Maastricht vs Västerås
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Västerås edges it, 68 to 67, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Maastricht is stronger on nothing outright; Västerås on getting there & around. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Hilly, Burgundian Dutch city on the Belgian and German borders
Full Maastricht profile →Plan a trip to Maastricht →Engineering city on Lake Mälaren, under 1 h from Stockholm
Full Västerås profile →Plan a trip to Västerås →Where they differ
- Getting there & around. Västerås leads on getting there & around, 49 to 39, against Maastricht. Non-stop airport destinations: 61 vs 166.
- Climate. Maastricht leads on climate, 33 to 25, against Västerås. Comfortable months: 4 vs 3.
- Cost of living. Maastricht leads on cost of living, 25 to 20, against Västerås. Monthly cost, one person: $2,750 vs $3,050.
Where they are close. Within five points on air quality, internet, safety, healthcare, quality of life, visa ease.
Pick Maastricht if you want
- to spend about $300 less a month
Pick Västerås if you want
- no clear edge over Maastricht in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Maastricht | Västerås |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 25 ✓ | 20 |
| Safety | 81 | 83 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 88 | 90 ✓ |
| Internet | 87 | 89 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 39 | 49 ✓ |
| Climate | 33 ✓ | 25 |
| Air quality | 93 | 97 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 96 | 97 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Maastricht | Västerås |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $2,750 ✓ | $3,050 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Maastricht | Västerås |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.66 ✓ | 0.87 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 75 | 80.5 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 85 | 85 |
| Life expectancy | 81.6 yrs | 82.9 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Maastricht | Västerås |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 92.1 Mbps | 95.2 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 39.9 Mbps | 72.3 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Maastricht | Västerås |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Entry, EU passport | unlimited | unlimited |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Maastricht | Västerås |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 61 | 166 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 5 ✓ | 4 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Maastricht | Västerås |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 4 ✓ | 3 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 8.2 µg/m³ | 6.2 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Maastricht or Västerås?
- Maastricht is cheaper: about $2,750 per month versus $3,050 for one person.
- Is Maastricht or Västerås safer?
- Västerås scores higher on safety (83 vs 81), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Maastricht or Västerås?
- Västerås: a measured median of 95.2 Mbps versus 92.1 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Maastricht vs Rotterdam
- Maastricht vs Eindhoven
- Västerås vs Linköping
- Västerås vs Helsingborg
- 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); 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.