Nashville vs San Antonio
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Nashville edges it, 60 to 60, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Nashville is stronger on nothing outright; San Antonio on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Texas's most affordable big city, with the River Walk
Full San Antonio profile →Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Nashville | San Antonio |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 21 | 22 ✓ |
| Safety | 54 | 54 |
| Healthcare | 79 | 79 |
| Internet | 74 | 80 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 53 | 53 |
| Getting there & around | 22 ✓ | 16 |
| Climate | 50 | 50 |
| Air quality | 94 ✓ | 91 |
| Quality of life | 95 | 95 |
Cost
| Metric | Nashville | San Antonio |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one person | $2,890 | $2,841 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Nashville | San Antonio |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 5.8 | 5.8 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 64.3 | 64.3 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 88 | 88 |
| Life expectancy | 76.4 yrs | 76.4 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Nashville | San Antonio |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 65.6 Mbps | 88.1 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 12.9 Mbps | 15.8 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Nashville | San Antonio |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Visa-free days, US passport | unlimited | unlimited |
| Visa-free days, EU passport | visa or e-visa required | visa or e-visa required |
| Visa-free days, UK passport | visa or e-visa required | visa or e-visa required |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Nashville | San Antonio |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 120 ✓ | 39 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 2 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | Nashville | San Antonio |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 6 | 6 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 7.7 µg/m³ ✓ | 9 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Nashville or San Antonio?
- San Antonio is cheaper: about $2,841 per month versus $2,890 for one person.
- Is Nashville or San Antonio safer?
- Nashville scores higher on safety (54 vs 54), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Nashville or San Antonio?
- San Antonio: a measured median of 88.1 Mbps versus 65.6 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Nashville vs Charleston
- Nashville vs Austin
- San Antonio vs Austin
- San Antonio vs Charleston
- 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); 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); Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (all items). Dataset 2026.09.4. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.