Mataró vs Tarragona
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Mataró edges it, 73 to 71, winning 1 of the 9 factors. Mataró is stronger on internet; Tarragona on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Maresme beach city 40 minutes up the coast from Barcelona
Full Mataró profile →Plan a trip to Mataró →Roman ruins and a city beach an hour down the coast from Barcelona
Full Tarragona profile →Plan a trip to Tarragona →Where they differ
- Internet. Mataró leads on internet, 91 to 77, against Tarragona. Measured download: 100 Mbps vs 50.2 Mbps.
Where they are close. Within five points on air quality, getting there & around, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Mataró if you want
- faster internet (100 Mbps measured)
Pick Tarragona if you want
- no clear edge over Mataró in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Mataró | Tarragona |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 36 | 36 |
| Safety | 76 | 76 |
| Healthcare | 90 | 90 |
| Internet | 91 ✓ | 77 |
| Visa ease | 80 | 80 |
| Getting there & around | 58 | 59 ✓ |
| Climate | 50 | 50 |
| Air quality | 93 | 95 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 81 | 81 |
Cost
| Metric | Mataró | Tarragona |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $2,200 | $2,200 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Mataró | Tarragona |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.73 | 0.73 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 68.7 | 68.7 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 84 | 84 |
| Life expectancy | 83.3 yrs | 83.3 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Mataró | Tarragona |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 100 Mbps ✓ | 50.2 Mbps |
| Upload | 92.1 Mbps ✓ | 35.6 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Mataró | Tarragona |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | International teleworking visa (digital nomad visa) | International teleworking visa (digital nomad visa) |
| Minimum income for the visa | $2,741/mo | $2,741/mo |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Entry, EU passport | unlimited | unlimited |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Mataró | Tarragona |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 233 | 237 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 4 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Mataró | Tarragona |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 6 | 6 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 8 µg/m³ | 7.3 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Mataró or Tarragona?
- Mataró and Tarragona cost about the same: roughly $2,200 per month for one person.
- Is Mataró or Tarragona safer?
- Mataró and Tarragona score the same on safety (76), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Mataró or Tarragona?
- Mataró: a measured median of 100 Mbps versus 50.2 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); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); 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. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.