NavoyNostos

Santander vs Zaragoza

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Santander edges it, 71 to 70, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Santander is stronger on nothing outright; Zaragoza on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 3.3 of 71 points (scores 29/100)Safety: 8.4 of 71 points (scores 76/100)Healthcare: 9.7 of 71 points (scores 88/100)Internet: 9.9 of 71 points (scores 89/100)Visa ease: 8.9 of 71 points (scores 80/100)Getting there & around: 6.5 of 71 points (scores 59/100)Climate: 4.6 of 71 points (scores 42/100)Air quality: 10.5 of 71 points (scores 95/100)Quality of life: 8.9 of 71 points (scores 80/100)71
Santander
out of 100

Cantabrian port with city beaches and green hills

Full Santander profile →Hotels in Spain →
Cost of living: 3.3 of 70 points (scores 29/100)Safety: 8.4 of 70 points (scores 76/100)Healthcare: 9.7 of 70 points (scores 88/100)Internet: 9.1 of 70 points (scores 82/100)Visa ease: 8.9 of 70 points (scores 80/100)Getting there & around: 6.0 of 70 points (scores 54/100)Climate: 5.6 of 70 points (scores 50/100)Air quality: 10.5 of 70 points (scores 94/100)Quality of life: 8.9 of 70 points (scores 80/100)70
Zaragoza
out of 100

Spain's affordable fifth city between Madrid and Barcelona

Full Zaragoza profile →Where to stay in Zaragoza →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricSantanderZaragoza
Cost of living2929
Safety7676
Healthcare8888
Internet89 ✓82
Visa ease8080
Getting there & around59 ✓54
Climate4250 ✓
Air quality95 ✓94
Quality of life8080

Cost

MetricSantanderZaragoza
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$2,200$2,200
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricSantanderZaragoza
Homicides per 100k0.730.73
Political stability (0–100)68.768.7
UHC service coverage (0–100)8484
Life expectancy82.7 yrs82.7 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricSantanderZaragoza
Download91.9 Mbps ✓62.2 Mbps
Upload77.8 Mbps ✓49.4 Mbps

Visa

MetricSantanderZaragoza
Nomad visaInternational teleworking visa (digital nomad visa)International teleworking visa (digital nomad visa)
Minimum income for the visa$2,741/mo$2,741/mo
Entry, US passport90 days90 days
Entry, EU passportunlimitedunlimited
Entry, UK passport90 days90 days

Getting there and around

MetricSantanderZaragoza
Non-stop airport destinations30 ✓11
Walkability (1–5, editorial)44
Transit (1–5, editorial)34 ✓

Climate and air

MetricSantanderZaragoza
Comfortable months per year56 ✓
Annual mean PM2.57.4 µg/m³ ✓7.6 µg/m³

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Santander or Zaragoza?
Zaragoza is cheaper: about $2,200 per month versus $2,200 for one person.
Is Santander or Zaragoza safer?
Santander scores higher on safety (76 vs 76), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Santander or Zaragoza?
Santander: a measured median of 91.9 Mbps versus 62.2 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); 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); 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.