NavoyNostos

Cali vs Maceió

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Maceió edges it, 63 to 62, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Cali is stronger on nothing outright; Maceió on safety. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 6.6 of 62 points (scores 59/100)Safety: 2.7 of 62 points (scores 25/100)Healthcare: 8.3 of 62 points (scores 74/100)Internet: 6.9 of 62 points (scores 62/100)Visa ease: 8.6 of 62 points (scores 77/100)Getting there & around: 5.5 of 62 points (scores 49/100)Climate: 9.3 of 62 points (scores 83/100)Air quality: 8.5 of 62 points (scores 77/100)Quality of life: 6.0 of 62 points (scores 54/100)62
Cali
out of 100

Salsa capital with a warm climate

Full Cali profile →Where to stay in Cali →
Cost of living: 5.5 of 63 points (scores 50/100)Safety: 3.9 of 63 points (scores 35/100)Healthcare: 8.0 of 63 points (scores 72/100)Internet: 7.9 of 63 points (scores 71/100)Visa ease: 8.6 of 63 points (scores 77/100)Getting there & around: 5.0 of 63 points (scores 45/100)Climate: 8.3 of 63 points (scores 75/100)Air quality: 9.3 of 63 points (scores 84/100)Quality of life: 6.0 of 63 points (scores 54/100)63
Maceió
out of 100

Brazil's turquoise-water capital, cheap beaches with a crime caveat

Full Maceió profile →Where to stay in Maceió →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricCaliMaceió
Cost of living59 ✓50
Safety2535 ✓
Healthcare74 ✓72
Internet6271 ✓
Visa ease7777 ✓
Getting there & around49 ✓45
Climate83 ✓75
Air quality7784 ✓
Quality of life54 ✓54

Cost

MetricCaliMaceió
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,025 ✓$1,300
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricCaliMaceió
Homicides per 100k24.3518.69 ✓
Political stability (0–100)48.958.9 ✓
UHC service coverage (0–100)8284 ✓
Life expectancy74.5 yrs ✓72.4 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricCaliMaceió
Download22.6 Mbps37.2 Mbps ✓
Upload14.9 Mbps23.3 Mbps ✓

Visa

MetricCaliMaceió
Nomad visaDigital nomad visitor visa (Visa V)Digital nomad temporary visa (VITEM XIV)
Minimum income for the visa$1,605/mo$1,500/mo ✓
Entry, US passport90 days90 days
Entry, EU passport90 days90 days
Entry, UK passport90 days90 days

Getting there and around

MetricCaliMaceió
Non-stop airport destinations32 ✓21
Walkability (1–5, editorial)23 ✓
Transit (1–5, editorial)3 ✓2

Climate and air

MetricCaliMaceió
Comfortable months per year10 ✓9
Annual mean PM2.515.5 µg/m³12.4 µg/m³ ✓

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Cali or Maceió?
Cali is cheaper: about $1,025 per month versus $1,300 for one person.
Is Cali or Maceió safer?
Maceió scores higher on safety (35 vs 25), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Cali or Maceió?
Maceió: a measured median of 37.2 Mbps versus 22.6 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); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); 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.