NavoyNostos

Jacó vs Pedasí

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Jacó edges it, 64 to 61, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Jacó is stronger on visa ease; Pedasí 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: 4.8 of 61 points (scores 43/100)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: 6.1 of 61 points (scores 55/100)Climate: 3.7 of 61 points (scores 33/100)Air quality: 8.6 of 61 points (scores 78/100)Quality of life: 6.8 of 61 points (scores 61/100)61
Pedasí
out of 100

Sleepy Azuero fishing town with surf at Playa Venao and dry-season sun

Full Pedasí profile →Where to stay in Pedasí →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricJacóPedasí
Cost of living3943 ✓
Safety57 ✓48
Healthcare82 ✓78
Internet6870 ✓
Visa ease92 ✓79
Getting there & around59 ✓55
Climate42 ✓33
Air quality7178 ✓
Quality of life68 ✓61

Cost

MetricJacóPedasí
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,700$1,550 ✓
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricJacóPedasí
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)

MetricJacóPedasí
Download36.5 Mbps42.3 Mbps ✓
Upload10 Mbps ✓9.9 Mbps

Visa

MetricJacóPedasí
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

MetricJacóPedasí
Non-stop airport destinations5294 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)4 ✓3
Transit (1–5, editorial)2 ✓1

Climate and air

MetricJacóPedasí
Comfortable months per year5 ✓4
Annual mean PM2.517.9 µg/m³15.1 µg/m³ ✓

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Jacó or Pedasí?
Pedasí is cheaper: about $1,550 per month versus $1,700 for one person.
Is Jacó or Pedasí 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 Pedasí?
Pedasí: a measured median of 42.3 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.