---
title: "Living in Matera as a digital nomad: cost, safety, visa, internet"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/matera
description: "Cave-house city of the Sassi, striking and hard to reach"
dataset: 2026.10.7 (2026-10-13)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Matera, Italy

Matera scores 68.9/100 for digital nomads under balanced weights, ranking 175 of 1000 cities. Expect about $2,300 per month (country-level estimate), a nomad visa (Digital nomad and remote worker visa), and a measured median download speed of 44.4 Mbps.

Matera's Sassi are two districts of cave dwellings carved into a ravine, abandoned in the 1950s and restored as hotels, homes and restaurants around the 2019 European Capital of Culture year. It is atmospheric and affordable for Italy, but has no mainline railway: Bari and its airport are 65 km away by narrow-gauge train or bus, summers are hot and the Sassi are steep.

Known for: Sassi cave dwellings (UNESCO), European Capital of Culture 2019, Film location for Bond and Passion, Bari airport 65 km.

## Scores (balanced weights, 0–100)

| Factor | Score |
| --- | --- |
| Overall | 68.9 |
| Cost of living | 28 |
| Safety | 81 |
| Healthcare | 86 |
| Internet | 72 |
| Visa ease | 81 |
| Getting there & around | 61 |
| Climate | 50 |
| Air quality | 82 |
| Quality of life | 80 |

## The numbers behind the scores

| Metric | Value | Level | As of | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $2,300 | country | 2026-09 | [^2] |
| Central 1-bedroom rent | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Outskirts 1-bedroom rent (basis of the monthly total) | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Homicide rate (per 100k) | 0.57 | country | 2024 | [^4] |
| Political stability (0–100) | 73.6 | country | 2025 | [^5] |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 82 | country | 2023 | [^6] |
| Life expectancy (years) | 82.2 | country | 2021 | [^7] |
| Median download (Mbps) | 44.4 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Median upload (Mbps) | 15.8 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Starlink residential service | Available | country | 2026-10 | [^9] |
| Nomad visa | Digital nomad and remote worker visa (min $2,385/mo) | country | 2026-10-04 | [^10] |
| Visa guide | [Italy long-stay visa guide](https://nostos.navoy.io/visas/italy) | country | 2026-10-04 | [^10] |
| Entry for US / EU / UK passports | 90 days / unlimited / 90 days | country | 2026-02 | [^11] |
| Non-stop destinations (BRI) | 105 | city | 2026-09 | [^12] |
| Restaurants within 3 km of the centre (OpenStreetMap) | 126 | city | 2026-10 | [^16] |
| Walkability / transit (1–5) | 4 / 1 | editorial | 2026-09 | [^13] |
| Comfortable months | 6 of 12 | city | 2001–2020 | [^14] |
| Annual mean PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 13.3 | city | 2023 | [^15] |
| Human Development Index | 0.915 | country | 2023 | [^17] |
| English proficiency band | moderate | country | 2024 | [^18] |

## Climate (2001–2020 normals)

| Month | Mean °C | Rain mm | Humidity % | Comfortable |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jan | 8.7 | 67 | 81 | no |
| Feb | 9 | 54 | 80 | no |
| Mar | 11.2 | 64 | 78 | no |
| Apr | 14 | 50 | 76 | no |
| May | 18.4 | 39 | 70 | yes |
| Jun | 23.5 | 33 | 61 | yes |
| Jul | 26.7 | 34 | 54 | yes |
| Aug | 26.9 | 32 | 56 | yes |
| Sep | 22.5 | 60 | 65 | yes |
| Oct | 18.3 | 79 | 74 | yes |
| Nov | 14 | 86 | 81 | no |
| Dec | 10 | 72 | 81 | no |

## Airports and nonstop flights

| Airport | IATA | Nonstop destinations | International | From US airports |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport | BRI | 105 | 88 | 1 |

Unique destinations across all airports: 105, of which 88 international (Wikipedia, 2026-09).

