Kumasi vs Sylhet
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 42. Kumasi is stronger on safety; Sylhet on internet. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Tea-garden city of northeast Bangladesh with deep UK links
Full Sylhet profile →Plan a trip to Sylhet →Where they differ
- Internet. Sylhet leads on internet, 44 to 31, against Kumasi. Measured download: 3.8 Mbps vs 8.3 Mbps.
- Safety. Kumasi leads on safety, 68 to 55, against Sylhet. Homicides per 100,000: 1.83 vs 1.76.
- Cost of living. Sylhet leads on cost of living, 77 to 67, against Kumasi. Monthly cost, one person: $1,150 vs $950.
Where they are close. Within five points on getting there & around, air quality, visa ease.
Pick Kumasi if you want
- the safer country figures
Pick Sylhet if you want
- to spend about $200 less a month
- faster internet (8.3 Mbps measured)
- stronger healthcare
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Kumasi | Sylhet |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 67 | 77 ✓ |
| Safety | 68 ✓ | 55 |
| Healthcare | 51 | 57 ✓ |
| Internet | 31 | 44 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 34 | 34 |
| Getting there & around | 10 ✓ | 7 |
| Climate | 50 ✓ | 42 |
| Air quality | 21 | 21 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 49 ✓ | 43 |
Cost
| Metric | Kumasi | Sylhet |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,150 | $950 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Kumasi | Sylhet |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 1.83 | 1.76 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 67.1 ✓ | 49.1 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 56 ✓ | 54 |
| Life expectancy | 67.7 yrs | 72.7 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Kumasi | Sylhet |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 3.8 Mbps | 8.3 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 4.7 Mbps | 7.7 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Kumasi | Sylhet |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, EU passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, UK passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Kumasi | Sylhet |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 1 | 11 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 ✓ | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Kumasi | Sylhet |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 6 ✓ | 5 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 40.7 µg/m³ | 40.5 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Kumasi or Sylhet?
- Sylhet is cheaper: about $950 per month versus $1,150 for one person.
- Is Kumasi or Sylhet safer?
- Kumasi scores higher on safety (68 vs 55), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Kumasi or Sylhet?
- Sylhet: a measured median of 8.3 Mbps versus 3.8 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); OpenFlights airports and routes; 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); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.