---
title: "Living in Santa Teresa as a digital nomad: cost, safety, visa, internet"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/santa-teresa
description: "Surf beach with villas, yoga and a long dirt road"
dataset: 2026.10.7 (2026-10-13)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Santa Teresa, Costa Rica

Santa Teresa scores 56/100 for digital nomads under balanced weights, ranking 742 of 1000 cities. Expect about $1,700 per month (country-level estimate), a nomad visa (Remote worker and service provider stay (digital nomad permit)), and a measured median download speed of 34.4 Mbps.

Santa Teresa is a stretch of surf beach on the Nicoya Peninsula with villas, yoga schools and cafés along one dusty road. It attracts well-paid remote workers and prices reflect that. Getting there takes a ferry and a bumpy drive from the capital.

Known for: Surf at every tide, Yoga retreats, Sunset beaches, Off-grid feel.

## Scores (balanced weights, 0–100)

| Factor | Score |
| --- | --- |
| Overall | 56 |
| Cost of living | 39 |
| Safety | 57 |
| Healthcare | 82 |
| Internet | 67 |
| Visa ease | 92 |
| Getting there & around | 12 |
| Climate | 17 |
| Air quality | 70 |
| Quality of life | 68 |

## The numbers behind the scores

| Metric | Value | Level | As of | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,700 | 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) | 17.12 | country | 2024 | [^4] |
| Political stability (0–100) | 87 | country | 2025 | [^5] |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 84 | country | 2023 | [^6] |
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.6 | country | 2021 | [^7] |
| Median download (Mbps) | 34.4 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Median upload (Mbps) | 11 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Starlink residential service | Available | country | 2026-10 | [^9] |
| Nomad visa | Remote worker and service provider stay (digital nomad permit) (min $3,000/mo) | country | 2026-10-04 | [^10] |
| Visa guide | [Costa Rica long-stay visa guide](https://nostos.navoy.io/visas/costa-rica) | country | 2026-10-04 | [^10] |
| Entry for US / EU / UK passports | 180 days / 180 days / 180 days | country | 2026-02 | [^11] |
| Non-stop destinations (TMU) | 2 | city | 2026-07 | [^12] |
| Restaurants within 3 km of the centre (OpenStreetMap) | 43 | city | 2026-10 | [^16] |
| Walkability / transit (1–5) | 2 / 1 | editorial | 2026-09 | [^13] |
| Comfortable months | 2 of 12 | city | 2001–2020 | [^14] |
| Annual mean PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 18.3 | city | 2023 | [^15] |
| Human Development Index | 0.833 | country | 2023 | [^17] |
| English proficiency band | moderate | country | 2024 | [^18] |

## Climate (2001–2020 normals)

| Month | Mean °C | Rain mm | Humidity % | Comfortable |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jan | 28 | 37 | 72 | yes |
| Feb | 28.5 | 18 | 68 | no |
| Mar | 28.9 | 26 | 68 | no |
| Apr | 28.9 | 99 | 73 | no |
| May | 28.1 | 286 | 80 | no |
| Jun | 27.7 | 283 | 84 | no |
| Jul | 27.7 | 281 | 83 | no |
| Aug | 27.6 | 286 | 83 | no |
| Sep | 27.2 | 333 | 85 | no |
| Oct | 26.9 | 369 | 86 | no |
| Nov | 26.9 | 207 | 84 | no |
| Dec | 27.4 | 83 | 79 | yes |

## Airports and nonstop flights

| Airport | IATA | Nonstop destinations | International | From US airports |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Tambor Airport | TMU | 2 | 0 | 0 |

Unique destinations across all airports: 2, of which 0 international (Wikipedia, 2026-07).

## Similar cities

- [Boquete](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/boquete) (56.4) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/boquete-vs-santa-teresa)
- [Nosara](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/nosara) (58.3) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/nosara-vs-santa-teresa)
- [David (Panama)](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/david-panama) (57.5) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/david-panama-vs-santa-teresa)
- [Tamarindo](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/tamarindo) (59.5) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/santa-teresa-vs-tamarindo)
- [Uvita](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/uvita) (61.3) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/santa-teresa-vs-uvita)

## FAQ

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

A single person typically spends about $1,700 per month in Santa Teresa (a country-level estimate for Costa Rica). That is a 39/100 cost score, where 100 is the cheapest city in the dataset.

### Is Santa Teresa safe for digital nomads?

Santa Teresa scores 57/100 on safety. Costa Rica records 17.12 homicides per 100,000 people per year (WHO, 2024) and a political-stability score of 87/100 (World Bank WGI). Both figures are national, so neighbourhood-level risk can differ.

### Does Costa Rica have a digital nomad visa?

Yes. Costa Rica offers the Remote worker and service provider stay (digital nomad permit) with a minimum income of about $3,000 per month. Verify current rules with the issuing authority before applying. Full guide: https://nostos.navoy.io/visas/costa-rica

### How fast is the internet in Santa Teresa?

Measured median download speed in Santa Teresa was 34.4 Mbps (upload 11 Mbps) across 32,441 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 Santa Teresa?

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

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

Santa Teresa is served by Tambor Airport (TMU) with 2 nonstop destinations, of which 0 are international. 0 US airports have a nonstop link. Source: Wikipedia, 2026-07.

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

The most comfortable months are Jan, Dec. Mean temperatures range from 80°F (27°C) in Oct to 84°F (29°C) in Mar (NASA POWER 2001–2020 climatology).

### Santa Teresa or Boquete: which is better for digital nomads?

Boquete is the city with the closest factor profile to Santa Teresa 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 Santa Teresa](https://navoy.io/hotels/costa-rica/santa-teresa) 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/santa-teresa