Maracaibo vs Roatán
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Roatán edges it, 45 to 41, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Maracaibo is stronger on internet; Roatán on air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Venezuela's hot oil capital on Lake Maracaibo, with deep power problems
Full Maracaibo profile →Plan a trip to Maracaibo →Caribbean dive island with a large expat crowd
Full Roatán profile →Plan a trip to Roatán →Where they differ
- Air quality. Roatán leads on air quality, 92 to 63, against Maracaibo. PM2.5: 21.5 µg/m³ vs 8.8 µg/m³.
- Internet. Maracaibo leads on internet, 62 to 52, against Roatán. Measured download: 21.1 Mbps vs 14.2 Mbps.
- Quality of life. Maracaibo leads on quality of life, 54 to 45, against Roatán.
Where they are close. Within five points on visa ease.
Pick Maracaibo if you want
- faster internet (21.1 Mbps measured)
- stronger healthcare
Pick Roatán if you want
- the safer country figures
- cleaner air
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Maracaibo | Roatán |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | no data |
| Safety | 25 | 32 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 69 ✓ | 62 |
| Internet | 62 ✓ | 52 |
| Visa ease | 33 | 33 |
| Getting there & around | 1 | 7 ✓ |
| Climate | 25 | 33 ✓ |
| Air quality | 63 | 92 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 54 ✓ | 45 |
Cost
| Metric | Maracaibo | Roatán |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | no data |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Maracaibo | Roatán |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 13.81 ✓ | 23.92 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 39.2 | 58 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 75 ✓ | 64 |
| Life expectancy | 72.2 yrs | 72.3 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Maracaibo | Roatán |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 21.1 Mbps ✓ | 14.2 Mbps |
| Upload | 23.7 Mbps ✓ | 7.2 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Maracaibo | Roatán |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | visa required | 90 days ✓ |
| Entry, EU passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days ✓ | visa required |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Maracaibo | Roatán |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 8 | 16 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 2 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Maracaibo | Roatán |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 4 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 21.5 µg/m³ | 8.8 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Maracaibo or Roatán?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Maracaibo or Roatán safer?
- Roatán scores higher on safety (32 vs 25), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Maracaibo or Roatán?
- Maracaibo: a measured median of 21.1 Mbps versus 14.2 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Maracaibo vs La Ceiba
- Maracaibo vs San Pedro Sula
- Roatán vs Utila
- Roatán vs Flores (Petén)
- All comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; 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); OpenFlights airports and routes; 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); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.