricKosRhodes
Download34.3 Mbps34.3 Mbps
Upload5 Mbps5 Mbps

Visa

MetricKosRhodes
Nomad visaDigital Nomad Visa (Z.1)Digital Nomad Visa (Z.1)
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

MetricKosRhodes
Non-stop airport destinations74130 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)44
Transit (1–5, editorial)22

Climate and air

MetricKosRhodes
Comfortable months per year77
Annual mean PM2.513.3 µg/m³ ✓14 µg/m³

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Kos or Rhodes?
Rhodes is cheaper: about $1,900 per month versus $1,900 for one person.
Is Kos or Rhodes safer?
Kos scores higher on safety (76 vs 76), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Kos or Rhodes?
Kos: a measured median of 34.3 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 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.