Surat vs Vadodara
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 49. Surat is stronger on nothing outright; Vadodara on air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Diamond and textile boomtown on the Tapi, almost unvisited by foreigners
Full Surat profile →Plan a trip to Surat →Gujarat's cultural capital, home to the vast Laxmi Vilas Palace
Full Vadodara profile →Plan a trip to Vadodara →Where they differ
- Air quality. Vadodara leads on air quality, 44 to 33, against Surat. PM2.5: 35 µg/m³ vs 30 µg/m³.
- Getting there & around. Surat leads on getting there & around, 17 to 11, against Vadodara. Non-stop airport destinations: 12 vs 8.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Surat if you want
- no clear edge over Vadodara in the data
Pick Vadodara if you want
- cleaner air
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Surat | Vadodara |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 88 | 88 |
| Safety | 55 | 55 |
| Healthcare | 63 | 63 |
| Internet | 65 ✓ | 64 |
| Visa ease | 32 | 32 |
| Getting there & around | 17 ✓ | 11 |
| Climate | 42 | 42 |
| Air quality | 33 | 44 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 43 | 43 |
Cost
| Metric | Surat | Vadodara |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Surat | Vadodara |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Surat | Vadodara |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 30.6 Mbps ✓ | 29 Mbps |
| Upload | 9.7 Mbps | 10.3 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Surat | Vadodara |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Surat | Vadodara |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 12 ✓ | 8 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 ✓ | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Surat | Vadodara |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 5 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 35 µg/m³ | 30 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Surat or Vadodara?
- Surat and Vadodara cost about the same: roughly $750 per month for one person.
- Is Surat or Vadodara safer?
- Surat and Vadodara score the same on safety (55), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Surat or Vadodara?
- Surat: a measured median of 30.6 Mbps versus 29 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); 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.