Makassar vs Ternate
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Makassar edges it, 54 to 52, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Makassar is stronger on climate; Ternate on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Eastern Indonesia's big port city, gateway to Toraja and Sulawesi's reefs
Full Makassar profile →Plan a trip to Makassar →Volcanic spice island in North Maluku with a sultan's palace
Full Ternate profile →Plan a trip to Ternate →Where they differ
- Climate. Makassar leads on climate, 42 to 25, against Ternate. Comfortable months: 5 vs 3.
- Air quality. Ternate leads on air quality, 86 to 76, against Makassar. PM2.5: 15.9 µg/m³ vs 11.5 µg/m³.
- Getting there & around. Makassar leads on getting there & around, 16 to 7, against Ternate. Non-stop airport destinations: 42 vs 12.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Makassar if you want
- a longer comfortable season (5 months against 3)
Pick Ternate if you want
- no clear edge over Makassar in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Makassar | Ternate |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 74 | 74 |
| Safety | 67 | 67 |
| Healthcare | 65 | 65 |
| Internet | 45 | 46 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 54 | 54 |
| Getting there & around | 16 ✓ | 7 |
| Climate | 42 ✓ | 25 |
| Air quality | 76 | 86 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 49 | 49 |
Cost
| Metric | Makassar | Ternate |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Makassar | Ternate |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.41 | 0.41 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 52.7 | 52.7 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 67 | 67 |
| Life expectancy | 72.7 yrs | 72.7 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Makassar | Ternate |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 10.5 Mbps ✓ | 9.6 Mbps |
| Upload | 4 Mbps | 6.1 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Makassar | Ternate |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Remote worker visa (E33G) | Remote worker visa (E33G) |
| Minimum income for the visa | $5,000/mo | $5,000/mo |
| Entry, US passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, EU passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, UK passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Makassar | Ternate |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 42 ✓ | 12 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 ✓ | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Makassar | Ternate |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 5 ✓ | 3 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 15.9 µg/m³ | 11.5 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Makassar or Ternate?
- Makassar and Ternate cost about the same: roughly $1,000 per month for one person.
- Is Makassar or Ternate safer?
- Makassar and Ternate score the same on safety (67), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Makassar or Ternate?
- Makassar: a measured median of 10.5 Mbps versus 9.6 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); 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); 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); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.