Siliguri vs Varanasi
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 44. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Busy junction city at the foot of Darjeeling, Sikkim and Bhutan
Full Siliguri profile →Plan a trip to Siliguri →Ganges ghats and the oldest living city in India
Full Varanasi profile →Plan a trip to Varanasi →Where they differ
- Internet. Siliguri leads on internet, 55 to 46, against Varanasi. Measured download: 16.4 Mbps vs 11.5 Mbps.
- Getting there & around. Varanasi leads on getting there & around, 17 to 11, against Siliguri. Non-stop airport destinations: 5 vs 16.
Where they are close. Within five points on cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, air quality, quality of life.
Pick Siliguri if you want
- faster internet (16.4 Mbps measured)
Pick Varanasi if you want
- no clear edge over Siliguri in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Siliguri | Varanasi |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 88 | 88 |
| Safety | 55 | 55 |
| Healthcare | 63 | 63 |
| Internet | 55 ✓ | 46 |
| Visa ease | 32 | 32 |
| Getting there & around | 11 | 17 ✓ |
| Climate | 50 | 50 |
| Air quality | 0 | 0 |
| Quality of life | 43 | 43 |
Cost
| Metric | Siliguri | Varanasi |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $750 | $750 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Siliguri | Varanasi |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 2.72 | 2.72 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 55 | 55 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 69 | 69 |
| Life expectancy | 71 yrs | 71 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Siliguri | Varanasi |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 16.4 Mbps ✓ | 11.5 Mbps |
| Upload | 8.1 Mbps ✓ | 3 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Siliguri | Varanasi |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | e-visa required | e-visa required |
| Entry, UK passport | e-visa required | e-visa required |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Siliguri | Varanasi |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 5 | 16 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Siliguri | Varanasi |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 6 | 6 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 59 µg/m³ ✓ | 60 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Siliguri or Varanasi?
- Siliguri and Varanasi cost about the same: roughly $750 per month for one person.
- Is Siliguri or Varanasi safer?
- Siliguri and Varanasi score the same on safety (55), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Siliguri or Varanasi?
- Siliguri: a measured median of 16.4 Mbps versus 11.5 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); OpenFlights airports and routes; 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); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.