NavoyNostos

Lima vs Salvador

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Salvador edges it, 65 to 63, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Lima is stronger on nothing outright; Salvador on air quality, healthcare. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 6.0 of 63 points (scores 54/100)Safety: 4.9 of 63 points (scores 44/100)Healthcare: 6.9 of 63 points (scores 62/100)Internet: 7.4 of 63 points (scores 67/100)Visa ease: 8.4 of 63 points (scores 75/100)Getting there & around: 5.8 of 63 points (scores 52/100)Climate: 11.1 of 63 points (scores 100/100)Air quality: 6.9 of 63 points (scores 62/100)Quality of life: 6.1 of 63 points (scores 55/100)63
Lima
out of 100

Coastal capital with a world-famous food scene

Full Lima profile →Where to stay in Lima →
Cost of living: 5.5 of 65 points (scores 50/100)Safety: 3.9 of 65 points (scores 35/100)Healthcare: 8.0 of 65 points (scores 72/100)Internet: 7.2 of 65 points (scores 64/100)Visa ease: 8.6 of 65 points (scores 77/100)Getting there & around: 6.2 of 65 points (scores 56/100)Climate: 10.2 of 65 points (scores 92/100)Air quality: 9.7 of 65 points (scores 88/100)Quality of life: 6.0 of 65 points (scores 54/100)65
Salvador
out of 100

Afro-Brazilian capital of music and carnival

Full Salvador profile →Where to stay in Salvador →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricLimaSalvador
Cost of living54 ✓50
Safety44 ✓35
Healthcare6272 ✓
Internet67 ✓64
Visa ease7577 ✓
Getting there & around5256 ✓
Climate100 ✓92
Air quality6288 ✓
Quality of life55 ✓54

Cost

MetricLimaSalvador
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,178 ✓$1,300
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricLimaSalvador
Homicides per 100k8.6 ✓18.69
Political stability (0–100)56.958.9 ✓
UHC service coverage (0–100)6884 ✓
Life expectancy71.7 yrs72.4 yrs ✓

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricLimaSalvador
Download29.4 Mbps ✓26.7 Mbps
Upload20 Mbps ✓14.6 Mbps

Visa

MetricLimaSalvador
Nomad visanone listedDigital nomad temporary visa (VITEM XIV) ✓
Minimum income for the visano data$1,500/mo
Entry, US passport180 days ✓90 days
Entry, EU passport90 days90 days
Entry, UK passport180 days ✓90 days

Getting there and around

MetricLimaSalvador
Non-stop airport destinations68 ✓37
Walkability (1–5, editorial)23 ✓
Transit (1–5, editorial)23 ✓

Climate and air

MetricLimaSalvador
Comfortable months per year12 ✓11
Annual mean PM2.522.2 µg/m³10.6 µg/m³ ✓

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Lima or Salvador?
Lima is cheaper: about $1,178 per month versus $1,300 for one person.
Is Lima or Salvador safer?
Lima scores higher on safety (44 vs 35), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Lima or Salvador?
Lima: a measured median of 29.4 Mbps versus 26.7 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.