Ubud (Bali) vs Zanzibar City
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Ubud (Bali) edges it, 50 to 32, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Ubud (Bali) is stronger on quality of life, climate, visa ease; Zanzibar City on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Ubud (Bali) | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 65 | no data |
| Safety | 50 ✓ | 45 |
| Healthcare | 53 ✓ | 40 |
| Internet | no data | 6 |
| Visa ease | 22 ✓ | 6 |
| Getting there & around | 14 | 20 ✓ |
| Climate | 67 ✓ | 50 |
| Air quality | 85 ✓ | 71 |
| Quality of life | 45 ✓ | 19 |
Cost
| Metric | Ubud (Bali) | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,042 | no data |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $739 | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Ubud (Bali) | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 4.1 ✓ | 8.3 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 55.5 | 59.2 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 67 ✓ | 49 |
| Life expectancy | 68.3 yrs ✓ | 66.8 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Ubud (Bali) | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Download | no data | 2.6 Mbps |
| Upload | no data | 1.5 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Ubud (Bali) | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Visa Rumah Kedua Pekerja Jarak Jauh ✓ | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | $4,998/mo | no data |
| Visa-free days, US passport | visa or e-visa required | visa or e-visa required |
| Visa-free days, EU passport | visa or e-visa required | visa or e-visa required |
| Visa-free days, UK passport | visa or e-visa required | visa or e-visa required |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Ubud (Bali) | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 65 ✓ | 32 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 4 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Ubud (Bali) | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 8 ✓ | 6 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 11.9 µg/m³ ✓ | 17.9 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Ubud (Bali) or Zanzibar City?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Ubud (Bali) or Zanzibar City safer?
- Ubud (Bali) scores higher on safety (50 vs 45), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Ubud (Bali) or Zanzibar City?
- M-Lab has no reliable measurement for one of the two cities.
More comparisons
- Ubud (Bali) vs Canggu (Bali)
- Ubud (Bali) vs Yogyakarta
- Zanzibar City vs Addis Ababa
- Zanzibar City vs Dar es Salaam
- 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); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; 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); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages). Dataset 2026.09.4. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.