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Manama vs Nizwa

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Manama edges it, 52 to 52, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Manama is stronger on internet, quality of life; Nizwa on air quality, safety. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 3.8 of 52 points (scores 34/100)Safety: 8.2 of 52 points (scores 74/100)Healthcare: 8.0 of 52 points (scores 72/100)Internet: 8.3 of 52 points (scores 75/100)Visa ease: 3.8 of 52 points (scores 34/100)Getting there & around: 5.7 of 52 points (scores 52/100)Climate: 5.6 of 52 points (scores 50/100)Air quality: 0.3 of 52 points (scores 3/100)Quality of life: 8.6 of 52 points (scores 78/100)52
Manama
out of 100

Small, relaxed Gulf island with easy visas

Full Manama profile →Where to stay in Manama →
Cost of living: 4.7 of 52 points (scores 42/100)Safety: 9.6 of 52 points (scores 87/100)Healthcare: 7.3 of 52 points (scores 66/100)Internet: 6.4 of 52 points (scores 57/100)Visa ease: 3.8 of 52 points (scores 34/100)Getting there & around: 5.4 of 52 points (scores 49/100)Climate: 4.6 of 52 points (scores 42/100)Air quality: 2.9 of 52 points (scores 26/100)Quality of life: 7.1 of 52 points (scores 64/100)52
Nizwa
out of 100

Oman's old capital of forts and Friday goat markets under Jebel Akhdar

Full Nizwa profile →Where to stay in Nizwa →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricManamaNizwa
Cost of living3442 ✓
Safety7487 ✓
Healthcare72 ✓66
Internet75 ✓57
Visa ease3434
Getting there & around52 ✓49
Climate50 ✓42
Air quality326 ✓
Quality of life78 ✓64

Cost

MetricManamaNizwa
Monthly cost, one person$1,947$1,588 ✓
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricManamaNizwa
Homicides per 100k0.20.14 ✓
Political stability (0–100)59.876 ✓
UHC service coverage (0–100)78 ✓73
Life expectancy74.4 yrs ✓72.5 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricManamaNizwa
Download50.9 Mbps ✓18.2 Mbps
Upload17.3 Mbps ✓10 Mbps

Visa

MetricManamaNizwa
Nomad visanone listednone listed
Minimum income for the visano datano data
Entry, US passportvisa on arrivalvisa on arrival
Entry, EU passportvisa on arrivalvisa on arrival
Entry, UK passportvisa on arrivalvisa on arrival

Getting there and around

MetricManamaNizwa
Non-stop airport destinations6684 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)22
Transit (1–5, editorial)2 ✓1

Climate and air

MetricManamaNizwa
Comfortable months per year6 ✓5
Annual mean PM2.548.7 µg/m³38.2 µg/m³ ✓

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Manama or Nizwa?
Nizwa is cheaper: about $1,588 per month versus $1,947 for one person.
Is Manama or Nizwa safer?
Nizwa scores higher on safety (87 vs 74), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Manama or Nizwa?
Manama: a measured median of 50.9 Mbps versus 18.2 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); 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); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.