Mazatlán vs Santa Marta
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Santa Marta edges it, 59 to 58, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Mazatlán is stronger on visa ease; Santa Marta on climate, cost of living. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Pacific city with the longest malecón and a restored old town
Full Mazatlán profile →Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Mazatlán | Santa Marta |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 52 | 67 ✓ |
| Safety | 23 ✓ | 16 |
| Healthcare | 65 | 73 ✓ |
| Internet | 60 ✓ | 57 |
| Visa ease | 90 ✓ | 71 |
| Getting there & around | 18 ✓ | 16 |
| Climate | 75 | 92 ✓ |
| Air quality | 86 | 89 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 54 ✓ | 53 |
Cost
| Metric | Mazatlán | Santa Marta |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,400 | $1,000 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Mazatlán | Santa Marta |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 28.2 ✓ | 35.7 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 53.7 ✓ | 49.3 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 79 | 82 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 70.8 yrs | 74.5 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Mazatlán | Santa Marta |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 31.8 Mbps ✓ | 24.7 Mbps |
| Upload | 10.7 Mbps | 15.3 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Mazatlán | Santa Marta |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | Visa V Trabajador Remoto / Nómadas Digitales ✓ |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Visa-free days, US passport | 180 days ✓ | 90 days |
| Visa-free days, EU passport | 180 days ✓ | 90 days |
| Visa-free days, UK passport | 180 days ✓ | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Mazatlán | Santa Marta |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 23 ✓ | 6 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Mazatlán | Santa Marta |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 9 | 11 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 11.3 µg/m³ | 10 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Mazatlán or Santa Marta?
- Santa Marta is cheaper: about $1,000 per month versus $1,400 for one person.
- Is Mazatlán or Santa Marta safer?
- Mazatlán scores higher on safety (23 vs 16), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Mazatlán or Santa Marta?
- Mazatlán: a measured median of 31.8 Mbps versus 24.7 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Mazatlán vs Puerto Vallarta
- Mazatlán vs San Miguel de Allende
- Santa Marta vs Bucaramanga
- Santa Marta vs Cali
- 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); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; 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); 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). Dataset 2026.09.4. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.