---
title: "Puerto Viejo de Talamanca vs San Salvador for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/puerto-viejo-de-talamanca-vs-san-salvador
description: "Under balanced weights Puerto Viejo de Talamanca edges it, 61 to 58, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is stronger on quality of life, healthcare, air quality; San Salvador on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.10.7 (2026-10-13)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Puerto Viejo de Talamanca vs San Salvador for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Puerto Viejo de Talamanca edges it, 61 to 58, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is stronger on quality of life, healthcare, air quality; San Salvador on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

| Metric | Puerto Viejo de Talamanca | San Salvador | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 49 | no data | — |
| Safety | 57 | 62 | San Salvador |
| Healthcare | 82 | 68 | Puerto Viejo de Talamanca |
| Internet | 50 | 58 | San Salvador |
| Visa ease | 92 | 90 | Puerto Viejo de Talamanca |
| Getting there & around | 54 | 45 | Puerto Viejo de Talamanca |
| Climate | 33 | 42 | San Salvador |
| Air quality | 67 | 56 | Puerto Viejo de Talamanca |
| Quality of life | 68 | 46 | Puerto Viejo de Talamanca |

## Cost

| Metric | Puerto Viejo de Talamanca | San Salvador | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,318 | no data | — |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $633 | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Puerto Viejo de Talamanca | San Salvador | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 17.12 | 3.3 | San Salvador |
| Political stability (0–100) | 87 | 67.6 | Puerto Viejo de Talamanca |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 84 | 79 | Puerto Viejo de Talamanca |
| Life expectancy | 78.6 yrs | 71.7 yrs | Puerto Viejo de Talamanca |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Puerto Viejo de Talamanca | San Salvador | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 12.7 Mbps | 21.7 Mbps | San Salvador |
| Upload | 5.5 Mbps | 5.8 Mbps | San Salvador |

## Visa

| Metric | Puerto Viejo de Talamanca | San Salvador | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | Remote worker and service provider stay (digital nomad permit) | none listed | Puerto Viejo de Talamanca |
| Minimum income for the visa | $3,000/mo | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | 180 days | 180 days | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | 180 days | 180 days | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | 180 days | 180 days | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Puerto Viejo de Talamanca | San Salvador | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 53 | 33 | Puerto Viejo de Talamanca |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 2 | Puerto Viejo de Talamanca |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 2 | San Salvador |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Puerto Viejo de Talamanca | San Salvador | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 5 | San Salvador |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 20 µg/m³ | 24.7 µg/m³ | Puerto Viejo de Talamanca |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca or San Salvador?

We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.

### Is Puerto Viejo de Talamanca or San Salvador safer?

San Salvador scores higher on safety (62 vs 57), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca or San Salvador?

San Salvador: a measured median of 21.7 Mbps versus 12.7 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Puerto Viejo de Talamanca](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/puerto-viejo-de-talamanca) · [San Salvador](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/san-salvador). 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); 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.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/puerto-viejo-de-talamanca-vs-san-salvador