NavoyNostos

Nosara vs Uvita

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Uvita edges it, 61 to 58, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Nosara is stronger on nothing outright; Uvita on climate. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 4.4 of 58 points (scores 39/100)Safety: 6.4 of 58 points (scores 57/100)Healthcare: 9.1 of 58 points (scores 82/100)Internet: 7.2 of 58 points (scores 65/100)Visa ease: 10.2 of 58 points (scores 92/100)Getting there & around: 4.4 of 58 points (scores 39/100)Climate: 1.9 of 58 points (scores 17/100)Air quality: 7.4 of 58 points (scores 67/100)Quality of life: 7.5 of 58 points (scores 68/100)58
Nosara
out of 100

Guanacaste surf and yoga town in Costa Rica's Blue Zone, at a price

Full Nosara profile →Where to stay in Nosara →
Cost of living: 4.4 of 61 points (scores 39/100)Safety: 6.4 of 61 points (scores 57/100)Healthcare: 9.1 of 61 points (scores 82/100)Internet: 7.5 of 61 points (scores 68/100)Visa ease: 10.2 of 61 points (scores 92/100)Getting there & around: 4.9 of 61 points (scores 44/100)Climate: 3.7 of 61 points (scores 33/100)Air quality: 7.6 of 61 points (scores 69/100)Quality of life: 7.5 of 61 points (scores 68/100)61
Uvita
out of 100

Costa Ballena surf-and-whale village on Costa Rica's quiet south Pacific

Full Uvita profile →Where to stay in Uvita →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricNosaraUvita
Cost of living3939
Safety5757
Healthcare8282
Internet6568 ✓
Visa ease9292
Getting there & around3944 ✓
Climate1733 ✓
Air quality6769 ✓
Quality of life6868

Cost

MetricNosaraUvita
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,700$1,700
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricNosaraUvita
Homicides per 100k17.1217.12
Political stability (0–100)8787
UHC service coverage (0–100)8484
Life expectancy78.6 yrs78.6 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricNosaraUvita
Download29.9 Mbps36.5 Mbps ✓
Upload9.9 Mbps10 Mbps ✓

Visa

MetricNosaraUvita
Nomad visaRemote worker and service provider stay (digital nomad permit)Remote worker and service provider stay (digital nomad permit)
Minimum income for the visa$3,000/mo$3,000/mo
Entry, US passport180 days180 days
Entry, EU passport180 days180 days
Entry, UK passport180 days180 days

Getting there and around

MetricNosaraUvita
Non-stop airport destinations3253 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)22
Transit (1–5, editorial)11

Climate and air

MetricNosaraUvita
Comfortable months per year24 ✓
Annual mean PM2.520 µg/m³19.1 µg/m³ ✓

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Nosara or Uvita?
Uvita is cheaper: about $1,700 per month versus $1,700 for one person.
Is Nosara or Uvita safer?
Nosara scores higher on safety (57 vs 57), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Nosara or Uvita?
Uvita: a measured median of 36.5 Mbps versus 29.9 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); 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); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.