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| ⭐️ Total score | 204 reviews |
| 👍 Quality of life score | |
| 👶 Family score | |
| 💵 Cost | |
| 📡 Internet | |
| 😝 Fun | |
| ⛅️ Temperature (now) | |
| 💦 Humidity (now) | |
| 💨 Air quality (now) | |
| 💨 Air quality (annual) | |
| 👌 Safety | |
| 👮♀️ Lack of crime* | |
| 🤝 Lack of racism* | |
| 🎓 Education level* | |
| 💰 Income level* | |
| 🙊 English speaking* | |
| 🚶 Walkability | |
| ✌️ Peace (no pol. conflict) | |
| 🚦 Traffic safety* | |
| 🏥 Hospitals | |
| 😄 Happiness* | |
| 🍸 Nightlife | |
| 📶 Free WiFi in city | |
| 🖥 Places to work from | |
| ❄️ A/C or heating | |
| 😁 Friendly to foreigners | |
| 🗯 Freedom of speech* | |
| 👩 Female friendly | |
| 🌈 LGBTQ+ friendly | |
| 🎅 Startup Score |
| 🌍 Continent | Asia |
| 🚩 Country | China |
| ⏱ Average trip length | 4 days |
| 📡 Internet speed (avg) | 14 Mbps ⚠️ Internet in Urumqi is fast averaging 112 Mbps but the Great Firewall slows down speeds to foreign websites by 8x to ~14 Mbps. |
| ⛅️ Weather (now) | 🌥 33°C 91°F + 🌵 Too dry (23%) = feels 31°C 88°F |
| 💨 Air quality (now) | 👍 68 US AQI 🍃 OK |
| 💨 Air quality (annual avg) | 👎😷 75 US AQI = 🚬 / day |
| 🔌 Power | 230V50Hz |
| 🚕 Best taxi app* | |
| 🚑 Travel medical insurance |  Safetywing |
| 📱 Best wireless carrier | China Mobile |
| 💸 10 CNY in USD | USD 1.49 |
| 🏧 Suggested ATM take out: | CNY 1,000 = USD 149 |
| 💸 Tipping | No |
| 💳 Cashless | 💵 No, cash only (esp. for foreigners because WeChat is very hard to set up) |
| ☕️ Best coffee place | Starbucks |
| 🚰 Tap water | 🚫 No, not drinkable |
| 👨👩👧👦 Population | 1,800,000 people |
| 👨👩👧👦 GDP per capita* | $8,126 / year |
| 👫 Gender ratio (overall) | 👨 54% 👱♀️ 46% |
| 👫 Gender ratio (young adults) | 👨 56% 👱♀️ 44% |
| ⛪️ Religious government | Non-religious |
| 🏠 Apartment listings | Ganji |
| ✈️ Best short-haul air carrier | Hainan |
| ✈️ Best int'l air carrier | China Southern Airlines |
| 💵 Cost of living for nomad | $1,460 / month |
| 💵 Cost of living for expat | $941 / month |
| 💵 Cost of living for family | $2,151 / month |
| 💵 Cost of living for local | $615 / month |
| 🏠 1br studio rent in center | $314 / month |
| 🏢 Coworking | $75 / month |
| 🏨 Hotel (median price) | $996 / month |
| 🏨 Hotel (median price) | $47 / night |
| 🏡 Airbnb (median from 28 listings) | $1,418 / month |
| 🏠 Airbnb (median price) | $47 / night |
| 🍛 Dinner | $3 |
| 🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L) | $0 |
| 🍺 Beer (0.5L) | $5 |
| ☕️ Coffee | $3 |
✅ Affordable to live
✅ Very safe
✅ Fast internet
✅ Warm now
✅ Good air quality on average
✅ Spacious and not crowded
✅ Easy to do business
✅ Safe for women
❌ No freedom of speech
❌ Not much to do
❌ Gets very cold in the winter
❌ Too hot in the summer
❌ Very dry air now
❌ Difficult to make friends
❌ Quality of education is low
❌ Roads can be dangerous
❌ People don't speak English well
❌ Not family friendly
❌ Hostile towards LGBTQ+
❌ People smoking tobacco a lot
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Feels | 16-9° freezing | 27-3° freezing | 0° freezing | 6116° cool | 7725° warm | 8228° warm | 9032° hot | 8127° warm | 7524° warm | 5412° cool | 0° freezing | 25-4° freezing |
| Real | 17-9° freezing | 27-3° freezing | 352° very cold | 6116° cool | 7826° warm | 8429° very warm | 9133° hot | 8228° very warm | 7524° warm | 5412° cool | 362° very cold | 26-4° freezing |
| Humidity | damp 78% | damp 77% | damp 80% | nice 49% | nice 34% | nice 35% | nice 31% | nice 35% | nice 32% | nice 50% | nice 66% | damp 79% |
| Rain | dry 15mm | dry 22mm | dry 35mm | dry 14mm | dry 44mm | dry 25mm | dry 27mm | dry 22mm | dry 22mm | dry 31mm | dry 25mm | dry 9mm |
| Cloud | cloudy 50% | cloudy 69% | cloudy 68% | cloudy 56% | cloudy 56% | cloudy 66% | cloudy 56% | cloudy 51% | pockets 36% | pockets 39% | pockets 17% | pockets 44% |
| Air quality | bad 232 US AQI | bad 198 US AQI | bad 154 US AQI | okay 75 US AQI | okay 81 US AQI | okay 73 US AQI | okay 72 US AQI | okay 71 US AQI | okay 75 US AQI | bad 103 US AQI | bad 146 US AQI | bad 180 US AQI |
