NavoyNostos

Jacó vs Monteverde

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Jacó edges it, 64 to 62, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Jacó is stronger on air quality; Monteverde on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 4.4 of 64 points (scores 39/100)Safety: 6.4 of 64 points (scores 57/100)Healthcare: 9.1 of 64 points (scores 82/100)Internet: 7.5 of 64 points (scores 68/100)Visa ease: 10.2 of 64 points (scores 92/100)Getting there & around: 6.6 of 64 points (scores 59/100)Climate: 4.6 of 64 points (scores 42/100)Air quality: 7.9 of 64 points (scores 71/100)Quality of life: 7.5 of 64 points (scores 68/100)64
Jacó
out of 100

Costa Rica's closest beach to the capital, with surf and a party strip

Full Jacó profile →Where to stay in Jacó →
Cost of living: 4.4 of 62 points (scores 39/100)Safety: 6.4 of 62 points (scores 57/100)Healthcare: 9.1 of 62 points (scores 82/100)Internet: 7.5 of 62 points (scores 68/100)Visa ease: 10.2 of 62 points (scores 92/100)Getting there & around: 5.7 of 62 points (scores 51/100)Climate: 4.6 of 62 points (scores 42/100)Air quality: 6.5 of 62 points (scores 58/100)Quality of life: 7.5 of 62 points (scores 68/100)62
Monteverde
out of 100

Cloud-forest village at 1,400 m, cool, wet and pricey

Full Monteverde profile →Where to stay in Monteverde →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricJacóMonteverde
Cost of living3939
Safety5757
Healthcare8282
Internet6868
Visa ease9292
Getting there & around59 ✓51
Climate4242
Air quality71 ✓58
Quality of life6868

Cost

MetricJacóMonteverde
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,700$1,700
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricJacóMonteverde
Homicides per 100k17.1217.12
Political stability (0–100)8787
UHC service coverage (0–100)8484
Life expectancy78.6 yrs78.6 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricJacóMonteverde
Download36.5 Mbps36.5 Mbps
Upload10 Mbps10 Mbps

Visa

MetricJacóMonteverde
Nomad visaRemote worker and service provider stay (digital nomad permit)Remote worker and service provider stay (digital nomad permit)
Minimum income for the visa$3,000/mo$3,000/mo
Entry, US passport180 days180 days
Entry, EU passport180 days180 days
Entry, UK passport180 days180 days

Getting there and around

MetricJacóMonteverde
Non-stop airport destinations5263 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)4 ✓3
Transit (1–5, editorial)2 ✓1

Climate and air

MetricJacóMonteverde
Comfortable months per year55
Annual mean PM2.517.9 µg/m³ ✓23.8 µg/m³

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Jacó or Monteverde?
Monteverde is cheaper: about $1,700 per month versus $1,700 for one person.
Is Jacó or Monteverde safer?
Jacó scores higher on safety (57 vs 57), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Jacó or Monteverde?
Jacó: a measured median of 36.5 Mbps versus 36.5 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 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.