NavoyNostos

Santa Maria (Sal) vs Swakopmund

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Santa Maria (Sal) edges it, 59 to 58, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Santa Maria (Sal) is stronger on healthcare, getting there & around; Swakopmund on air quality, visa ease, quality of life. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Safety: 8.0 of 59 points (scores 64/100)Healthcare: 9.0 of 59 points (scores 72/100)Internet: 4.3 of 59 points (scores 34/100)Visa ease: 8.0 of 59 points (scores 64/100)Getting there & around: 3.2 of 59 points (scores 26/100)Climate: 12.5 of 59 points (scores 100/100)Air quality: 8.4 of 59 points (scores 67/100)Quality of life: 5.4 of 59 points (scores 43/100)59
Santa Maria (Sal)
out of 100

Sal's beach-resort town with trade-wind kitesurfing and direct European flights

Full Santa Maria (Sal) profile →Plan a trip to Santa Maria (Sal) →
Safety: 7.0 of 58 points (scores 56/100)Healthcare: 6.8 of 58 points (scores 54/100)Internet: 4.0 of 58 points (scores 32/100)Visa ease: 9.5 of 58 points (scores 76/100)Getting there & around: 1.9 of 58 points (scores 15/100)Climate: 12.5 of 58 points (scores 100/100)Air quality: 10.1 of 58 points (scores 80/100)Quality of life: 6.7 of 58 points (scores 54/100)58
Swakopmund
out of 100

German colonial seaside town where the Namib dunes meet the Atlantic

Full Swakopmund profile →Plan a trip to Swakopmund →

Where they differ

  • Healthcare. Santa Maria (Sal) leads on healthcare, 72 to 54, against Swakopmund. Health coverage index: 71 vs 66.
  • Air quality. Swakopmund leads on air quality, 80 to 67, against Santa Maria (Sal). PM2.5: 19.9 µg/m³ vs 13.8 µg/m³.
  • Visa ease. Swakopmund leads on visa ease, 76 to 64, against Santa Maria (Sal).

Where they are close. Within five points on internet, climate.

Pick Santa Maria (Sal) if you want

  • faster internet (7.2 Mbps measured)
  • the safer country figures
  • stronger healthcare
  • more flights and easier getting around

Pick Swakopmund if you want

  • cleaner air

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricSanta Maria (Sal)Swakopmund
Cost of livingno datano data
Safety64 ✓56
Healthcare72 ✓54
Internet34 ✓32
Visa ease6476 ✓
Getting there & around26 ✓15
Climate100100
Air quality6780 ✓
Quality of life4354 ✓

Cost

MetricSanta Maria (Sal)Swakopmund
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one cityno datano data
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricSanta Maria (Sal)Swakopmund
Homicides per 100k6.99 ✓11.21
Political stability (0–100)80.7 ✓78.6
UHC service coverage (0–100)71 ✓66
Life expectancy76.2 yrs ✓65.7 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricSanta Maria (Sal)Swakopmund
Download7.2 Mbps ✓5.2 Mbps
Upload0.9 Mbps1.7 Mbps ✓

Visa

MetricSanta Maria (Sal)Swakopmund
Nomad visaRemote Working Program (six-month temporary visa)Digital nomad visa
Minimum income for the visa$1,678/mo ✓$2,000/mo
Entry, US passport30 days90 days ✓
Entry, EU passport30 days90 days ✓
Entry, UK passport30 days90 days ✓

Getting there and around

MetricSanta Maria (Sal)Swakopmund
Non-stop airport destinations41 ✓2
Walkability (1–5, editorial)44
Transit (1–5, editorial)2 ✓1

Climate and air

MetricSanta Maria (Sal)Swakopmund
Comfortable months per year1212
Annual mean PM2.519.9 µg/m³13.8 µg/m³ ✓

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Santa Maria (Sal) or Swakopmund?
We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
Is Santa Maria (Sal) or Swakopmund safer?
Santa Maria (Sal) scores higher on safety (64 vs 56), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Santa Maria (Sal) or Swakopmund?
Santa Maria (Sal): a measured median of 7.2 Mbps versus 5.2 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 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.