---
title: "St. John's vs Umeå for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/st-johns-vs-umea
description: "Under balanced weights Umeå edges it, 63 to 60, winning 7 of the 9 factors. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. 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
---

# St. John's vs Umeå for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Umeå edges it, 63 to 60, winning 7 of the 9 factors. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Climate.** Umeå leads on climate, 8 to 0, against St. John's. Comfortable months: 0 vs 1.
- **Getting there & around.** Umeå leads on getting there & around, 26 to 18, against St. John's. Non-stop airport destinations: 22 vs 4.
- **Safety.** Umeå leads on safety, 83 to 76, against St. John's. Homicides per 100,000: 1.98 vs 0.87.

Where they are close: within five points on cost of living, visa ease, internet, healthcare, quality of life.

**Pick St. John's if you want** to spend about $200 less a month.

**Pick Umeå if you want** the safer country figures.

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

| Metric | St. John's | Umeå | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 23 | 20 | St. John's |
| Safety | 76 | 83 | Umeå |
| Healthcare | 92 | 90 | St. John's |
| Internet | 85 | 87 | Umeå |
| Visa ease | 58 | 61 | Umeå |
| Getting there & around | 18 | 26 | Umeå |
| Climate | 0 | 8 | Umeå |
| Air quality | 93 | 100 | Umeå |
| Quality of life | 96 | 97 | Umeå |

## Cost

| Metric | St. John's | Umeå | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $2,850 | $3,050 | St. John's |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | St. John's | Umeå | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 1.98 | 0.87 | Umeå |
| Political stability (0–100) | 79.8 | 80.5 | Umeå |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 92 | 85 | St. John's |
| Life expectancy | 81.4 yrs | 82.9 yrs | Umeå |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | St. John's | Umeå | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 88.9 Mbps | 86.1 Mbps | St. John's |
| Upload | 26.2 Mbps | 56.6 Mbps | Umeå |

## Visa

| Metric | St. John's | Umeå | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | 180 days | 90 days | St. John's |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | unlimited | Umeå |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | 90 days | Umeå |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | St. John's | Umeå | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 22 | 4 | St. John's |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 4 | Umeå |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 | Umeå |

## Climate and air

| Metric | St. John's | Umeå | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 0 | 1 | Umeå |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 8 µg/m³ | 4.5 µg/m³ | Umeå |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, St. John's or Umeå?

St. John's is cheaper: about $2,850 per month versus $3,050 for one person.

### Is St. John's or Umeå safer?

Umeå scores higher on safety (83 vs 76), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, St. John's or Umeå?

St. John's: a measured median of 88.9 Mbps versus 86.1 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [St. John's](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/st-johns) · [Umeå](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/umea). 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); 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.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/st-johns-vs-umea