London vs New York City
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights London edges it, 69 to 66, winning 5 of the 9 factors. London is stronger on safety, getting there & around, visa ease; New York City on cost of living. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Global hub with the deepest job market in Europe
Full London profile →Plan a trip to London →The city that never sleeps, at a price that never sleeps either
Full New York City profile →Plan a trip to New York City →Where they differ
- Safety. London leads on safety, 76 to 51, against New York City. Homicides per 100,000: 0.93 vs 5.76.
- Getting there & around. London leads on getting there & around, 95 to 78, against New York City. Non-stop airport destinations: 418 vs 265.
- Visa ease. London leads on visa ease, 77 to 61, against New York City.
Where they are close. Within five points on healthcare, quality of life.
Pick London if you want
- the safer country figures
- more flights and easier getting around
Pick New York City if you want
- to spend about $1,104 less a month
- faster internet (69.2 Mbps measured)
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | London | New York City |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 1 | 15 ✓ |
| Safety | 76 ✓ | 51 |
| Healthcare | 88 ✓ | 85 |
| Internet | 72 | 78 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 77 ✓ | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 95 ✓ | 78 |
| Climate | 25 | 33 ✓ |
| Air quality | 86 | 95 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 97 ✓ | 96 |
Cost
| Metric | London | New York City |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one person | $4,481 | $3,377 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $3,080 | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | London | New York City |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.93 ✓ | 5.76 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 70.7 ✓ | 60.3 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 88 | 88 |
| Life expectancy | 80.7 yrs ✓ | 78.5 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | London | New York City |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 50.9 Mbps | 69.2 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 8.9 Mbps | 11.6 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | London | New York City |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | home country ✓ |
| Entry, EU passport | 180 days ✓ | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, UK passport | home country ✓ | eTA required (online, before travel) |
Getting there and around
| Metric | London | New York City |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 418 ✓ | 265 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 5 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 5 | 5 |
Climate and air
| Metric | London | New York City |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 4 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 11.2 µg/m³ | 7.1 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, London or New York City?
- New York City is cheaper: about $3,377 per month versus $4,481 for one person.
- Is London or New York City safer?
- London scores higher on safety (76 vs 51), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, London or New York City?
- New York City: a measured median of 69.2 Mbps versus 50.9 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- London vs Amsterdam
- London vs Watford
- New York City vs Chicago
- New York City vs Washington DC
- All 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); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); 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); Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (all items); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.3. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.