Nanaimo vs Wellington
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Nanaimo edges it, 69 to 68, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Nanaimo is stronger on visa ease; Wellington on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Vancouver Island's affordable harbour city, a ferry from Vancouver
Full Nanaimo profile →Hotels in Canada →Compact creative capital with wild weather
Full Wellington profile →Where to stay in Wellington →Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Nanaimo | Wellington |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 19 | 26 ✓ |
| Safety | 76 | 84 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 91 ✓ | 90 |
| Internet | 87 | 88 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 58 ✓ | 42 |
| Getting there & around | 62 ✓ | 56 |
| Climate | 33 | 33 |
| Air quality | 99 | 100 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 95 ✓ | 95 |
Cost
| Metric | Nanaimo | Wellington |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $2,850 | $2,396 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | $1,576 |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Nanaimo | Wellington |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 1.98 | 1.46 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 79.8 | 86.3 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 92 ✓ | 89 |
| Life expectancy | 81.6 yrs | 82.2 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Nanaimo | Wellington |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 87.5 Mbps | 90.1 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 52.9 Mbps | 68 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Nanaimo | Wellington |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | 180 days ✓ | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Nanaimo | Wellington |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 119 ✓ | 22 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 4 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | Nanaimo | Wellington |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 4 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 5.5 µg/m³ | 5 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Nanaimo or Wellington?
- Wellington is cheaper: about $2,396 per month versus $2,850 for one person.
- Is Nanaimo or Wellington safer?
- Wellington scores higher on safety (84 vs 76), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Nanaimo or Wellington?
- Wellington: a measured median of 90.1 Mbps versus 87.5 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); 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 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.