NavoyNostos

Huaraz vs Medellín

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Medellín edges it, 55 to 53, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Huaraz is stronger on safety; Medellín on cost of living, healthcare. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 5.4 of 53 points (scores 48/100)Safety: 4.9 of 53 points (scores 44/100)Healthcare: 6.9 of 53 points (scores 62/100)Internet: 7.2 of 53 points (scores 65/100)Visa ease: 8.4 of 53 points (scores 75/100)Getting there & around: 6.3 of 53 points (scores 57/100)Climate: 0.0 of 53 points (scores 0/100)Air quality: 8.3 of 53 points (scores 75/100)Quality of life: 6.1 of 53 points (scores 55/100)53
Huaraz
out of 100

Trekking capital of the Cordillera Blanca at 3,050 m

Full Huaraz profile →Where to stay in Huaraz →
Cost of living: 7.6 of 55 points (scores 69/100)Safety: 2.7 of 55 points (scores 25/100)Healthcare: 8.3 of 55 points (scores 74/100)Internet: 6.8 of 55 points (scores 61/100)Visa ease: 8.6 of 55 points (scores 77/100)Getting there & around: 6.9 of 55 points (scores 63/100)Climate: 0.0 of 55 points (scores 0/100)Air quality: 7.8 of 55 points (scores 70/100)Quality of life: 6.0 of 55 points (scores 54/100)55
Medellín
out of 100

Spring weather year-round and a famous nomad scene

Full Medellín profile →Where to stay in Medellín →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricHuarazMedellín
Cost of living4869 ✓
Safety44 ✓25
Healthcare6274 ✓
Internet65 ✓61
Visa ease7577 ✓
Getting there & around5763 ✓
Climate00
Air quality75 ✓70
Quality of life55 ✓54

Cost

MetricHuarazMedellín
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,350$804 ✓
Central one-bedroom rentno data$651

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricHuarazMedellín
Homicides per 100k8.6 ✓24.35
Political stability (0–100)56.9 ✓48.9
UHC service coverage (0–100)6882 ✓
Life expectancy71.7 yrs74.5 yrs ✓

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricHuarazMedellín
Download25.2 Mbps ✓22.6 Mbps
Upload23 Mbps ✓11.5 Mbps

Visa

MetricHuarazMedellín
Nomad visanone listedDigital nomad visitor visa (Visa V) ✓
Minimum income for the visano data$1,605/mo
Entry, US passport180 days ✓90 days
Entry, EU passport90 days90 days
Entry, UK passport180 days ✓90 days

Getting there and around

MetricHuarazMedellín
Non-stop airport destinations69 ✓44
Walkability (1–5, editorial)33
Transit (1–5, editorial)24 ✓

Climate and air

MetricHuarazMedellín
Comfortable months per year00
Annual mean PM2.516.3 µg/m³ ✓18.4 µg/m³

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Huaraz or Medellín?
Medellín is cheaper: about $804 per month versus $1,350 for one person.
Is Huaraz or Medellín safer?
Huaraz scores higher on safety (44 vs 25), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Huaraz or Medellín?
Huaraz: a measured median of 25.2 Mbps versus 22.6 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); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); 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.