NavoyNostos

Cabo San Lucas vs Tulum

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Cabo San Lucas edges it, 64 to 63, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Cabo San Lucas is stronger on internet; Tulum on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

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 →
Cost of living: 5.0 of 63 points (scores 45/100)Safety: 3.2 of 63 points (scores 28/100)Healthcare: 7.4 of 63 points (scores 67/100)Internet: 6.4 of 63 points (scores 58/100)Visa ease: 10.0 of 63 points (scores 90/100)Getting there & around: 6.5 of 63 points (scores 59/100)Climate: 8.3 of 63 points (scores 75/100)Air quality: 10.4 of 63 points (scores 93/100)Quality of life: 6.0 of 63 points (scores 54/100)63
Tulum
out of 100

Caribbean beach and jungle, at a premium

Full Tulum profile →Plan a trip to Tulum →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricCabo San LucasTulum
Cost of living47 ✓45
Safety2828
Healthcare6767
Internet70 ✓58
Visa ease9090
Getting there & around4959 ✓
Climate83 ✓75
Air quality9093 ✓
Quality of life5454

Cost

MetricCabo San LucasTulum
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,400 ✓$1,467
Central one-bedroom rentno data$836

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricCabo San LucasTulum
Homicides per 100k25.6425.64
Political stability (0–100)5555
UHC service coverage (0–100)7979
Life expectancy70.8 yrs70.8 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricCabo San LucasTulum
Download38.3 Mbps ✓19.3 Mbps
Upload15.1 Mbps ✓8.8 Mbps

Visa

MetricCabo San LucasTulum
Nomad visanone listednone listed
Minimum income for the visano datano data
Entry, US passport180 days180 days
Entry, EU passport180 days180 days
Entry, UK passport180 days180 days

Getting there and around

MetricCabo San LucasTulum
Non-stop airport destinations53134 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)33
Transit (1–5, editorial)11

Climate and air

MetricCabo San LucasTulum
Comfortable months per year10 ✓9
Annual mean PM2.59.6 µg/m³8 µg/m³ ✓

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Cabo San Lucas or Tulum?
Cabo San Lucas is cheaper: about $1,400 per month versus $1,467 for one person.
Is Cabo San Lucas or Tulum safer?
Cabo San Lucas scores higher on safety (28 vs 28), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Cabo San Lucas or Tulum?
Cabo San Lucas: a measured median of 38.3 Mbps versus 19.3 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); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); 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.