---
title: "La Fortuna vs Santa Teresa for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/la-fortuna-vs-santa-teresa
description: "Under balanced weights La Fortuna edges it, 59 to 57, winning 2 of the 9 factors. La Fortuna is stronger on getting there & around, climate; Santa Teresa on air quality. 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
---

# La Fortuna vs Santa Teresa for digital nomads

Under balanced weights La Fortuna edges it, 59 to 57, winning 2 of the 9 factors. La Fortuna is stronger on getting there & around, climate; Santa Teresa on air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Getting there & around.** La Fortuna leads on getting there & around, 23 to 5, against Santa Teresa. Non-stop airport destinations: 56 vs 2.
- **Climate.** La Fortuna leads on climate, 33 to 17, against Santa Teresa. Comfortable months: 4 vs 2.
- **Air quality.** Santa Teresa leads on air quality, 70 to 58, against La Fortuna. PM2.5: 23.7 µg/m³ vs 18.3 µg/m³.

Where they are close: within five points on internet, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.

**Pick La Fortuna if you want** a longer comfortable season (4 months against 2); more flights and easier getting around.

**Pick Santa Teresa if you want** cleaner air.

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

| Metric | La Fortuna | Santa Teresa | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 48 | 48 | tie |
| Safety | 57 | 57 | tie |
| Healthcare | 85 | 85 | tie |
| Internet | 66 | 67 | Santa Teresa |
| Visa ease | 92 | 92 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 23 | 5 | La Fortuna |
| Climate | 33 | 17 | La Fortuna |
| Air quality | 58 | 70 | Santa Teresa |
| Quality of life | 70 | 70 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | La Fortuna | Santa Teresa | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,700 | $1,700 | tie |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | La Fortuna | Santa Teresa | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 17.12 | 17.12 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 87 | 87 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 84 | 84 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 79.8 yrs | 79.8 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | La Fortuna | Santa Teresa | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 33.4 Mbps | 34.4 Mbps | Santa Teresa |
| Upload | 10.6 Mbps | 11 Mbps | Santa Teresa |

## Visa

| Metric | La Fortuna | Santa Teresa | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | Remote worker and service provider stay (digital nomad permit) | Remote worker and service provider stay (digital nomad permit) | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | $3,000/mo | $3,000/mo | tie |
| Entry, US passport | 180 days | 180 days | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | 180 days | 180 days | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | 180 days | 180 days | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | La Fortuna | Santa Teresa | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 56 | 2 | La Fortuna |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 2 | La Fortuna |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | La Fortuna | Santa Teresa | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 2 | La Fortuna |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 23.7 µg/m³ | 18.3 µg/m³ | Santa Teresa |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, La Fortuna or Santa Teresa?

La Fortuna and Santa Teresa cost about the same: roughly $1,700 per month for one person.

### Is La Fortuna or Santa Teresa safer?

La Fortuna and Santa Teresa score the same on safety (57), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, La Fortuna or Santa Teresa?

Santa Teresa: a measured median of 34.4 Mbps versus 33.4 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [La Fortuna](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/la-fortuna) · [Santa Teresa](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/santa-teresa). 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.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/la-fortuna-vs-santa-teresa