NavoyNostos

Jacó vs Panama City

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Jacó edges it, 64 to 61, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Jacó is stronger on visa ease; Panama City 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: 4.3 of 61 points (scores 38/100)Safety: 5.4 of 61 points (scores 48/100)Healthcare: 8.7 of 61 points (scores 78/100)Internet: 7.8 of 61 points (scores 70/100)Visa ease: 8.8 of 61 points (scores 79/100)Getting there & around: 6.7 of 61 points (scores 60/100)Climate: 3.7 of 61 points (scores 33/100)Air quality: 8.8 of 61 points (scores 79/100)Quality of life: 6.8 of 61 points (scores 61/100)61
Panama City
out of 100

Skyline on the canal, dollars in the wallet

Full Panama City profile →Where to stay in Panama City →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricJacóPanama City
Cost of living39 ✓38
Safety57 ✓48
Healthcare82 ✓78
Internet6870 ✓
Visa ease92 ✓79
Getting there & around5960 ✓
Climate42 ✓33
Air quality7179 ✓
Quality of life68 ✓61

Cost

MetricJacóPanama City
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,700 ✓$1,742
Central one-bedroom rentno data$1,055

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricJacóPanama City
Homicides per 100k17.1212.78 ✓
Political stability (0–100)87 ✓69.9
UHC service coverage (0–100)84 ✓82
Life expectancy78.6 yrs ✓77.2 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricJacóPanama City
Download36.5 Mbps43.6 Mbps ✓
Upload10 Mbps ✓9.9 Mbps

Visa

MetricJacóPanama City
Nomad visaRemote worker and service provider stay (digital nomad permit)Short-stay visa for remote workers
Minimum income for the visa$3,000/mo$3,000/mo
Entry, US passport180 days180 days
Entry, EU passport180 days ✓90 days
Entry, UK passport180 days ✓90 days

Getting there and around

MetricJacóPanama City
Non-stop airport destinations5293 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)4 ✓2
Transit (1–5, editorial)23 ✓

Climate and air

MetricJacóPanama City
Comfortable months per year5 ✓4
Annual mean PM2.517.9 µg/m³14.3 µg/m³ ✓

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Jacó or Panama City?
Jacó is cheaper: about $1,700 per month versus $1,742 for one person.
Is Jacó or Panama City safer?
Jacó scores higher on safety (57 vs 48), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Jacó or Panama City?
Panama City: a measured median of 43.6 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.