Syracuse (New York) vs Wilmington (North Carolina)
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 61. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Snowy upstate university city at the edge of the Finger Lakes
Full Syracuse (New York) profile →Plan a trip to Syracuse (New York) →Cape Fear river port with a historic downtown and beaches 20 minutes away
Full Wilmington (North Carolina) profile →Plan a trip to Wilmington (North Carolina) →Where they differ
- Internet. Wilmington (North Carolina) leads on internet, 87 to 79, against Syracuse (New York). Measured download: 73.9 Mbps vs 125.1 Mbps.
- Getting there & around. Syracuse (New York) leads on getting there & around, 19 to 14, against Wilmington (North Carolina). Non-stop airport destinations: 27 vs 25.
Where they are close. Within five points on air quality, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Syracuse (New York) if you want
- to spend about $21 less a month
Pick Wilmington (North Carolina) if you want
- faster internet (125.1 Mbps measured)
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Syracuse (New York) | Wilmington (North Carolina) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 23 ✓ | 22 |
| Safety | 51 | 51 |
| Healthcare | 85 | 85 |
| Internet | 79 | 87 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 19 ✓ | 14 |
| Climate | 33 | 33 |
| Air quality | 100 | 100 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 96 | 96 |
Cost
| Metric | Syracuse (New York) | Wilmington (North Carolina) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one person | $2,872 ✓ | $2,893 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Syracuse (New York) | Wilmington (North Carolina) |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 5.76 | 5.76 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 60.3 | 60.3 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 88 | 88 |
| Life expectancy | 78.5 yrs | 78.5 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Syracuse (New York) | Wilmington (North Carolina) |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 73.9 Mbps | 125.1 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 11.1 Mbps | 11.8 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Syracuse (New York) | Wilmington (North Carolina) |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | home country | home country |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Syracuse (New York) | Wilmington (North Carolina) |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 27 ✓ | 25 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 ✓ | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Syracuse (New York) | Wilmington (North Carolina) |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 4 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 5.2 µg/m³ | 4.8 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Syracuse (New York) or Wilmington (North Carolina)?
- Syracuse (New York) is cheaper: about $2,872 per month versus $2,893 for one person.
- Is Syracuse (New York) or Wilmington (North Carolina) safer?
- Syracuse (New York) and Wilmington (North Carolina) score the same on safety (51), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Syracuse (New York) or Wilmington (North Carolina)?
- Wilmington (North Carolina): a measured median of 125.1 Mbps versus 73.9 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Syracuse (New York) vs Boise
- Syracuse (New York) vs Hartford
- Wilmington (North Carolina) vs South Lake Tahoe
- Wilmington (North Carolina) vs Schenectady
- All 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); Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (all items); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.