Willemstad vs Zihuatanejo
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Willemstad edges it, 63 to 60, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Willemstad is stronger on nothing outright; Zihuatanejo on visa ease. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Pastel UNESCO harbour with a six-month remote-work permit
Full Willemstad profile →Plan a trip to Willemstad →Fishing-town bay beside the Ixtapa resort strip
Full Zihuatanejo profile →Plan a trip to Zihuatanejo →Where they differ
- Visa ease. Zihuatanejo leads on visa ease, 90 to 77, against Willemstad.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, air quality, getting there & around, climate.
Pick Willemstad if you want
- a dedicated digital-nomad visa
Pick Zihuatanejo if you want
- the safer country figures
- stronger healthcare
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Willemstad | Zihuatanejo |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | 58 |
| Safety | no data | 28 |
| Healthcare | no data | 75 |
| Internet | 67 ✓ | 65 |
| Visa ease | 77 | 90 ✓ |
| Getting there & around | 18 ✓ | 17 |
| Climate | 67 | 67 |
| Air quality | 84 | 86 ✓ |
| Quality of life | no data | 57 |
Cost
| Metric | Willemstad | Zihuatanejo |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | $1,400 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Willemstad | Zihuatanejo |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | no data | 25.64 |
| Political stability (0–100) | no data | 55 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | no data | 79 |
| Life expectancy | no data | 75.3 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Willemstad | Zihuatanejo |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 36.6 Mbps ✓ | 32.1 Mbps |
| Upload | 9.3 Mbps ✓ | 7.9 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Willemstad | Zihuatanejo |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | @HOME in Curaçao remote-worker permit ✓ | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 180 days ✓ |
| Entry, EU passport | unlimited | 180 days |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 180 days ✓ |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Willemstad | Zihuatanejo |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 21 ✓ | 17 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Willemstad | Zihuatanejo |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 8 | 8 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 12.2 µg/m³ | 11.4 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Willemstad or Zihuatanejo?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Willemstad or Zihuatanejo safer?
- Safety data is missing for one of the two cities.
- Where is the internet faster, Willemstad or Zihuatanejo?
- Willemstad: a measured median of 36.6 Mbps versus 32.1 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); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; 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.