Samarkand vs Shahrisabz
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Samarkand edges it, 46 to 44, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Samarkand is stronger on air quality; Shahrisabz on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Timurid Silk Road city with the Registan at its heart
Full Samarkand profile →Plan a trip to Samarkand →Timur's birthplace, over a mountain pass from Samarkand
Full Shahrisabz profile →Plan a trip to Shahrisabz →Where they differ
- Air quality. Samarkand leads on air quality, 32 to 21, against Shahrisabz. PM2.5: 35.8 µg/m³ vs 40.5 µg/m³.
- Internet. Samarkand leads on internet, 58 to 52, against Shahrisabz. Measured download: 16.3 Mbps vs 12.2 Mbps.
- Getting there & around. Samarkand leads on getting there & around, 19 to 14, against Shahrisabz. Non-stop airport destinations: 28 vs 28.
Where they are close. Within five points on safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Samarkand if you want
- faster internet (16.3 Mbps measured)
- cleaner air
Pick Shahrisabz if you want
- no clear edge over Samarkand in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Samarkand | Shahrisabz |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | no data |
| Safety | 70 | 70 |
| Healthcare | 74 | 74 |
| Internet | 58 ✓ | 52 |
| Visa ease | 33 | 33 |
| Getting there & around | 19 ✓ | 14 |
| Climate | 42 | 42 |
| Air quality | 32 ✓ | 21 |
| Quality of life | 44 | 44 |
Cost
| Metric | Samarkand | Shahrisabz |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | no data |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Samarkand | Shahrisabz |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 67.4 | 67.4 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 79 | 79 |
| Life expectancy | 74 yrs | 74 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Samarkand | Shahrisabz |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 16.3 Mbps ✓ | 12.2 Mbps |
| Upload | 18.5 Mbps ✓ | 12.9 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Samarkand | Shahrisabz |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | e-visa required | e-visa required |
| Entry, EU passport | 30 days | 30 days |
| Entry, UK passport | 30 days | 30 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Samarkand | Shahrisabz |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 28 | 28 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 ✓ | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Samarkand | Shahrisabz |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 5 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 35.8 µg/m³ ✓ | 40.5 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Samarkand or Shahrisabz?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Samarkand or Shahrisabz safer?
- Samarkand and Shahrisabz score the same on safety (70), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Samarkand or Shahrisabz?
- Samarkand: a measured median of 16.3 Mbps versus 12.2 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); 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); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.