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Cuernavaca vs Oaxaca City

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Cuernavaca edges it, 60 to 56, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Cuernavaca is stronger on getting there & around; Oaxaca City on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 5.2 of 60 points (scores 47/100)Safety: 3.2 of 60 points (scores 28/100)Healthcare: 7.4 of 60 points (scores 67/100)Internet: 7.2 of 60 points (scores 65/100)Visa ease: 10.0 of 60 points (scores 90/100)Getting there & around: 6.8 of 60 points (scores 62/100)Climate: 5.6 of 60 points (scores 50/100)Air quality: 8.6 of 60 points (scores 77/100)Quality of life: 6.0 of 60 points (scores 54/100)60
Cuernavaca
out of 100

'City of eternal spring' with language schools, 85 km from Mexico City

Full Cuernavaca profile →Hotels in Mexico →
Cost of living: 5.2 of 56 points (scores 47/100)Safety: 3.2 of 56 points (scores 28/100)Healthcare: 7.4 of 56 points (scores 67/100)Internet: 6.1 of 56 points (scores 55/100)Visa ease: 10.0 of 56 points (scores 90/100)Getting there & around: 5.1 of 56 points (scores 46/100)Climate: 4.6 of 56 points (scores 42/100)Air quality: 8.3 of 56 points (scores 75/100)Quality of life: 6.0 of 56 points (scores 54/100)56
Oaxaca City
out of 100

Food, mezcal and colonial calm

Full Oaxaca City profile →Where to stay in Oaxaca City →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricCuernavacaOaxaca City
Cost of living4747
Safety2828
Healthcare6767
Internet65 ✓55
Visa ease9090
Getting there & around62 ✓46
Climate50 ✓42
Air quality77 ✓75
Quality of life5454

Cost

MetricCuernavacaOaxaca City
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,400$1,400
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricCuernavacaOaxaca City
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)

MetricCuernavacaOaxaca City
Download31.1 Mbps ✓18.8 Mbps
Upload8.3 Mbps ✓5 Mbps

Visa

MetricCuernavacaOaxaca City
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

MetricCuernavacaOaxaca City
Non-stop airport destinations110 ✓14
Walkability (1–5, editorial)34 ✓
Transit (1–5, editorial)22

Climate and air

MetricCuernavacaOaxaca City
Comfortable months per year6 ✓5
Annual mean PM2.515.3 µg/m³ ✓16.2 µg/m³

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Cuernavaca or Oaxaca City?
Oaxaca City is cheaper: about $1,400 per month versus $1,400 for one person.
Is Cuernavaca or Oaxaca City safer?
Cuernavaca scores higher on safety (28 vs 28), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Cuernavaca or Oaxaca City?
Cuernavaca: a measured median of 31.1 Mbps versus 18.8 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.