Essaouira vs Santa Maria (Sal)
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Santa Maria (Sal) edges it, 61 to 59, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Essaouira is stronger on air quality; Santa Maria (Sal) on visa ease. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Windy walled port with surf, gnawa music and low costs
Full Essaouira profile →Where to stay in Essaouira →Sal's beach-resort town with trade-wind kitesurfing and direct European flights
Full Santa Maria (Sal) profile →Plan a trip with Navoy →Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Essaouira | Santa Maria (Sal) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 50 | no data |
| Safety | 61 | 64 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 61 | 66 ✓ |
| Internet | 41 ✓ | 34 |
| Visa ease | 46 | 64 ✓ |
| Getting there & around | 50 | 57 ✓ |
| Climate | 100 | 100 |
| Air quality | 81 ✓ | 67 |
| Quality of life | 43 ✓ | 37 |
Cost
| Metric | Essaouira | Santa Maria (Sal) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,300 | no data |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Essaouira | Santa Maria (Sal) |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 1.67 ✓ | 6.99 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 56.1 | 80.7 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 65 | 71 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 72.6 yrs | 73.2 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Essaouira | Santa Maria (Sal) |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 11 Mbps ✓ | 7.2 Mbps |
| Upload | 1 Mbps ✓ | 0.9 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Essaouira | Santa Maria (Sal) |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | Remote Working Program (six-month temporary visa) ✓ |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | $1,678/mo |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days ✓ | 30 days |
| Entry, EU passport | 90 days ✓ | 30 days |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days ✓ | 30 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Essaouira | Santa Maria (Sal) |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 13 | 40 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 5 ✓ | 4 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Essaouira | Santa Maria (Sal) |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 12 | 12 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 13.7 µg/m³ ✓ | 19.9 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Essaouira or Santa Maria (Sal)?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Essaouira or Santa Maria (Sal) safer?
- Santa Maria (Sal) scores higher on safety (64 vs 61), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Essaouira or Santa Maria (Sal)?
- Essaouira: a measured median of 11 Mbps versus 7.2 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
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Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; 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); 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.