NavoyNostos

Manta vs Trujillo

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Trujillo edges it, 60 to 57, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Manta is stronger on nothing outright; Trujillo on safety, climate. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 5.3 of 57 points (scores 47/100)Safety: 2.5 of 57 points (scores 23/100)Healthcare: 7.9 of 57 points (scores 71/100)Internet: 7.2 of 57 points (scores 65/100)Visa ease: 8.6 of 57 points (scores 78/100)Getting there & around: 1.9 of 57 points (scores 17/100)Climate: 9.3 of 57 points (scores 83/100)Air quality: 8.7 of 57 points (scores 78/100)Quality of life: 5.8 of 57 points (scores 52/100)57
Manta
out of 100

Ecuador's tuna port with a long malecón and cheap Pacific beaches

Full Manta profile →Where to stay in Manta →
Cost of living: 5.3 of 60 points (scores 47/100)Safety: 4.9 of 60 points (scores 44/100)Healthcare: 6.9 of 60 points (scores 62/100)Internet: 6.5 of 60 points (scores 59/100)Visa ease: 8.4 of 60 points (scores 75/100)Getting there & around: 2.4 of 60 points (scores 22/100)Climate: 11.1 of 60 points (scores 100/100)Air quality: 8.9 of 60 points (scores 80/100)Quality of life: 6.1 of 60 points (scores 55/100)60
Trujillo
out of 100

Peru's northern coast city of adobe ruins and year-round mild weather

Full Trujillo profile →Where to stay in Trujillo →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricMantaTrujillo
Cost of living4747
Safety2344 ✓
Healthcare71 ✓62
Internet65 ✓59
Visa ease78 ✓75
Getting there & around1722 ✓
Climate83100 ✓
Air quality7880 ✓
Quality of life5255 ✓

Cost

MetricMantaTrujillo
Monthly cost, one person$1,383$1,383
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricMantaTrujillo
Homicides per 100k38.948.6 ✓
Political stability (0–100)54.456.9 ✓
UHC service coverage (0–100)78 ✓68
Life expectancy74 yrs ✓71.7 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricMantaTrujillo
Download25.3 Mbps ✓19.3 Mbps
Upload21.3 Mbps ✓11.4 Mbps

Visa

MetricMantaTrujillo
Nomad visaDigital nomad temporary residence visa (rentista for remote work) ✓none listed
Minimum income for the visa$1,446/mono data
Entry, US passport90 days180 days ✓
Entry, EU passport90 days90 days
Entry, UK passport90 days180 days ✓

Getting there and around

MetricMantaTrujillo
Non-stop airport destinations22
Walkability (1–5, editorial)23 ✓
Transit (1–5, editorial)22

Climate and air

MetricMantaTrujillo
Comfortable months per year1012 ✓
Annual mean PM2.514.9 µg/m³14.1 µg/m³ ✓

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Manta or Trujillo?
Trujillo is cheaper: about $1,383 per month versus $1,383 for one person.
Is Manta or Trujillo safer?
Trujillo scores higher on safety (44 vs 23), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Manta or Trujillo?
Manta: a measured median of 25.3 Mbps versus 19.3 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); 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.