Puerto Vallarta vs Tulum
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Tulum edges it, 63 to 61, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Pacific beach town with a strong expat scene
Full Puerto Vallarta profile →Plan a trip to Puerto Vallarta →Where they differ
- Climate. Tulum leads on climate, 75 to 67, against Puerto Vallarta. Comfortable months: 8 vs 9.
- Air quality. Tulum leads on air quality, 93 to 85, against Puerto Vallarta. PM2.5: 11.7 µg/m³ vs 8 µg/m³.
- Internet. Puerto Vallarta leads on internet, 64 to 58, against Tulum. Measured download: 28.6 Mbps vs 19.3 Mbps.
Where they are close. Within five points on getting there & around, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Puerto Vallarta if you want
- faster internet (28.6 Mbps measured)
Pick Tulum if you want
- no clear edge over Puerto Vallarta in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Puerto Vallarta | Tulum |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 58 | 58 |
| Safety | 28 | 28 |
| Healthcare | 75 | 75 |
| Internet | 64 ✓ | 58 |
| Visa ease | 90 | 90 |
| Getting there & around | 27 | 29 ✓ |
| Climate | 67 | 75 ✓ |
| Air quality | 85 | 93 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 57 | 57 |
Cost
| Metric | Puerto Vallarta | Tulum |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,400 | $1,400 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | $821 |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Puerto Vallarta | Tulum |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Puerto Vallarta | Tulum |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 28.6 Mbps ✓ | 19.3 Mbps |
| Upload | 9.5 Mbps ✓ | 8.8 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Puerto Vallarta | Tulum |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Puerto Vallarta | Tulum |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 50 | 133 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 ✓ | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 ✓ | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Puerto Vallarta | Tulum |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 8 | 9 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 11.7 µg/m³ | 8 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Puerto Vallarta or Tulum?
- Puerto Vallarta and Tulum cost about the same: roughly $1,400 per month for one person.
- Is Puerto Vallarta or Tulum safer?
- Puerto Vallarta and Tulum score the same on safety (28), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Puerto Vallarta or Tulum?
- Puerto Vallarta: a measured median of 28.6 Mbps versus 19.3 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Puerto Vallarta vs San Miguel de Allende
- Puerto Vallarta vs Ensenada
- Tulum vs Sayulita
- Tulum vs Todos Santos
- 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); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.3. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.