---
title: "Samarkand vs Siem Reap for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/samarkand-vs-siem-reap
description: "Under balanced weights Samarkand edges it, 46 to 43, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Samarkand is stronger on quality of life, healthcare; Siem Reap on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Samarkand vs Siem Reap for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Samarkand edges it, 46 to 43, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Samarkand is stronger on quality of life, healthcare; Siem Reap on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Quality of life.** Samarkand leads on quality of life, 44 to 26, against Siem Reap.
- **Healthcare.** Samarkand leads on healthcare, 74 to 59, against Siem Reap. Health coverage index: 79 vs 62.
- **Climate.** Samarkand leads on climate, 42 to 33, against Siem Reap. Comfortable months: 5 vs 4.

Where they are close: within five points on internet, air quality, visa ease, safety.

**Pick Samarkand if you want** stronger healthcare.

**Pick Siem Reap if you want** no clear edge over Samarkand in the data.

## Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

| Metric | Samarkand | Siem Reap | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | no data | 72 | — |
| Safety | 70 | 71 | Siem Reap |
| Healthcare | 74 | 59 | Samarkand |
| Internet | 58 | 54 | Samarkand |
| Visa ease | 33 | 34 | Siem Reap |
| Getting there & around | 19 | 12 | Samarkand |
| Climate | 42 | 33 | Samarkand |
| Air quality | 32 | 29 | Samarkand |
| Quality of life | 44 | 26 | Samarkand |

## Cost

| Metric | Samarkand | Siem Reap | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | no data | $1,050 | — |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Samarkand | Siem Reap | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 1.4 | 1.8 | Samarkand |
| Political stability (0–100) | 67.4 | 71.5 | Siem Reap |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 79 | 62 | Samarkand |
| Life expectancy | 74 yrs | 71.2 yrs | Samarkand |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Samarkand | Siem Reap | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 16.3 Mbps | 15 Mbps | Samarkand |
| Upload | 18.5 Mbps | 9.9 Mbps | Samarkand |

## Visa

| Metric | Samarkand | Siem Reap | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | e-visa required | visa on arrival | Siem Reap |
| Entry, EU passport | 30 days | visa on arrival | Siem Reap |
| Entry, UK passport | 30 days | visa on arrival | Siem Reap |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Samarkand | Siem Reap | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 28 | 14 | Samarkand |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 1 | Samarkand |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Samarkand | Siem Reap | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 4 | Samarkand |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 35.8 µg/m³ | 37 µg/m³ | Samarkand |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Samarkand or Siem Reap?

We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.

### Is Samarkand or Siem Reap safer?

Siem Reap scores higher on safety (71 vs 70), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Samarkand or Siem Reap?

Samarkand: a measured median of 16.3 Mbps versus 15 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Samarkand](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/samarkand) · [Siem Reap](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/siem-reap). 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; 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); Starlink availability map.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/samarkand-vs-siem-reap