---
title: "Manta vs Montañita for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/manta-vs-montanita
description: "Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 59. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. 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
---

# Manta vs Montañita for digital nomads

Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 59. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. 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, 18 to 10, against Manta. Non-stop airport destinations: 2 vs 18.

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

**Pick Manta if you want** faster internet (25.3 Mbps measured).

**Pick Montañita if you want** no clear edge over Manta in the data.

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

| Metric | Manta | Montañita | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 60 | 60 | tie |
| Safety | 23 | 23 | tie |
| Healthcare | 78 | 78 | tie |
| Internet | 65 | 61 | Manta |
| Visa ease | 78 | 78 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 10 | 18 | Montañita |
| Climate | 83 | 83 | tie |
| Air quality | 78 | 80 | Montañita |
| Quality of life | 55 | 55 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Manta | 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 | Manta | 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 | 77.6 yrs | 77.6 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Manta | Montañita | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 25.3 Mbps | 19.1 Mbps | Manta |
| Upload | 21.3 Mbps | 24.6 Mbps | Montañita |

## Visa

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

## Climate and air

| Metric | Manta | Montañita | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 10 | 10 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 14.9 µg/m³ | 14 µg/m³ | Montañita |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Manta or Montañita?

Manta and Montañita cost about the same: roughly $1,350 per month for one person.

### Is Manta or Montañita safer?

Manta and Montañita score the same on safety (23), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

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

Manta: a measured median of 25.3 Mbps versus 19.1 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Manta](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/manta) · [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/manta-vs-montanita