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Búzios vs Cabo San Lucas

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Cabo San Lucas edges it, 64 to 64, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Búzios is stronger on nothing outright; Cabo San Lucas on visa ease. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 5.5 of 64 points (scores 50/100)Safety: 3.9 of 64 points (scores 35/100)Healthcare: 8.0 of 64 points (scores 72/100)Internet: 7.9 of 64 points (scores 71/100)Visa ease: 8.6 of 64 points (scores 77/100)Getting there & around: 5.6 of 64 points (scores 51/100)Climate: 8.3 of 64 points (scores 75/100)Air quality: 9.9 of 64 points (scores 89/100)Quality of life: 6.0 of 64 points (scores 54/100)64
Búzios
out of 100

Chic peninsula resort of 20-plus beaches, 170 km east of Rio

Full Búzios profile →Where to stay in Búzios →
Cost of living: 5.2 of 64 points (scores 47/100)Safety: 3.2 of 64 points (scores 28/100)Healthcare: 7.4 of 64 points (scores 67/100)Internet: 7.8 of 64 points (scores 70/100)Visa ease: 10.0 of 64 points (scores 90/100)Getting there & around: 5.5 of 64 points (scores 49/100)Climate: 9.3 of 64 points (scores 83/100)Air quality: 10.0 of 64 points (scores 90/100)Quality of life: 6.0 of 64 points (scores 54/100)64
Cabo San Lucas
out of 100

Baja's resort tip: marina, El Arco and sportfishing, at resort prices

Full Cabo San Lucas profile →Where to stay in Cabo San Lucas →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricBúziosCabo San Lucas
Cost of living50 ✓47
Safety35 ✓28
Healthcare72 ✓67
Internet71 ✓70
Visa ease7790 ✓
Getting there & around51 ✓49
Climate7583 ✓
Air quality8990 ✓
Quality of life5454 ✓

Cost

MetricBúziosCabo San Lucas
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,300 ✓$1,400
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricBúziosCabo San Lucas
Homicides per 100k18.69 ✓25.64
Political stability (0–100)58.9 ✓55
UHC service coverage (0–100)84 ✓79
Life expectancy72.4 yrs ✓70.8 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricBúziosCabo San Lucas
Download34.1 Mbps38.3 Mbps ✓
Upload34 Mbps ✓15.1 Mbps

Visa

MetricBúziosCabo San Lucas
Nomad visaDigital nomad temporary visa (VITEM XIV) ✓none listed
Minimum income for the visa$1,500/mono data
Entry, US passport90 days180 days ✓
Entry, EU passport90 days180 days ✓
Entry, UK passport90 days180 days ✓

Getting there and around

MetricBúziosCabo San Lucas
Non-stop airport destinations59 ✓53
Walkability (1–5, editorial)33
Transit (1–5, editorial)11

Climate and air

MetricBúziosCabo San Lucas
Comfortable months per year910 ✓
Annual mean PM2.510 µg/m³9.6 µg/m³ ✓

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Búzios or Cabo San Lucas?
Búzios is cheaper: about $1,300 per month versus $1,400 for one person.
Is Búzios or Cabo San Lucas safer?
Búzios scores higher on safety (35 vs 28), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Búzios or Cabo San Lucas?
Cabo San Lucas: a measured median of 38.3 Mbps versus 34.1 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.