---
title: "Sydney vs Townsville for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/sydney-vs-townsville
description: "Under balanced weights Sydney edges it, 69 to 66, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Sydney is stronger on getting there & around; Townsville 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
---

# Sydney vs Townsville for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Sydney edges it, 69 to 66, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Sydney is stronger on getting there & around; Townsville on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Getting there & around.** Sydney leads on getting there & around, 40 to 17, against Townsville. Non-stop airport destinations: 104 vs 14.

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

**Pick Sydney if you want** more flights and easier getting around.

**Pick Townsville if you want** to spend about $188 less a month.

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

| Metric | Sydney | Townsville | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 13 | 15 | Townsville |
| Safety | 82 | 82 | tie |
| Healthcare | 92 | 92 | tie |
| Internet | 71 | 68 | Sydney |
| Visa ease | 42 | 42 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 40 | 17 | Sydney |
| Climate | 83 | 83 | tie |
| Air quality | 96 | 99 | Townsville |
| Quality of life | 98 | 98 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Sydney | Townsville | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $3,538 | $3,350 | Townsville |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $2,335 | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Sydney | Townsville | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 0.94 | 0.94 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 79.3 | 79.3 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 89 | 89 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 83 yrs | 83 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Sydney | Townsville | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 44.2 Mbps | 38.7 Mbps | Sydney |
| Upload | 10.1 Mbps | 9.1 Mbps | Sydney |

## Visa

| Metric | Sydney | Townsville | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Sydney | Townsville | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 104 | 14 | Sydney |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 2 | Sydney |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Sydney | Townsville | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 10 | 10 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 6.7 µg/m³ | 5.6 µg/m³ | Townsville |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Sydney or Townsville?

Townsville is cheaper: about $3,350 per month versus $3,538 for one person.

### Is Sydney or Townsville safer?

Sydney and Townsville score the same on safety (82), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Sydney or Townsville?

Sydney: a measured median of 44.2 Mbps versus 38.7 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Sydney](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/sydney) · [Townsville](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/townsville). 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); 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/sydney-vs-townsville