Cartagena vs Pachuca
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 57. Cartagena is stronger on cost of living; Pachuca on visa ease. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Caribbean walled city with a nomad visa
Full Cartagena profile →Plan a trip to Cartagena →Windy mining capital of Hidalgo, 1.5 hours from Mexico City
Full Pachuca profile →Plan a trip to Pachuca →Where they differ
- Cost of living. Cartagena leads on cost of living, 74 to 58, against Pachuca. Monthly cost, one person: $1,000 vs $1,400.
- Visa ease. Pachuca leads on visa ease, 90 to 77, against Cartagena.
- Climate. Cartagena leads on climate, 33 to 25, against Pachuca. Comfortable months: 4 vs 3.
Where they are close. Within five points on safety, internet, quality of life.
Pick Cartagena if you want
- to spend about $400 less a month
- stronger healthcare
- a dedicated digital-nomad visa
Pick Pachuca if you want
- no clear edge over Cartagena in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Cartagena | Pachuca |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 74 ✓ | 58 |
| Safety | 25 | 28 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 81 ✓ | 75 |
| Internet | 65 ✓ | 63 |
| Visa ease | 77 | 90 ✓ |
| Getting there & around | 24 | 32 ✓ |
| Climate | 33 ✓ | 25 |
| Air quality | 75 | 81 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 56 | 57 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Cartagena | Pachuca |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,000 ✓ | $1,400 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Cartagena | Pachuca |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 24.35 ✓ | 25.64 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 48.9 | 55 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 82 ✓ | 79 |
| Life expectancy | 78.2 yrs ✓ | 75.3 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Cartagena | Pachuca |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 28.9 Mbps ✓ | 27.5 Mbps |
| Upload | 14.3 Mbps ✓ | 10.2 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Cartagena | Pachuca |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Digital nomad visitor visa (Visa V) ✓ | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | $1,605/mo | no data |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 180 days ✓ |
| Entry, EU passport | 90 days | 180 days ✓ |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 180 days ✓ |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Cartagena | Pachuca |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 28 | 115 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 ✓ | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Cartagena | Pachuca |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 4 ✓ | 3 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 16.1 µg/m³ | 13.7 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Cartagena or Pachuca?
- Cartagena is cheaper: about $1,000 per month versus $1,400 for one person.
- Is Cartagena or Pachuca safer?
- Pachuca scores higher on safety (28 vs 25), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Cartagena or Pachuca?
- Cartagena: a measured median of 28.9 Mbps versus 27.5 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Cartagena vs Villa de Leyva
- Cartagena vs Manizales
- Pachuca vs Baños
- Pachuca vs Oaxaca City
- All 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); 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 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.