---
title: "Essaouira vs Santa Maria (Sal) for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/essaouira-vs-santa-maria-sal
description: "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."
dataset: 2026.10.7 (2026-10-13)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# 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.

## Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

| Metric | Essaouira | Santa Maria (Sal) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 50 | no data | — |
| Safety | 61 | 64 | Santa Maria (Sal) |
| Healthcare | 61 | 66 | Santa Maria (Sal) |
| Internet | 41 | 34 | Essaouira |
| Visa ease | 46 | 64 | Santa Maria (Sal) |
| Getting there & around | 50 | 57 | Santa Maria (Sal) |
| Climate | 100 | 100 | tie |
| Air quality | 81 | 67 | Essaouira |
| Quality of life | 43 | 37 | Essaouira |

## Cost

| Metric | Essaouira | Santa Maria (Sal) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,300 | no data | — |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Essaouira | Santa Maria (Sal) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 1.67 | 6.99 | Essaouira |
| Political stability (0–100) | 56.1 | 80.7 | Santa Maria (Sal) |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 65 | 71 | Santa Maria (Sal) |
| Life expectancy | 72.6 yrs | 73.2 yrs | Santa Maria (Sal) |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Essaouira | Santa Maria (Sal) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 11 Mbps | 7.2 Mbps | Essaouira |
| Upload | 1 Mbps | 0.9 Mbps | Essaouira |

## Visa

| Metric | Essaouira | Santa Maria (Sal) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | Remote Working Program (six-month temporary visa) | Santa Maria (Sal) |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | $1,678/mo | — |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 30 days | Essaouira |
| Entry, EU passport | 90 days | 30 days | Essaouira |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 30 days | Essaouira |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Essaouira | Santa Maria (Sal) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 13 | 40 | Santa Maria (Sal) |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 5 | 4 | Essaouira |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Essaouira | Santa Maria (Sal) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 12 | 12 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 13.7 µg/m³ | 19.9 µg/m³ | Essaouira |

## FAQ

### 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).

City pages: [Essaouira](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/essaouira) · [Santa Maria (Sal)](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/santa-maria-sal). 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.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/essaouira-vs-santa-maria-sal