---
title: "Loja vs Montañita for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/loja-vs-montanita
description: "Under balanced weights Montañita edges it, 60 to 58, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Loja is stronger on climate; Montañita on getting there & around. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.10.7 (2026-10-13)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Loja vs Montañita for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Montañita edges it, 60 to 58, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Loja is stronger on climate; Montañita on getting there & around. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Getting there & around.** Montañita leads on getting there & around, 44 to 15, against Loja. Non-stop airport destinations: 1 vs 18.
- **Climate.** Loja leads on climate, 100 to 83, against Montañita. Comfortable months: 12 vs 10.
- **Air quality.** Montañita leads on air quality, 80 to 72, against Loja. PM2.5: 17.5 µg/m³ vs 14 µg/m³.

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

**Pick Loja if you want** a longer comfortable season (12 months against 10).

**Pick Montañita if you want** more flights and easier getting around.

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

| Metric | Loja | Montañita | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 48 | 48 | tie |
| Safety | 23 | 23 | tie |
| Healthcare | 71 | 71 | tie |
| Internet | 59 | 61 | Montañita |
| Visa ease | 78 | 78 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 15 | 44 | Montañita |
| Climate | 100 | 83 | Loja |
| Air quality | 72 | 80 | Montañita |
| Quality of life | 52 | 52 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Loja | Montañita | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,350 | $1,350 | tie |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Loja | Montañita | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 38.94 | 38.94 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 54.4 | 54.4 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 78 | 78 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 74 yrs | 74 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Loja | Montañita | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 18.8 Mbps | 19.1 Mbps | Montañita |
| Upload | 15.8 Mbps | 24.6 Mbps | Montañita |

## Visa

| Metric | Loja | Montañita | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | Digital nomad temporary residence visa (rentista for remote work) | Digital nomad temporary residence visa (rentista for remote work) | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | $1,446/mo | $1,446/mo | tie |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Loja | Montañita | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 1 | 18 | Montañita |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 4 | Montañita |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 1 | Loja |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Loja | Montañita | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 12 | 10 | Loja |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 17.5 µg/m³ | 14 µg/m³ | Montañita |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Loja or Montañita?

Montañita is cheaper: about $1,350 per month versus $1,350 for one person.

### Is Loja or Montañita safer?

Loja scores higher on safety (23 vs 23), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Loja or Montañita?

Montañita: a measured median of 19.1 Mbps versus 18.8 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Loja](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/loja) · [Montañita](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/montanita). 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/loja-vs-montanita