Oaxaca City vs Piedras Negras
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Piedras Negras edges it, 59 to 56, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Oaxaca City is stronger on nothing outright; Piedras Negras on internet, air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Food, mezcal and colonial calm
Full Oaxaca City profile →Plan a trip to Oaxaca City →Small Coahuila border city across from Eagle Pass, birthplace of nachos
Full Piedras Negras profile →Plan a trip to Piedras Negras →Where they differ
- Internet. Piedras Negras leads on internet, 68 to 55, against Oaxaca City. Measured download: 18.8 Mbps vs 33.2 Mbps.
- Air quality. Piedras Negras leads on air quality, 88 to 75, against Oaxaca City. PM2.5: 16.2 µg/m³ vs 10.5 µg/m³.
- Climate. Piedras Negras leads on climate, 50 to 42, against Oaxaca City. Comfortable months: 5 vs 6.
Where they are close. Within five points on getting there & around, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Oaxaca City if you want
- no clear edge over Piedras Negras in the data
Pick Piedras Negras if you want
- faster internet (33.2 Mbps measured)
- cleaner air
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Oaxaca City | Piedras Negras |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 58 | 58 |
| Safety | 28 | 28 |
| Healthcare | 75 | 75 |
| Internet | 55 | 68 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 90 | 90 |
| Getting there & around | 22 ✓ | 18 |
| Climate | 42 | 50 ✓ |
| Air quality | 75 | 88 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 57 | 57 |
Cost
| Metric | Oaxaca City | Piedras Negras |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,400 | $1,400 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Oaxaca City | Piedras Negras |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 25.64 | 25.64 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 55 | 55 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 79 | 79 |
| Life expectancy | 75.3 yrs | 75.3 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Oaxaca City | Piedras Negras |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 18.8 Mbps | 33.2 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 5 Mbps | 15.4 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Oaxaca City | Piedras Negras |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | 180 days | 180 days |
| Entry, EU passport | 180 days | 180 days |
| Entry, UK passport | 180 days | 180 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Oaxaca City | Piedras Negras |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 14 | 91 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 ✓ | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 ✓ | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Oaxaca City | Piedras Negras |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 6 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 16.2 µg/m³ | 10.5 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Oaxaca City or Piedras Negras?
- Oaxaca City and Piedras Negras cost about the same: roughly $1,400 per month for one person.
- Is Oaxaca City or Piedras Negras safer?
- Oaxaca City and Piedras Negras score the same on safety (28), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Oaxaca City or Piedras Negras?
- Piedras Negras: a measured median of 33.2 Mbps versus 18.8 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Oaxaca City vs Campeche
- Oaxaca City vs Cuernavaca
- Piedras Negras vs Veracruz
- Piedras Negras vs Campeche
- All 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 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.