San José vs Yerevan
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights San José edges it, 58 to 56, winning 4 of the 9 factors. San José is stronger on healthcare, safety, internet; Yerevan on getting there & around. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | San José | Yerevan |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 50 | no data |
| Safety | 62 ✓ | 48 |
| Healthcare | 81 ✓ | 62 |
| Internet | 60 ✓ | 48 |
| Visa ease | 89 | 90 ✓ |
| Getting there & around | 22 | 37 ✓ |
| Climate | 42 | 50 ✓ |
| Air quality | 47 | 56 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 68 ✓ | 57 |
Cost
| Metric | San José | Yerevan |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,479 | no data |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $738 | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | San José | Yerevan |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 13.5 | 4.1 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 86 ✓ | 53.5 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 84 ✓ | 69 |
| Life expectancy | 78.6 yrs ✓ | 73 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | San José | Yerevan |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 32.5 Mbps ✓ | 15.3 Mbps |
| Upload | 10.2 Mbps | 13.4 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | San José | Yerevan |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Estancia para Trabajador y Prestador Remoto de Servicios ✓ | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | $2,999/mo | no data |
| Visa-free days, US passport | 180 days | 180 days |
| Visa-free days, EU passport | 180 days | 180 days |
| Visa-free days, UK passport | 180 days | 180 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | San José | Yerevan |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 52 | 82 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 4 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | San José | Yerevan |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 6 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 29 µg/m³ | 24.9 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, San José or Yerevan?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is San José or Yerevan safer?
- San José scores higher on safety (62 vs 48), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, San José or Yerevan?
- San José: a measured median of 32.5 Mbps versus 15.3 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
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); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; 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); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); 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); IQAir city air-quality pages (yearly PM2.5 averages). Dataset 2026.09.4. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.