## Similar cities

- [Catania](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/catania) (68.8) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/catania-vs-matera)
- [Pisa](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/pisa) (69.6) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/matera-vs-pisa)
- [Palermo](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/palermo) (69.4) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/matera-vs-palermo)
- [Bari](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/bari) (70) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/bari-vs-matera)
- [Trieste](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/trieste) (67.8) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/matera-vs-trieste)

## FAQ

### How much does it cost to live in Matera as a digital nomad?

A single person typically spends about $2,300 per month in Matera (a country-level estimate for Italy). That is a 28/100 cost score, where 100 is the cheapest city in the dataset.

### Is Matera safe for digital nomads?

Matera scores 81/100 on safety. Italy records 0.57 homicides per 100,000 people per year (WHO, 2024) and a political-stability score of 73.6/100 (World Bank WGI). Both figures are national, so neighbourhood-level risk can differ.

### Does Italy have a digital nomad visa?

Yes. Italy offers the Digital nomad and remote worker visa with a minimum income of about $2,385 per month, and it can lead to permanent residence. Verify current rules with the issuing authority before applying. Full guide: https://nostos.navoy.io/visas/italy

### How fast is the internet in Matera?

Measured median download speed in Matera was 44.4 Mbps (upload 15.8 Mbps) across 1,332 M-Lab tests in 2024. Measured speeds run below advertised plan speeds everywhere, so compare cities rather than reading the number as a plan.

### Is Starlink available in Matera?

Yes. Starlink's availability map lists residential service as available in Italy (checked 2026-10), so a dish can serve as a backup line in Matera. Check the exact address on starlink.com before ordering, since capacity varies by area.

### Which airports serve Matera and how many nonstop flights are there?

Matera is served by Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport (BRI) with 105 nonstop destinations, of which 88 are international. 1 US airports have a nonstop link. Source: Wikipedia, 2026-09.

### When is the best time of year to be in Matera?

The most comfortable months are May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct. Mean temperatures range from 48°F (9°C) in Jan to 80°F (27°C) in Aug (NASA POWER 2001–2020 climatology).

### Matera or Catania: which is better for digital nomads?

Catania is the city with the closest factor profile to Matera in this dataset. Which one wins depends on your weights; the comparison page puts every factor side by side with the numbers behind them.

## Plan a trip

[Where to stay in Matera](https://navoy.io/hotels/italy/matera) on Navoy, the AI travel planner behind Nostos.

## Sources

[^1]: City population (latest census or official estimate), Wikipedia (citing national statistics offices). CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^2]: 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level), WhereNext. CC BY 4.0. https://getwherenext.com/data/cost-of-living-2026 (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^3]: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows), WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. https://github.com/0brien18/global-emigration-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^4]: Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, dataUNODC. UNODC data, free to reuse with attribution. https://data.unodc.org/datareport/hom-victim (retrieved 2026-10-12)
[^5]: Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100), World Bank. CC BY 4.0. https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^6]: UHC service coverage index, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/uhc-index-of-service-coverage (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^7]: Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/life-expectancy-at-birth-(years) (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^8]: M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024), Measurement Lab. CC0 1.0. https://statistics.measurementlab.net/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^9]: Starlink availability map, SpaceX (Starlink). Factual status cited from starlink.com. https://www.starlink.com/map (retrieved 2026-10-07)
[^10]: Nostos long-stay visa guides, Navoy. CC BY 4.0. https://nostos.navoy.io/visas (retrieved 2026-10-04)
[^11]: Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations), Ilya Ilyankou (compiled from passportindex.org). MIT. https://github.com/ilyankou/passport-index-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^12]: Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables), Wikipedia contributors; countries via Wikidata. CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-24)
[^13]: Walkability and transit ratings (editorial), Navoy. CC BY 4.0. https://nostos.navoy.io/methodology (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^14]: NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means), NASA Langley Research Center. Public domain (US Government). https://power.larc.nasa.gov/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^15]: SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04), Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis. CC BY 4.0. https://sites.wustl.edu/acag/surface-pm2-5/ (retrieved 2026-10-07)
[^16]: OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API), OpenStreetMap contributors. ODbL 1.0. https://overpass-api.de/ (retrieved 2026-10-02)
[^17]: Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023), United Nations Development Programme. CC BY 3.0 IGO. https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/documentation-and-downloads (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^18]: EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band), EF Education First. Proprietary; band cited as a fact with attribution. https://www.ef.com/epi/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/matera