NavoyNostos

Foz do Iguaçu vs Recife

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 59. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 6.8 of 59 points (scores 61/100)Safety: 3.9 of 59 points (scores 35/100)Healthcare: 8.8 of 59 points (scores 79/100)Internet: 8.1 of 59 points (scores 73/100)Visa ease: 8.6 of 59 points (scores 77/100)Getting there & around: 1.8 of 59 points (scores 17/100)Climate: 7.4 of 59 points (scores 67/100)Air quality: 7.3 of 59 points (scores 66/100)Quality of life: 6.2 of 59 points (scores 56/100)59
Foz do Iguaçu
out of 100

Triple-border city beside the Iguaçu Falls and Itaipu dam

Full Foz do Iguaçu profile →Plan a trip to Foz do Iguaçu →
Cost of living: 6.8 of 59 points (scores 61/100)Safety: 3.9 of 59 points (scores 35/100)Healthcare: 8.8 of 59 points (scores 79/100)Internet: 7.4 of 59 points (scores 66/100)Visa ease: 8.6 of 59 points (scores 77/100)Getting there & around: 2.9 of 59 points (scores 26/100)Climate: 7.4 of 59 points (scores 67/100)Air quality: 6.5 of 59 points (scores 58/100)Quality of life: 6.2 of 59 points (scores 56/100)59
Recife
out of 100

Brazil's tech port with Olinda next door

Full Recife profile →Plan a trip to Recife →

Where they differ

  • Getting there & around. Recife leads on getting there & around, 26 to 17, against Foz do Iguaçu. Non-stop airport destinations: 11 vs 44.
  • Air quality. Foz do Iguaçu leads on air quality, 66 to 58, against Recife. PM2.5: 20.4 µg/m³ vs 23.7 µg/m³.
  • Internet. Foz do Iguaçu leads on internet, 73 to 66, against Recife. Measured download: 39.7 Mbps vs 29.7 Mbps.

Where they are close. Within five points on cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.

Pick Foz do Iguaçu if you want

  • faster internet (39.7 Mbps measured)

Pick Recife if you want

  • no clear edge over Foz do Iguaçu in the data

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricFoz do IguaçuRecife
Cost of living6161
Safety3535
Healthcare7979
Internet73 ✓66
Visa ease7777
Getting there & around1726 ✓
Climate6767
Air quality66 ✓58
Quality of life5656

Cost

MetricFoz do IguaçuRecife
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,300$1,300
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricFoz do IguaçuRecife
Homicides per 100k18.6918.69
Political stability (0–100)58.958.9
UHC service coverage (0–100)8484
Life expectancy75.9 yrs75.9 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricFoz do IguaçuRecife
Download39.7 Mbps ✓29.7 Mbps
Upload33.7 Mbps ✓16.3 Mbps

Visa

MetricFoz do IguaçuRecife
Nomad visaDigital nomad temporary visa (VITEM XIV)Digital nomad temporary visa (VITEM XIV)
Minimum income for the visa$1,500/mo$1,500/mo
Entry, US passport90 days90 days
Entry, EU passport90 days90 days
Entry, UK passport90 days90 days

Getting there and around

MetricFoz do IguaçuRecife
Non-stop airport destinations1144 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)33
Transit (1–5, editorial)23 ✓

Climate and air

MetricFoz do IguaçuRecife
Comfortable months per year88
Annual mean PM2.520.4 µg/m³ ✓23.7 µg/m³

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Foz do Iguaçu or Recife?
Foz do Iguaçu and Recife cost about the same: roughly $1,300 per month for one person.
Is Foz do Iguaçu or Recife safer?
Foz do Iguaçu and Recife score the same on safety (35), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Foz do Iguaçu or Recife?
Foz do Iguaçu: a measured median of 39.7 Mbps versus 29.7 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); 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 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.