NavoyNostos

Nagoya vs Nara

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights the two cities tie. Nagoya is stronger on nothing outright; Nara on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 2.4 of 66 points (scores 21/100)Safety: 10.5 of 66 points (scores 94/100)Healthcare: 10.2 of 66 points (scores 92/100)Internet: 9.5 of 66 points (scores 86/100)Visa ease: 7.2 of 66 points (scores 65/100)Getting there & around: 8.0 of 66 points (scores 72/100)Climate: 0.0 of 66 points (scores 0/100)Air quality: 10.0 of 66 points (scores 90/100)Quality of life: 8.2 of 66 points (scores 74/100)66
Nagoya
out of 100

Japan's industrial heart, between Tokyo and Osaka

Full Nagoya profile →Where to stay in Nagoya →
Cost of living: 2.4 of 66 points (scores 21/100)Safety: 10.5 of 66 points (scores 94/100)Healthcare: 10.2 of 66 points (scores 92/100)Internet: 9.8 of 66 points (scores 88/100)Visa ease: 7.2 of 66 points (scores 65/100)Getting there & around: 7.6 of 66 points (scores 69/100)Climate: 0.0 of 66 points (scores 0/100)Air quality: 10.1 of 66 points (scores 91/100)Quality of life: 8.2 of 66 points (scores 74/100)66
Nara
out of 100

Deer park, giant Buddha and quiet evenings between Osaka and Kyoto

Full Nara profile →Where to stay in Nara →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricNagoyaNara
Cost of living2121
Safety9494
Healthcare9292
Internet8688 ✓
Visa ease6565
Getting there & around72 ✓69
Climate00
Air quality9091 ✓
Quality of life7474

Cost

MetricNagoyaNara
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$2,700$2,700
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricNagoyaNara
Homicides per 100k0.230.23
Political stability (0–100)87.787.7
UHC service coverage (0–100)8686
Life expectancy84.5 yrs84.5 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricNagoyaNara
Download74 Mbps82.8 Mbps ✓
Upload77.3 Mbps89.6 Mbps ✓

Visa

MetricNagoyaNara
Nomad visaDigital nomad visa (Designated Activities)Digital nomad visa (Designated Activities)
Minimum income for the visa$5,285/mo$5,285/mo
Entry, US passport90 days90 days
Entry, EU passport90 days90 days
Entry, UK passport90 days90 days

Getting there and around

MetricNagoyaNara
Non-stop airport destinations4380 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)44
Transit (1–5, editorial)5 ✓3

Climate and air

MetricNagoyaNara
Comfortable months per year00
Annual mean PM2.59.4 µg/m³8.9 µg/m³ ✓

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Nagoya or Nara?
Nara is cheaper: about $2,700 per month versus $2,700 for one person.
Is Nagoya or Nara safer?
Nagoya scores higher on safety (94 vs 94), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Nagoya or Nara?
Nara: a measured median of 82.8 Mbps versus 74 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); 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); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.