Kupang vs Makassar
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Kupang edges it, 55 to 54, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Kupang is stronger on air quality; Makassar on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Dry, sunny capital of West Timor and gateway to Rote's surf
Full Kupang profile →Plan a trip to Kupang →Eastern Indonesia's big port city, gateway to Toraja and Sulawesi's reefs
Full Makassar profile →Plan a trip to Makassar →Where they differ
- Air quality. Kupang leads on air quality, 88 to 76, against Makassar. PM2.5: 10.3 µg/m³ vs 15.9 µg/m³.
- Getting there & around. Makassar leads on getting there & around, 16 to 7, against Kupang. Non-stop airport destinations: 17 vs 42.
- Climate. Kupang leads on climate, 50 to 42, against Makassar. Comfortable months: 6 vs 5.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Kupang if you want
- cleaner air
Pick Makassar if you want
- no clear edge over Kupang in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Kupang | Makassar |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 74 | 74 |
| Safety | 67 | 67 |
| Healthcare | 65 | 65 |
| Internet | 44 | 45 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 54 | 54 |
| Getting there & around | 7 | 16 ✓ |
| Climate | 50 ✓ | 42 |
| Air quality | 88 ✓ | 76 |
| Quality of life | 49 | 49 |
Cost
| Metric | Kupang | Makassar |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Kupang | Makassar |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.41 | 0.41 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 52.7 | 52.7 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 67 | 67 |
| Life expectancy | 72.7 yrs | 72.7 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Kupang | Makassar |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 9.3 Mbps | 10.5 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 4.3 Mbps ✓ | 4 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Kupang | Makassar |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Remote worker visa (E33G) | Remote worker visa (E33G) |
| Minimum income for the visa | $5,000/mo | $5,000/mo |
| 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 | Kupang | Makassar |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 17 | 42 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 2 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | Kupang | Makassar |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 6 ✓ | 5 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 10.3 µg/m³ ✓ | 15.9 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Kupang or Makassar?
- Kupang and Makassar cost about the same: roughly $1,000 per month for one person.
- Is Kupang or Makassar safer?
- Kupang and Makassar score the same on safety (67), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Kupang or Makassar?
- Makassar: a measured median of 10.5 Mbps versus 9.3 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.