Living in Asmara, Eritrea

Asmara is a mid-sized city in Maekel, Eritrea (250,000 to 1 million people in the city proper). It has a mild climate, averaging 17°C over the year with about 436 mm of rain. For foreigners, long-term residency in Eritrea is hard to obtain.

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Climate: 17°C; 436 mm rain a year
Size: Mid-sized; 250,000 to 1 million people
Safety: 51/100; country-level
Residency: Hard to obtain; for most foreigners

Limited data for Eritrea. Figures for safety, healthcare and political stability in Eritrea are country-level estimates from World Bank indicators, each named with its year. We have no tax, cost of living, English, social openness or internet speed figures for Eritrea, so the quiz scores those factors conservatively and this page leaves them out.

What stands out about Asmara

Long-term residency is hard to obtain

Healthcare

Eritrea scores 44 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 2% of the cities we compare.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Eritrea: life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024) and current health spending per person in US dollars (SH.XPD.CHEX.PC.CD, 2023), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Residency and visas

Hard to obtain. The only realistic long-term route is employer-sponsored employment via a permit from the Ministry of Labour and Human Welfare; there is no investor, retirement, or passive-income pathway and no residency-by-investment scheme.

For short visits, 2 of 198 passports can enter visa-free, 2 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival and 194 need a visa in advance.

Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).

Safety and stability

Eritrea scores 51 out of 100 on safety, safer than 14% of the cities we compare. Its estimated democracy score is 1.9 out of 10.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Eritrea: Worldwide Governance Indicators Political Stability and Absence of Violence estimate (GOV_WGI_PV.EST, 2025) and life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables (higher is safer). Stability: Worldwide Governance Indicators Voice and Accountability estimate (GOV_WGI_VA.EST, 2025), calibrated to the EIU Democracy Index scale. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Climate

Asmara averages 17°C across the year with about 436 mm of rain, which makes it mild and dry. It is warmer than 38% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits near the coast.

Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.

Questions couples ask about Asmara

Is Asmara a good place to live for couples?

It depends on what the two of you weigh most. It is weaker on safety, healthcare and political stability. Our figures for Eritrea are partial: no tax, cost of living, English, social openness or internet speed data, and country-level World Bank estimates for the rest. Expect a mild, dry climate (17°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Asmara and 914 other cities for both of you at once.

Can foreigners live in Eritrea long term?

Our assessment: hard to obtain. The only realistic long-term route is employer-sponsored employment via a permit from the Ministry of Labour and Human Welfare; there is no investor, retirement, or passive-income pathway and no residency-by-investment scheme.

What is the weather like in Asmara?

Asmara averages 17°C across the year with about 436 mm of rain, which makes it mild and dry. It is warmer than 38% of the cities we track.