Which is cheaper, Manta or Vilcabamba?

Vilcabamba is cheaper: about $1,350 per month versus $1,383 for one person.

Is Manta or Vilcabamba safer?

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

Where is the internet faster, Manta or Vilcabamba?

Manta: a measured median of 25.3 Mbps versus 18.8 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

Manta vs Vilcabamba

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Vilcabamba edges it, 58 to 57, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Manta is stronger on nothing outright; Vilcabamba on climate. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Manta

out of 100

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

Full Manta profile →Where to stay in Manta →

Vilcabamba

out of 100

Valley of longevity village with expat retirees, hikes and mountain quiet

Full Vilcabamba profile →Where to stay in Vilcabamba →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

Metric	Manta	Vilcabamba
Cost of living	47	48 ✓
Safety	23	23
Healthcare	71	71
Internet	65 ✓	59
Visa ease	78	78
Getting there & around	17 ✓	15
Climate	83	100 ✓
Air quality	78 ✓	73
Quality of life	52	52

Cost

Metric	Manta	Vilcabamba
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city	$1,383	$1,350 ✓
Central one-bedroom rent	no data	no data

Safety and health (country-level)

Metric	Manta	Vilcabamba
Homicides per 100k	38.94	38.94
Political stability (0–100)	54.4	54.4
UHC service coverage (0–100)	78	78
Life expectancy	74 yrs	74 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

Metric	Manta	Vilcabamba
Download	25.3 Mbps ✓	18.8 Mbps
Upload	21.3 Mbps ✓	15.8 Mbps

Visa

Metric	Manta	Vilcabamba
Nomad visa	Digital nomad temporary residence visa (rentista for remote work)	Digital nomad temporary residence visa (rentista for remote work)
Minimum income for the visa	$1,446/mo	$1,446/mo
Entry, US passport	90 days	90 days
Entry, EU passport	90 days	90 days
Entry, UK passport	90 days	90 days

Getting there and around

Metric	Manta	Vilcabamba
Non-stop airport destinations	2 ✓	1
Walkability (1–5, editorial)	2	4 ✓
Transit (1–5, editorial)	2 ✓	1

Climate and air

Metric	Manta	Vilcabamba
Comfortable months per year	10	12 ✓
Annual mean PM2.5	14.9 µg/m³ ✓	17.1 µg/m³

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Manta or Vilcabamba?: Vilcabamba is cheaper: about $1,350 per month versus $1,383 for one person.
Is Manta or Vilcabamba safer?: Manta scores higher on safety (23 vs 23), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Manta or Vilcabamba?: Manta: a measured median of 25.3 Mbps versus 18.8 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.