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Baños vs Oaxaca City

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Oaxaca City edges it, 56 to 54, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Baños is stronger on internet; Oaxaca City on climate, visa ease. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 5.4 of 54 points (scores 48/100)Safety: 2.5 of 54 points (scores 23/100)Healthcare: 7.9 of 54 points (scores 71/100)Internet: 7.3 of 54 points (scores 66/100)Visa ease: 8.6 of 54 points (scores 78/100)Getting there & around: 5.7 of 54 points (scores 52/100)Climate: 2.8 of 54 points (scores 25/100)Air quality: 7.8 of 54 points (scores 70/100)Quality of life: 5.8 of 54 points (scores 52/100)54
Baños
out of 100

Adventure town under a volcano, with hot springs and waterfalls

Full Baños profile →Hotels in Ecuador →
Cost of living: 5.2 of 56 points (scores 47/100)Safety: 3.2 of 56 points (scores 28/100)Healthcare: 7.4 of 56 points (scores 67/100)Internet: 6.1 of 56 points (scores 55/100)Visa ease: 10.0 of 56 points (scores 90/100)Getting there & around: 5.1 of 56 points (scores 46/100)Climate: 4.6 of 56 points (scores 42/100)Air quality: 8.3 of 56 points (scores 75/100)Quality of life: 6.0 of 56 points (scores 54/100)56
Oaxaca City
out of 100

Food, mezcal and colonial calm

Full Oaxaca City profile →Where to stay in Oaxaca City →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricBañosOaxaca City
Cost of living48 ✓47
Safety2328 ✓
Healthcare71 ✓67
Internet66 ✓55
Visa ease7890 ✓
Getting there & around52 ✓46
Climate2542 ✓
Air quality7075 ✓
Quality of life5254 ✓

Cost

MetricBañosOaxaca City
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,350 ✓$1,400
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricBañosOaxaca City
Homicides per 100k38.9425.64 ✓
Political stability (0–100)54.455 ✓
UHC service coverage (0–100)7879 ✓
Life expectancy74 yrs ✓70.8 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricBañosOaxaca City
Download26.2 Mbps ✓18.8 Mbps
Upload23.4 Mbps ✓5 Mbps

Visa

MetricBañosOaxaca City
Nomad visaDigital nomad temporary residence visa (rentista for remote work) ✓none listed
Minimum income for the visa$1,446/mono data
Entry, US passport90 days180 days ✓
Entry, EU passport90 days180 days ✓
Entry, UK passport90 days180 days ✓

Getting there and around

MetricBañosOaxaca City
Non-stop airport destinations24 ✓14
Walkability (1–5, editorial)44
Transit (1–5, editorial)22

Climate and air

MetricBañosOaxaca City
Comfortable months per year35 ✓
Annual mean PM2.518.3 µg/m³16.2 µg/m³ ✓

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Baños or Oaxaca City?
Baños is cheaper: about $1,350 per month versus $1,400 for one person.
Is Baños or Oaxaca City safer?
Oaxaca City scores higher on safety (28 vs 23), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Baños or Oaxaca City?
Baños: a measured median of 26.2 Mbps versus 18.8 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

More comparisons

Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.