---
title: "Mexico City vs Pachuca for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/mexico-city-vs-pachuca
description: "Under balanced weights Pachuca edges it, 57 to 55, winning 1 of the 9 factors. Mexico City is stronger on nothing outright; Pachuca on air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Mexico City vs Pachuca for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Pachuca edges it, 57 to 55, winning 1 of the 9 factors. Mexico City is stronger on nothing outright; Pachuca on air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Air quality.** Pachuca leads on air quality, 81 to 56, against Mexico City. PM2.5: 25 µg/m³ vs 13.7 µg/m³.
- **Getting there & around.** Mexico City leads on getting there & around, 41 to 32, against Pachuca. Non-stop airport destinations: 109 vs 115.

Where they are close: within five points on cost of living, internet, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.

**Pick Mexico City if you want** to spend about $104 less a month.

**Pick Pachuca if you want** cleaner air.

## Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

| Metric | Mexico City | Pachuca | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 62 | 58 | Mexico City |
| Safety | 28 | 28 | tie |
| Healthcare | 75 | 75 | tie |
| Internet | 63 | 63 | Mexico City |
| Visa ease | 90 | 90 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 41 | 32 | Mexico City |
| Climate | 25 | 25 | tie |
| Air quality | 56 | 81 | Pachuca |
| Quality of life | 57 | 57 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Mexico City | Pachuca | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,296 | $1,400 | Mexico City |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $777 | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Mexico City | Pachuca | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 25.64 | 25.64 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 55 | 55 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 79 | 79 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 75.3 yrs | 75.3 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Mexico City | Pachuca | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 30.5 Mbps | 27.5 Mbps | Mexico City |
| Upload | 6.7 Mbps | 10.2 Mbps | Pachuca |

## Visa

| Metric | Mexico City | Pachuca | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | 180 days | 180 days | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | 180 days | 180 days | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | 180 days | 180 days | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Mexico City | Pachuca | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 109 | 115 | Pachuca |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 2 | Mexico City |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Mexico City | Pachuca | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 3 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 25 µg/m³ | 13.7 µg/m³ | Pachuca |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Mexico City or Pachuca?

Mexico City is cheaper: about $1,296 per month versus $1,400 for one person.

### Is Mexico City or Pachuca safer?

Mexico City and Pachuca score the same on safety (28), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Mexico City or Pachuca?

Mexico City: a measured median of 30.5 Mbps versus 27.5 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Mexico City](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/mexico-city) · [Pachuca](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/pachuca). 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.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/mexico-city-vs-pachuca