---
title: "Cartagena vs Pachuca for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/cartagena-vs-pachuca
description: "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."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# 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.

## 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 | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 74 | 58 | Cartagena |
| Safety | 25 | 28 | Pachuca |
| Healthcare | 81 | 75 | Cartagena |
| Internet | 65 | 63 | Cartagena |
| Visa ease | 77 | 90 | Pachuca |
| Getting there & around | 24 | 32 | Pachuca |
| Climate | 33 | 25 | Cartagena |
| Air quality | 75 | 81 | Pachuca |
| Quality of life | 56 | 57 | Pachuca |

## Cost

| Metric | Cartagena | Pachuca | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,000 | $1,400 | Cartagena |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Cartagena | Pachuca | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 24.35 | 25.64 | Cartagena |
| Political stability (0–100) | 48.9 | 55 | Pachuca |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 82 | 79 | Cartagena |
| Life expectancy | 78.2 yrs | 75.3 yrs | Cartagena |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Cartagena | Pachuca | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 28.9 Mbps | 27.5 Mbps | Cartagena |
| Upload | 14.3 Mbps | 10.2 Mbps | Cartagena |

## Visa

| Metric | Cartagena | Pachuca | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | Digital nomad visitor visa (Visa V) | none listed | Cartagena |
| Minimum income for the visa | $1,605/mo | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 180 days | Pachuca |
| Entry, EU passport | 90 days | 180 days | Pachuca |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 180 days | Pachuca |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Cartagena | Pachuca | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 28 | 115 | Pachuca |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 3 | Cartagena |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Cartagena | Pachuca | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 3 | Cartagena |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 16.1 µg/m³ | 13.7 µg/m³ | Pachuca |

## FAQ

### 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).

City pages: [Cartagena](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/cartagena) · [Pachuca](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/pachuca). 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.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/cartagena-vs-pachuca