| Sun | safe 1 UVI | safe 1 UVI | seek shade 3 UVI | safe 3 UVI | avoid sun 6 UVI | seek shade 4 UVI | avoid sun 7 UVI | avoid sun 6 UVI | seek shade 3 UVI | seek shade 3 UVI | safe 1 UVI | safe 1 UVI |
| Remote workers | 200 people | 200 people | 200 people | 0 people | 0 people | 200 people | 200 people | 200 people | 200 people | 200 people | 0 people | 0 people |
If you'd like to filter destinations based on their climate, try Nomad List's Climate Finder
Based on Urumqi's cost of living, here's selected remote jobs that would cover your costs:
The people are open, warm and enthusiastic with travelers. Service is brilliant (generally) - much better then Europe. WIFI is poor, drivers have one hand holding their mobile and the other on the horn. Really nice "pace" and the diverse ethnicity get along beautifully. This is NOT BORAT land - Almaty is 2.7 million people.
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety ☀️ Feels 32° 90° 32° 90°🥵AQI 16✈️1h$1,207 / mo5MbpsBishkek is very cheap. However, I do not agree with several points mentioned in scoring: 1. Bishkek certainly has more English speakers than, for example, in Budapest 2. The air quality is not great - Bishkek is one of the most polluted cities in the world 3. Internet - depends, you can find internet faster than in the UK Other points - it is difficult finding a job here, I am glad I am working on a project in the UK. The costs of living are very low, average person will earn about $100-200 in t
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 32° 90° 32° 90°🥵AQI 15✈️1h$1,067 / mo3Mbps⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 21° 70° 21° 70°AQI 34✈️2h$1,875 / mo9MbpsNot as bad as it is written here, clearly better than Novosibirsk and Tomsk. Price information is not true.
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 30° 86° 28° 83°AQI 46✈️2h$2,504 / mo11Mbps⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 23° 73° 23° 73°AQI 21✈️2h$2,362 / mo11Mbps⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 20° 68° 20° 67°AQI 38✈️2h$1,289 / mo⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 18° 64° 18° 64°AQI 30✈️2h$1,163 / mo7MbpsInternet connection is stable. Mobile broadband speed in range of 3-7 Mbps from home (10 km from center of Tashkent), fiber-optics connection is also stable - up to 50 Mbps at the daytime (from 12 pm till 12 am) and up to 200 Mbps at night (from 12 am till 12 pm)
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety ☀️ Feels 35° 95° 36° 98°🥵AQI 89😷✈️2h$956 / mo1MbpsBest place for solo travellers. The people here are awesome. Almost no crime against foreigners according to statistics. Give this paradise on earth a try :)
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety ☀️ Feels 31° 88° 30° 85°🥵AQI 51✈️2h$955 / mo6Mbps⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 24° 75° 24° 75°AQI 42✈️2h$924 / mo3Mbps⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 21° 70° 20° 68°AQI 44✈️2h$1,712 / mo⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 14° 57° 15° 59°AQI 30✈️2h$1,776 / mo12Mbps⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌤 Feels 45° 113° 34° 93°🥵AQI 53✈️4h$1,480 / moBishkek is very cheap. However, I do not agree with several points mentioned in scoring: 1. Bishkek certainly has more English speakers than, for example, in Budapest 2. The air quality is not great - Bishkek is one of the most polluted cities in the world 3. Internet - depends, you can find internet faster than in the UK Other points - it is difficult finding a job here, I am glad I am working on a project in the UK. The costs of living are very low, average person will earn about $100-200 in t
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 32° 90° 32° 90°🥵AQI 15✈️1h$1,067 / mo3MbpsThe people are open, warm and enthusiastic with travelers. Service is brilliant (generally) - much better then Europe. WIFI is poor, drivers have one hand holding their mobile and the other on the horn. Really nice "pace" and the diverse ethnicity get along beautifully. This is NOT BORAT land - Almaty is 2.7 million people.
