Luanda vs Nouakchott
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Luanda edges it, 42 to 40, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Luanda is stronger on air quality; Nouakchott on safety. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Angola's oil capital on a bay, with the Ilha beach strip and new visa-free entry
Full Luanda profile →Plan a trip to Luanda →Mauritania's Atlantic desert capital, built on sand in the late 1950s
Full Nouakchott profile →Plan a trip to Nouakchott →Where they differ
- Air quality. Luanda leads on air quality, 57 to 18, against Nouakchott. PM2.5: 24.4 µg/m³ vs 41.8 µg/m³.
- Safety. Nouakchott leads on safety, 63 to 44, against Luanda. Homicides per 100,000: 8.7 vs 1.
- Healthcare. Nouakchott leads on healthcare, 46 to 40, against Luanda. Health coverage index: 44 vs 40.
Where they are close. Within five points on quality of life, getting there & around, internet, visa ease, climate.
Pick Luanda if you want
- cleaner air
Pick Nouakchott if you want
- the safer country figures
- stronger healthcare
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Luanda | Nouakchott |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | no data |
| Safety | 44 | 63 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 40 | 46 ✓ |
| Internet | 35 | 36 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 33 | 34 ✓ |
| Getting there & around | 10 ✓ | 7 |
| Climate | 92 | 92 |
| Air quality | 57 ✓ | 18 |
| Quality of life | 28 ✓ | 23 |
Cost
| Metric | Luanda | Nouakchott |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | no data |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Luanda | Nouakchott |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 8.7 | 1 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 57.9 ✓ | 54.1 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 44 ✓ | 40 |
| Life expectancy | 65 yrs | 70.9 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Luanda | Nouakchott |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 5.7 Mbps | 6.2 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 3.2 Mbps ✓ | 2.8 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Luanda | Nouakchott |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | 30 days | visa on arrival ✓ |
| Entry, EU passport | 30 days | visa on arrival ✓ |
| Entry, UK passport | 30 days | visa on arrival ✓ |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Luanda | Nouakchott |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 36 ✓ | 13 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Luanda | Nouakchott |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 11 | 11 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 24.4 µg/m³ ✓ | 41.8 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Luanda or Nouakchott?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Luanda or Nouakchott safer?
- Nouakchott scores higher on safety (63 vs 44), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Luanda or Nouakchott?
- Nouakchott: a measured median of 6.2 Mbps versus 5.7 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); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; 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.