---
title: "Living in Tulum as a digital nomad: cost, safety, visa, internet"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/tulum
description: "Caribbean beach and jungle, at a premium"
dataset: 2026.09.4 (2026-09-26)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Tulum, Mexico

Tulum scores 58.8/100 for digital nomads under balanced weights, ranking 187 of 309 cities. Expect about $1,458 per month, no dedicated nomad visa, and a measured median download speed of 19.3 Mbps.

Tulum has become a nomad-and-wellness hotspot with a new airport, but it is pricey, spread out and dependent on scooters.

Known for: Beaches and cenotes, Wellness scene, New airport, Expensive and remote.

## Scores (balanced weights, 0–100)

| Factor | Score |
| --- | --- |
| Overall | 58.8 |
| Cost of living | 51 |
| Safety | 23 |
| Healthcare | 65 |
| Internet | 50 |
| Visa ease | 90 |
| Getting there & around | 29 |
| Climate | 75 |
| Air quality | 93 |
| Quality of life | 54 |

## The numbers behind the scores

| Metric | Value | Level | As of | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,458 | city | 2026-09 | [^2] |
| Central 1-bedroom rent | $836 | city | 2026-09 | [^2] |
| Outskirts 1-bedroom rent (basis of the monthly total) | $807 | city | 2026-09 | [^2] |
| Homicide rate (per 100k) | 28.2 | country | 2021 | [^4] |
| Political stability (0–100) | 53.7 | country | 2024 | [^5] |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 79 | country | 2023 | [^6] |
| Life expectancy (years) | 70.8 | country | 2021 | [^7] |
| Median download (Mbps) | 19.3 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Median upload (Mbps) | 8.8 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Nomad visa | none listed | country | 2026-07 | [^9] |
| Visa-free days US / EU / UK | 180 days / 180 days / 180 days | editorial | 2026-02 | [^10] |
| Non-stop destinations (CUN) | 134 | city | 2026-09 | [^11] |
| Walkability / transit (1–5) | 3 / 1 | editorial | 2026-09 | [^12] |
| Comfortable months | 9 of 12 | city | 2001–2020 | [^13] |
| Annual mean PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 8.1 | city | 2023 | [^14] |
| Human Development Index | 0.789 | country | 2023 | [^15] |
| English proficiency band | low | country | 2024 | [^16] |

## Climate (2001–2020 normals)

| Month | Mean °C | Rain mm | Humidity % | Comfortable |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jan | 24.1 | 50 | 76 | yes |
| Feb | 25 | 41 | 74 | yes |
| Mar | 25.7 | 41 | 71 | yes |
| Apr | 26.9 | 41 | 72 | yes |
| May | 27.8 | 110 | 75 | yes |
| Jun | 27.6 | 181 | 83 | no |
| Jul | 27.8 | 116 | 83 | yes |
| Aug | 28 | 149 | 83 | yes |
| Sep | 27.6 | 185 | 86 | no |
| Oct | 26.6 | 208 | 86 | no |
| Nov | 25.1 | 111 | 83 | yes |
| Dec | 24.6 | 60 | 80 | yes |

## Airports and nonstop flights

| Airport | IATA | Nonstop destinations | International | From US airports |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cancún International Airport | CUN | 134 | 92 | 47 |

Unique destinations across all airports: 134, of which 92 international (Wikipedia, 2026-09).

## Similar cities

- [Puerto Vallarta](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/puerto-vallarta) (57.7) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/puerto-vallarta-vs-tulum)
- [Mazatlán](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/mazatlan) (58.1) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/mazatlan-vs-tulum)
- [San Miguel de Allende](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/san-miguel-de-allende) (56.4) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/san-miguel-de-allende-vs-tulum)
- [La Paz (Baja California Sur)](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/la-paz-mexico) (59.6) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/la-paz-mexico-vs-tulum)
- [Querétaro](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/queretaro) (55.8) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/queretaro-vs-tulum)

## FAQ

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

A single person typically spends about $1,458 per month in Tulum, renting a one-bedroom outside the centre (about $807). A central one-bedroom costs about $836, which brings the total to roughly $1,487. That is a 51/100 cost score, where 100 is the cheapest city in the dataset.

### Is Tulum safe for digital nomads?

Tulum scores 23/100 on safety. Mexico records 28.2 homicides per 100,000 people per year (WHO, 2021) and a political-stability score of 53.7/100 (World Bank WGI). Both figures are national, so neighbourhood-level risk can differ.

### Does Mexico have a digital nomad visa?

No dedicated digital nomad visa was listed for Mexico as of 2026-07. Visitors from the US can stay 180 days visa-free.

### How fast is the internet in Tulum?

Measured median download speed in Tulum was 19.3 Mbps (upload 8.8 Mbps) across 942 M-Lab tests in 2024. Measured speeds run below advertised plan speeds everywhere, so compare cities rather than reading the number as a plan.

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

Tulum is served by Cancún International Airport (CUN) with 134 nonstop destinations, of which 92 are international. 47 US airports have a nonstop link. Source: Wikipedia, 2026-09.

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

The most comfortable months are Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jul, Aug, Nov, Dec. Mean temperatures range from 75°F (24°C) in Jan to 82°F (28°C) in Aug (NASA POWER 2001–2020 climatology).

### Tulum or Puerto Vallarta: which is better for digital nomads?

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

## 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]: WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages), WhereNext. CC BY 4.0. https://getwherenext.com/cities (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^3]: 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level), WhereNext. CC BY 4.0. https://getwherenext.com/data/cost-of-living-2026 (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^4]: Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population, 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/estimates-of-rates-of-homicides-per-100-000-population (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^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]: Digital Nomad Visas 2026, WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. https://github.com/0brien18/global-emigration-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^10]: 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)
[^11]: 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)
[^12]: Walkability and transit ratings (editorial), Navoy. CC BY 4.0. https://nostos.navoy.io/methodology (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^13]: NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means), NASA Langley Research Center. Public domain (US Government). https://power.larc.nasa.gov/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^14]: 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 2026-09-26)
[^15]: 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)
[^16]: 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/tulum