Nantes vs Riga
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Nantes edges it, 65 to 64, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Nantes is stronger on healthcare; Riga on getting there & around, cost of living. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Nantes | Riga |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 30 | 41 ✓ |
| Safety | 69 ✓ | 68 |
| Healthcare | 85 ✓ | 67 |
| Internet | 73 ✓ | 67 |
| Visa ease | 90 | 90 |
| Getting there & around | 30 | 44 ✓ |
| Climate | 33 ✓ | 25 |
| Air quality | 93 ✓ | 91 |
| Quality of life | 80 | 82 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Nantes | Riga |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one person | $2,344 | $1,823 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Nantes | Riga |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 1 ✓ | 4.5 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 61.8 | 76.5 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 82 ✓ | 77 |
| Life expectancy | 81.9 yrs ✓ | 73.2 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Nantes | Riga |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 57.4 Mbps ✓ | 44.7 Mbps |
| Upload | 17.6 Mbps ✓ | 13.8 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Nantes | Riga |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Visa-free days, US passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Visa-free days, EU passport | unlimited | unlimited |
| Visa-free days, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Nantes | Riga |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 0 | 96 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 4 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 4 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Nantes | Riga |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 4 ✓ | 3 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 8 µg/m³ ✓ | 8.9 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Nantes or Riga?
- Riga is cheaper: about $1,823 per month versus $2,344 for one person.
- Is Nantes or Riga safer?
- Nantes scores higher on safety (69 vs 68), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Nantes or Riga?
- Nantes: a measured median of 57.4 Mbps versus 44.7 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); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; 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); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages). Dataset 2026.09.4. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.