Negombo vs Turkistan
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Negombo edges it, 55 to 53, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Negombo is stronger on getting there & around; Turkistan on air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Beach town next to Colombo airport, with a fishing harbour and Dutch canals
Full Negombo profile →Plan a trip to Negombo →Kazakh pilgrimage town around a Timurid mausoleum
Full Turkistan profile →Plan a trip to Turkistan →Where they differ
- Getting there & around. Negombo leads on getting there & around, 23 to 12, against Turkistan. Non-stop airport destinations: 58 vs 11.
- Air quality. Turkistan leads on air quality, 77 to 65, against Negombo. PM2.5: 20.6 µg/m³ vs 15.5 µg/m³.
- Climate. Turkistan leads on climate, 33 to 25, against Negombo. Comfortable months: 3 vs 4.
Where they are close. Within five points on healthcare, visa ease, safety, internet.
Pick Negombo if you want
- faster internet (7.6 Mbps measured)
- more flights and easier getting around
Pick Turkistan if you want
- cleaner air
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Negombo | Turkistan |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 88 | no data |
| Safety | 63 ✓ | 61 |
| Healthcare | 72 | 77 ✓ |
| Internet | 39 | 39 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 64 ✓ | 60 |
| Getting there & around | 23 ✓ | 12 |
| Climate | 25 | 33 ✓ |
| Air quality | 65 | 77 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 55 | 63 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Negombo | Turkistan |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $750 | no data |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Negombo | Turkistan |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 2.51 ✓ | 2.55 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 64.9 ✓ | 62 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 72 | 83 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 76.2 yrs ✓ | 74.8 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Negombo | Turkistan |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 7.6 Mbps ✓ | 6.4 Mbps |
| Upload | 2.4 Mbps | 5.1 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Negombo | Turkistan |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Digital nomad visa | Neo Nomad visa (B12-1) |
| Minimum income for the visa | $2,000/mo ✓ | $3,000/mo |
| Entry, US passport | visa on arrival ✓ | 30 days |
| Entry, EU passport | visa on arrival ✓ | 30 days |
| Entry, UK passport | visa on arrival ✓ | 30 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Negombo | Turkistan |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 58 ✓ | 11 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 ✓ | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Negombo | Turkistan |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 4 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 20.6 µg/m³ | 15.5 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Negombo or Turkistan?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Negombo or Turkistan safer?
- Negombo scores higher on safety (63 vs 61), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Negombo or Turkistan?
- Negombo: a measured median of 7.6 Mbps versus 6.4 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.