---
title: "Maastricht vs Västerås for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/maastricht-vs-vasteras
description: "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."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# 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.

## 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 | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 25 | 20 | Maastricht |
| Safety | 81 | 83 | Västerås |
| Healthcare | 88 | 90 | Västerås |
| Internet | 87 | 89 | Västerås |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 39 | 49 | Västerås |
| Climate | 33 | 25 | Maastricht |
| Air quality | 93 | 97 | Västerås |
| Quality of life | 96 | 97 | Västerås |

## Cost

| Metric | Maastricht | Västerås | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $2,750 | $3,050 | Maastricht |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Maastricht | Västerås | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 0.66 | 0.87 | Maastricht |
| Political stability (0–100) | 75 | 80.5 | Västerås |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 85 | 85 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 81.6 yrs | 82.9 yrs | Västerås |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Maastricht | Västerås | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 92.1 Mbps | 95.2 Mbps | Västerås |
| Upload | 39.9 Mbps | 72.3 Mbps | Västerås |

## Visa

| Metric | Maastricht | Västerås | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | unlimited | unlimited | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Maastricht | Västerås | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 61 | 166 | Västerås |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 5 | 4 | Maastricht |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Maastricht | Västerås | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 3 | Maastricht |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 8.2 µg/m³ | 6.2 µg/m³ | Västerås |

## FAQ

### 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).

City pages: [Maastricht](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/maastricht) · [Västerås](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/vasteras). 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.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/maastricht-vs-vasteras