Kupang vs Yogyakarta
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Yogyakarta edges it, 56 to 55, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Kupang is stronger on air quality; Yogyakarta on getting there & around. 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 →Java's cultural capital on a student budget
Full Yogyakarta profile →Plan a trip to Yogyakarta →Where they differ
- Air quality. Kupang leads on air quality, 88 to 77, against Yogyakarta. PM2.5: 10.3 µg/m³ vs 15.4 µg/m³.
- Getting there & around. Yogyakarta leads on getting there & around, 18 to 7, against Kupang. Non-stop airport destinations: 17 vs 20.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Kupang if you want
- cleaner air
Pick Yogyakarta if you want
- faster internet (11.4 Mbps measured)
- more flights and easier getting around
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Kupang | Yogyakarta |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 74 | 74 |
| Safety | 67 | 67 |
| Healthcare | 65 | 65 |
| Internet | 44 | 48 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 54 | 54 |
| Getting there & around | 7 | 18 ✓ |
| Climate | 50 | 50 |
| Air quality | 88 ✓ | 77 |
| Quality of life | 49 | 49 |
Cost
| Metric | Kupang | Yogyakarta |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yogyakarta |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yogyakarta |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 9.3 Mbps | 11.4 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 4.3 Mbps | 5.7 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Kupang | Yogyakarta |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yogyakarta |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 17 | 20 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 2 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | Kupang | Yogyakarta |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 6 | 6 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 10.3 µg/m³ ✓ | 15.4 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Kupang or Yogyakarta?
- Kupang and Yogyakarta cost about the same: roughly $1,000 per month for one person.
- Is Kupang or Yogyakarta safer?
- Kupang and Yogyakarta score the same on safety (67), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Kupang or Yogyakarta?
- Yogyakarta: a measured median of 11.4 Mbps versus 9.3 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Kupang vs Labuan Bajo
- Kupang vs Kuta (Lombok)
- Yogyakarta vs Malang
- Yogyakarta vs Makassar
- All 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.