NavoyNostos

Boquete vs Santa Teresa

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Boquete edges it, 56 to 56, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Boquete is stronger on air quality; Santa Teresa on visa ease. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 5.3 of 56 points (scores 48/100)Safety: 5.4 of 56 points (scores 48/100)Healthcare: 8.7 of 56 points (scores 78/100)Internet: 7.8 of 56 points (scores 70/100)Visa ease: 8.8 of 56 points (scores 79/100)Getting there & around: 1.9 of 56 points (scores 17/100)Climate: 2.8 of 56 points (scores 25/100)Air quality: 9.1 of 56 points (scores 82/100)Quality of life: 6.8 of 56 points (scores 61/100)56
Boquete
out of 100

Cool coffee-highland town with a big expat community

Full Boquete profile →Where to stay in Boquete →
Cost of living: 4.4 of 56 points (scores 39/100)Safety: 6.4 of 56 points (scores 57/100)Healthcare: 9.1 of 56 points (scores 82/100)Internet: 7.5 of 56 points (scores 67/100)Visa ease: 10.2 of 56 points (scores 92/100)Getting there & around: 1.3 of 56 points (scores 12/100)Climate: 1.9 of 56 points (scores 17/100)Air quality: 7.8 of 56 points (scores 70/100)Quality of life: 7.5 of 56 points (scores 68/100)56
Santa Teresa
out of 100

Surf beach with villas, yoga and a long dirt road

Full Santa Teresa profile →Where to stay in Santa Teresa →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricBoqueteSanta Teresa
Cost of living48 ✓39
Safety4857 ✓
Healthcare7882 ✓
Internet70 ✓67
Visa ease7992 ✓
Getting there & around17 ✓12
Climate25 ✓17
Air quality82 ✓70
Quality of life6168 ✓

Cost

MetricBoqueteSanta Teresa
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,376 ✓$1,700
Central one-bedroom rent$796no data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricBoqueteSanta Teresa
Homicides per 100k12.78 ✓17.12
Political stability (0–100)69.987 ✓
UHC service coverage (0–100)8284 ✓
Life expectancy77.2 yrs78.6 yrs ✓

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricBoqueteSanta Teresa
Download42.3 Mbps ✓34.4 Mbps
Upload9.9 Mbps11 Mbps ✓

Visa

MetricBoqueteSanta Teresa
Nomad visaShort-stay visa for remote workersRemote worker and service provider stay (digital nomad permit)
Minimum income for the visa$3,000/mo$3,000/mo
Entry, US passport180 days180 days
Entry, EU passport90 days180 days ✓
Entry, UK passport90 days180 days ✓

Getting there and around

MetricBoqueteSanta Teresa
Non-stop airport destinations22
Walkability (1–5, editorial)3 ✓2
Transit (1–5, editorial)11

Climate and air

MetricBoqueteSanta Teresa
Comfortable months per year3 ✓2
Annual mean PM2.513.3 µg/m³ ✓18.3 µg/m³

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Boquete or Santa Teresa?
Boquete is cheaper: about $1,376 per month versus $1,700 for one person.
Is Boquete or Santa Teresa safer?
Santa Teresa scores higher on safety (57 vs 48), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Boquete or Santa Teresa?
Boquete: a measured median of 42.3 Mbps versus 34.4 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.