---
title: "Lilongwe vs Nosy Be for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/lilongwe-vs-nosy-be
description: "Under balanced weights Nosy Be edges it, 44 to 44, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Lilongwe is stronger on safety, healthcare; Nosy Be on air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.10.7 (2026-10-13)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Lilongwe vs Nosy Be for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Nosy Be edges it, 44 to 44, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Lilongwe is stronger on safety, healthcare; Nosy Be on air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

| Metric | Lilongwe | Nosy Be | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | no data | no data | — |
| Safety | 64 | 47 | Lilongwe |
| Healthcare | 38 | 28 | Lilongwe |
| Internet | 39 | 44 | Nosy Be |
| Visa ease | 33 | 34 | Nosy Be |
| Getting there & around | 24 | 24 | Nosy Be |
| Climate | 67 | 67 | tie |
| Air quality | 76 | 100 | Nosy Be |
| Quality of life | 9 | 11 | Nosy Be |

## Cost

| Metric | Lilongwe | Nosy Be | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | no data | no data | — |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Lilongwe | Nosy Be | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 1.9 | 6.1 | Lilongwe |
| Political stability (0–100) | 62.7 | 56.4 | Lilongwe |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 52 | 33 | Lilongwe |
| Life expectancy | 62.5 yrs | 62.9 yrs | Nosy Be |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Lilongwe | Nosy Be | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 8.4 Mbps | 9 Mbps | Nosy Be |
| Upload | 1.6 Mbps | 4.9 Mbps | Nosy Be |

## Visa

| Metric | Lilongwe | Nosy Be | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | 30 days | visa on arrival | Nosy Be |
| Entry, EU passport | 30 days | visa on arrival | Nosy Be |
| Entry, UK passport | 30 days | visa on arrival | Nosy Be |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Lilongwe | Nosy Be | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 11 | 7 | Lilongwe |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 2 | Nosy Be |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Lilongwe | Nosy Be | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 8 | 8 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 15.6 µg/m³ | 5.1 µg/m³ | Nosy Be |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Lilongwe or Nosy Be?

We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.

### Is Lilongwe or Nosy Be safer?

Lilongwe scores higher on safety (64 vs 47), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Lilongwe or Nosy Be?

Nosy Be: a measured median of 9 Mbps versus 8.4 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Lilongwe](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/lilongwe) · [Nosy Be](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/nosy-be). 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); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; 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); Starlink availability map.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/lilongwe-vs-nosy-be