NavoyNostos

Pedasí vs Uvita

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Uvita edges it, 61 to 61, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Pedasí is stronger on getting there & around; Uvita on visa ease. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 4.8 of 61 points (scores 43/100)Safety: 5.4 of 61 points (scores 48/100)Healthcare: 8.7 of 61 points (scores 78/100)Internet: 7.8 of 61 points (scores 70/100)Visa ease: 8.8 of 61 points (scores 79/100)Getting there & around: 6.1 of 61 points (scores 55/100)Climate: 3.7 of 61 points (scores 33/100)Air quality: 8.6 of 61 points (scores 78/100)Quality of life: 6.8 of 61 points (scores 61/100)61
Pedasí
out of 100

Sleepy Azuero fishing town with surf at Playa Venao and dry-season sun

Full Pedasí profile →Where to stay in Pedasí →
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)

MetricPedasíUvita
Cost of living43 ✓39
Safety4857 ✓
Healthcare7882 ✓
Internet70 ✓68
Visa ease7992 ✓
Getting there & around55 ✓44
Climate3333
Air quality78 ✓69
Quality of life6168 ✓

Cost

MetricPedasíUvita
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,550 ✓$1,700
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricPedasíUvita
Homicides per 100k12.78 ✓17.12
Political stability (0–100)69.987 ✓
UHC service coverage (0–100)8284 ✓
Life expectancy77.2 yrs78.6 yrs ✓

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricPedasíUvita
Download42.3 Mbps ✓36.5 Mbps
Upload9.9 Mbps10 Mbps ✓

Visa

MetricPedasíUvita
Nomad visaShort-stay visa for remote workersRemote 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 passport90 days180 days ✓
Entry, UK passport90 days180 days ✓

Getting there and around

MetricPedasíUvita
Non-stop airport destinations94 ✓53
Walkability (1–5, editorial)3 ✓2
Transit (1–5, editorial)11

Climate and air

MetricPedasíUvita
Comfortable months per year44
Annual mean PM2.515.1 µg/m³ ✓19.1 µg/m³

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Pedasí or Uvita?
Pedasí is cheaper: about $1,550 per month versus $1,700 for one person.
Is Pedasí or Uvita safer?
Uvita scores higher on safety (57 vs 48), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Pedasí or Uvita?
Pedasí: a measured median of 42.3 Mbps versus 36.5 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.