Satu Mare vs Sibiu
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Sibiu edges it, 68 to 67, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Satu Mare is stronger on nothing outright; Sibiu on getting there & around. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Border city on the Someș with Hungarian roots and low costs
Full Satu Mare profile →Plan a trip to Satu Mare →Transylvanian Saxon town with a tech economy
Full Sibiu profile →Plan a trip to Sibiu →Where they differ
- Getting there & around. Sibiu leads on getting there & around, 31 to 21, against Satu Mare. Non-stop airport destinations: 9 vs 9.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, air quality, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Satu Mare if you want
- no clear edge over Sibiu in the data
Pick Sibiu if you want
- no clear edge over Satu Mare in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Satu Mare | Sibiu |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 67 | 67 |
| Safety | 73 | 73 |
| Healthcare | 75 | 75 |
| Internet | 84 | 88 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 70 | 70 |
| Getting there & around | 21 | 31 ✓ |
| Climate | 42 | 42 |
| Air quality | 88 | 89 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 77 | 77 |
Cost
| Metric | Satu Mare | Sibiu |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,150 | $1,150 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Satu Mare | Sibiu |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 1.12 | 1.12 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 69.2 | 69.2 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 77 | 77 |
| Life expectancy | 76.2 yrs | 76.2 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Satu Mare | Sibiu |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 81 Mbps | 90.3 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 34.4 Mbps | 73.2 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Satu Mare | Sibiu |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Digital nomad long-stay visa (D/AS) | Digital nomad long-stay visa (D/AS) |
| Minimum income for the visa | $5,787/mo | $5,787/mo |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Entry, EU passport | unlimited | unlimited |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Satu Mare | Sibiu |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 9 | 9 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 5 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | Satu Mare | Sibiu |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 5 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 10.2 µg/m³ | 10 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Satu Mare or Sibiu?
- Satu Mare and Sibiu cost about the same: roughly $1,150 per month for one person.
- Is Satu Mare or Sibiu safer?
- Satu Mare and Sibiu score the same on safety (73), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Satu Mare or Sibiu?
- Sibiu: a measured median of 90.3 Mbps versus 81 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); 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); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.