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety ☀️ Feels 32° 90° 32° 90°🥵AQI 16✈️1h$1,207 / mo5Mbps⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 42° 108° 32° 90°🥵AQI 46✈️5h$2,068 / mo1Mbps⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 41° 106° 32° 90°🥵AQI 46✈️4h$1,498 / moDefinitely an underrated place for nomads - Huge city with a small town feel. Lots of different neighborhoods to appeal to different types of people: some commercial, some hipstery, some historical, some modern. Food and rent is cheap (and the food is damn good). People are very friendly as compared to other big Asian cities. You can also get easy work as a tutor and make good extra cash. I survived for five months tutoring and doing other English related work for max 12 hrs a week (leaving me
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 30° 86° 27° 81°AQI 70✈️3h$2,581 / mo1MbpsI lived and worked (at a law firm) in Chengdu for about 3 months. I absolutely loved the city! It's so different from east coast China, especially given the Tibetan influences in many areas. I had a company arrange my apartment and registrations, but was a seamless process. I am a white, American male who speaks a decent bit of Mandarin, and I found the locals to be incredibly hospitable. China is general is extremely affordable for a Westerner, and Chengdu offers the luxuries of any large, West
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 37° 99° 30° 86°🥵AQI 68✈️3h$1,002 / mo🌇 Also went here6 peopleI lived in Chongqing for about 5 years. I mostly love this place but it's not easy for Westerners unless you can speak some Chinese. But with a smartphone you can translate anything you need to say. Chongqing is beautiful, gritty and romantic. Extremely inexpensive and lots of things to do. Beautiful women. Maybe the most unique city in China. Weather terrible in winter and summer. Winter is foggy, rainy and low light while summers are uncomfortably hot and humid. They don't speak standard Manda
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 32° 90° 27° 81°🥵AQI 39✈️3h$2,087 / mo🌇 Also went here5 peopleDefinitely an underrated place for nomads - Huge city with a small town feel. Lots of different neighborhoods to appeal to different types of people: some commercial, some hipstery, some historical, some modern. Food and rent is cheap (and the food is damn good). People are very friendly as compared to other big Asian cities. You can also get easy work as a tutor and make good extra cash. I survived for five months tutoring and doing other English related work for max 12 hrs a week (leaving me
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 30° 86° 27° 81°AQI 70✈️3h$2,581 / mo🌇 Also went here6 peopleShanghai is a giant city and your experience really depends on a few factors like: 1) where you live in the city 2) do you speak basic Mandarin 3) do you make nice money 4) do you have to use the internet If you can afford to live in Jing'an or the French Concession, you can live a fashionable metropolitan lifestyle like you would in New York City. There's amazing food (Asian, Western and fusion). You'll be surrounded by entrepreneurs, artists, fashion designers and models. Many of whom d
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌤 Feels 41° 106° 33° 92°🥵AQI 61✈️4h$1,859 / mo🌇 Also went here8 peopleI've been living for a year in Itaewon-dong, Seoul back in 2015 when i was 22 years old. It was one of the best year of my life, i made lifelong friends overthere. Great culture, great food, great people. The cons : no beach, ultra-capitalist environment, big city life downside (transportation, prices etc...)
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 25° 77° 25° 77°AQI 30✈️4h$2,164 / mo🌇 Also went here7 peopleHong Kong is a great city with dense urban areas but also nature and hiking routes only 15 minutes away. There are restaurants for every taste and budget, from the best US fast casual chains to high end Michelin star restaurants. It's also extremely safe, despite recent political instability.
