NavoyNostos

Cascais vs Málaga

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Cascais edges it, 76 to 74, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Cascais is stronger on nothing outright; Málaga on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 3.7 of 76 points (scores 33/100)Safety: 9.2 of 76 points (scores 83/100)Healthcare: 9.4 of 76 points (scores 85/100)Internet: 9.0 of 76 points (scores 81/100)Visa ease: 8.3 of 76 points (scores 75/100)Getting there & around: 8.3 of 76 points (scores 75/100)Climate: 7.4 of 76 points (scores 67/100)Air quality: 10.7 of 76 points (scores 96/100)Quality of life: 9.6 of 76 points (scores 87/100)76
Cascais
out of 100

Lisbon's beach town at the end of the coastal railway

Full Cascais profile →Where to stay in Cascais →
Cost of living: 3.3 of 74 points (scores 29/100)Safety: 8.4 of 74 points (scores 76/100)Healthcare: 9.7 of 74 points (scores 88/100)Internet: 8.2 of 74 points (scores 74/100)Visa ease: 8.9 of 74 points (scores 80/100)Getting there & around: 8.4 of 74 points (scores 76/100)Climate: 7.4 of 74 points (scores 67/100)Air quality: 10.5 of 74 points (scores 95/100)Quality of life: 8.9 of 74 points (scores 80/100)74
Málaga
out of 100

Costa del Sol tech hub with a beach

Full Málaga profile →Where to stay in Málaga →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricCascaisMálaga
Cost of living33 ✓29
Safety83 ✓76
Healthcare8588 ✓
Internet81 ✓74
Visa ease7580 ✓
Getting there & around7576 ✓
Climate6767
Air quality96 ✓95
Quality of life87 ✓80

Cost

MetricCascaisMálaga
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$2,000 ✓$2,200
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricCascaisMálaga
Homicides per 100k0.71 ✓0.73
Political stability (0–100)77.9 ✓68.7
UHC service coverage (0–100)8384 ✓
Life expectancy81.2 yrs82.7 yrs ✓

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricCascaisMálaga
Download67.8 Mbps ✓40.2 Mbps
Upload31 Mbps33.2 Mbps ✓

Visa

MetricCascaisMálaga
Nomad visaDigital nomad residence visa (D8)International teleworking visa (digital nomad visa)
Minimum income for the visa$4,131/mo$2,741/mo ✓
Entry, US passport90 days90 days
Entry, EU passportunlimitedunlimited
Entry, UK passport90 days90 days

Getting there and around

MetricCascaisMálaga
Non-stop airport destinations153163 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)44
Transit (1–5, editorial)33

Climate and air

MetricCascaisMálaga
Comfortable months per year88
Annual mean PM2.56.7 µg/m³ ✓7.3 µg/m³

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Cascais or Málaga?
Cascais is cheaper: about $2,000 per month versus $2,200 for one person.
Is Cascais or Málaga safer?
Cascais scores higher on safety (83 vs 76), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Cascais or Málaga?
Cascais: a measured median of 67.8 Mbps versus 40.2 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); 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.