---
title: "Guatemala City vs San Pedro Sula for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/guatemala-city-vs-san-pedro-sula
description: "Under balanced weights Guatemala City edges it, 50 to 41, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Guatemala City is stronger on air quality, climate, visa ease; San Pedro Sula on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Guatemala City vs San Pedro Sula for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Guatemala City edges it, 50 to 41, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Guatemala City is stronger on air quality, climate, visa ease; San Pedro Sula on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Air quality.** Guatemala City leads on air quality, 80 to 57, against San Pedro Sula. PM2.5: 14 µg/m³ vs 24.4 µg/m³.
- **Climate.** Guatemala City leads on climate, 50 to 33, against San Pedro Sula. Comfortable months: 6 vs 4.
- **Visa ease.** Guatemala City leads on visa ease, 46 to 33, against San Pedro Sula.

Where they are close: within five points on healthcare, internet, safety.

**Pick Guatemala City if you want** faster internet (17.8 Mbps measured); a longer comfortable season (6 months against 4); cleaner air.

**Pick San Pedro Sula if you want** no clear edge over Guatemala City in the data.

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

| Metric | Guatemala City | San Pedro Sula | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 63 | no data | — |
| Safety | 35 | 32 | Guatemala City |
| Healthcare | 58 | 62 | San Pedro Sula |
| Internet | 56 | 52 | Guatemala City |
| Visa ease | 46 | 33 | Guatemala City |
| Getting there & around | 18 | 11 | Guatemala City |
| Climate | 50 | 33 | Guatemala City |
| Air quality | 80 | 57 | Guatemala City |
| Quality of life | 40 | 45 | San Pedro Sula |

## Cost

| Metric | Guatemala City | San Pedro Sula | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,250 | no data | — |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Guatemala City | San Pedro Sula | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 22.76 | 23.92 | Guatemala City |
| Political stability (0–100) | 61.9 | 58 | Guatemala City |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 58 | 64 | San Pedro Sula |
| Life expectancy | 71.6 yrs | 72.3 yrs | San Pedro Sula |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Guatemala City | San Pedro Sula | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 17.8 Mbps | 12.9 Mbps | Guatemala City |
| Upload | 8.1 Mbps | 9.2 Mbps | San Pedro Sula |

## Visa

| Metric | Guatemala City | San Pedro Sula | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | visa required | Guatemala City |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Guatemala City | San Pedro Sula | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 20 | 8 | Guatemala City |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 2 | Guatemala City |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Guatemala City | San Pedro Sula | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 6 | 4 | Guatemala City |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 14 µg/m³ | 24.4 µg/m³ | Guatemala City |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Guatemala City or San Pedro Sula?

We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.

### Is Guatemala City or San Pedro Sula safer?

Guatemala City scores higher on safety (35 vs 32), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Guatemala City or San Pedro Sula?

Guatemala City: a measured median of 17.8 Mbps versus 12.9 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Guatemala City](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/guatemala-city) · [San Pedro Sula](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/san-pedro-sula). 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); 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); Starlink availability map.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/guatemala-city-vs-san-pedro-sula