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 38° 100° 30° 86°🥵AQI 20✈️5h$2,401 / mo🌇 Also went here9 peopleI cannot help but agree with the review from the person before me. I'm finishing my 3 weeks trip here, and something feels off. Like that person put it rightly, everything is for sale, and nothing has value. There is no soul to this city and its people, locals or otherwise. Something is wrong here.
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 39° 102° 31° 88°🥵AQI 42✈️5h$1,269 / mo🌇 Also went here7 peopleDefinitely check out The Key (on near Zhong Xiao Dun Hua station) if living here for more than a month. Cafe + Gym + Bar all in one, monthly membership about $50 USD. English-friendly, no contracts. Made my 3 month stay here immensely better with fast wifi in the cafe and it's a great feeling to be able to work out immediately after working.
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 43° 109° 32° 89°🥵AQI 50✈️5h$2,091 / mo🌇 Also went here6 peopleLike everywhere, Singapore has pros and cons. // Pros: // Everything works very well, it's clean, you can use the trains and transport system with a bank card, Grab taxis are efficient and safe, the airport is amazing // Everyone speaks English // Population seems well educated and cosmopolitan // There are lots of parks and green spaces. // Cons: // It's very expensive. For what you get it feels overpriced compared to most Western countries for example. // It's hot and very, very humid. Unti
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 39° 102° 31° 87°🥵AQI 42✈️7h$3,696 / mo🌇 Also went here7 peopleI visited Prague on more than one occasion and tried something new each time. I really wanted to enjoy it, but unfortunately it turned out to be one of my least favourite cities. Perhaps it was just me, but there was an overwhelming sense of distrust and dislike towards foreigners, you have to try pretty hard to blend in if you want to experience the life of a local & avoid the tourism. I met some wonderful people and and there’s some cool communities to be part of, but another extended stay
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 33° 91° 30° 86°🥵AQI 59✈️7h$2,731 / mo🌇 Also went here6 peopleI've lived in Munich for six months during my Erasmus internship. It is a great place to live generally, offering high quality of life, and it would hands down be the best city to live in Germany if: -It wasn't expensive af, especially rent prices -It wasn't almost impossible to find a place to rent (like literally the only way to find is through acquaintances) -Bavaria was less bureaucratic and more tech-progressive -It had more... young people; much of the youth there is because of the two of
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 28° 82° 26° 79°AQI 30✈️8h$4,277 / mo🌇 Also went here7 peopleA top city. Everything works, beautiful greenery (hehe), cycling everywhere, happy people, great nightlife... Lots to love about. For nomads? Not a chance. Price of housing is outrageous, and the city is expensive af. They charge you 4.5-5 eur for a capuccino, completely shameless. An hour of public transport is 3 euros. I could go on and on. I'd love to live there, but it's not worth it.
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 19° 66° 18° 65°AQI 43✈️8h$5,937 / mo🌇 Also went here6 peopleI've lived in New York City - Brooklyn - for over 20 years. For visiting tourists, the best neighborhood to stay in is NOT Bushwick. Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Ft. Green or Brooklyn Heights is preferable. Plenty of good transportation in those areas - subway, buses or Uber. Easy access to beaches in Long Island and New Jersey. There's plenty to do in NYC. Great restaurants, Broadway plays (!), and in the summer you frequently can catch a free concert.
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety ☀️ Feels 30° 86° 28° 83°AQI 10✈️14h$5,660 / mo🌇 Also went here8 peopleHow did SF get scored #98 on Nomad score? I agree with most of the reviews posted here. I generally work from home, but we recently rented a small conference room for a meeting. It was $250 per hour.. (yes Per Hour... no typos here).
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 16° 61° 16° 61°AQI 23✈️14h$7,075 / mo🌇 Also went here6 peopleI spent 4 months working here during summertime. It's one of the best summers I have ever had in my life. The city is just amazing and offers dozens of outdoor activities. There are so many different places such as parks, lakes, hills, mountains, beaches, etc. Also, you can feel the Californication vibe on every step. I lived in Hollywood and I would avoid this place at any cost. It's just too overrated and won't meet your expectations. Hollywood (esp. West Hollywood) is a big pile of dirtiness
⭐️ All 💵 Cost 📡 😀 Fun 👮 Safety ☀️ Feels 31° 88° 29° 84°AQI 54✈️15h$4,849 / mo🌇 Also went here7 peopleNo members are here right now. If you are, add it as a trip and you'll show up here!
