Explore Cities/Compare Cities/Cuenca vs Puerto Viejo

Cuenca vs Puerto Viejo

Side-by-side comparison for digital nomads

Cuenca 60% cheaper Moderate / N/A

Cuenca

Fernando Tapia/Unsplash

Puerto Viejo

Angello Pro/Unsplash

Nomad Cost

$1,294

Cuenca

$3,244

Puerto Viejo

Internet

110

Mbps

119

Mbps

Safety

Moderate

Cuenca

N/A

Puerto Viejo

Air Quality

5/5

Cuenca

5/5

Puerto Viejo

Healthcare

Moderate

Cuenca

N/A

Puerto Viejo

Population

331.9k

Cuenca

10.0k

Puerto Viejo

Cuenca (Ecuador) and Puerto Viejo (Costa Rica) are both in Latin America, offering different takes on the nomad lifestyle. Here is how they compare across the metrics that matter most.

Cost of Living

The monthly savings are substantial — Cuenca at $1294/mo costs 60% less than Puerto Viejo at $3244/mo, adding up to $23400 over a year.

For families, Cuenca costs $2675.15625/mo compared to Puerto Viejo's $3584.831317886311/mo.

Internet & Infrastructure

Puerto Viejo edges ahead with 119 Mbps (#0 globally) versus Cuenca's 110 Mbps (#0) — a modest difference for most workflows.

Quality of Life

Both Cuenca and Puerto Viejo share the same safety rating — travelers can feel equally comfortable in either city.

Healthcare quality is rated similarly in both Cuenca and Puerto Viejo.

Monthly Weather Comparison

The best time to visit Cuenca is November (around 24 degrees, 0mm rain, score 414), while Puerto Viejo peaks in March (37 degrees, 1mm rain, score 331). Timing your stay around these months can make a big difference in your experience.

Cost of Living

CuencaPuerto Viejo

Nomad$1,294/mo$3,244/mo

Expat$977/mo$1,831/mo

Local$764/mo$1,024/mo

Family$2,675/mo$3,585/mo

Internet & Infrastructure

CuencaPuerto Viejo

City Speed

110 Mbps

119 Mbps

Country Speed110 Mbps119 Mbps

Environment & Health

CuencaPuerto Viejo

Air Quality Score5/55/5

PollutionModerateN/A

ClimateHighN/A

Humidity8678

Quality of Life

CuencaPuerto Viejo

SafetyModerateN/A

HealthcareModerateN/A

Monthly Weather Comparison

Cuenca

Puerto Viejo

Jan

22°

3mm311

36°

3mm300

Feb

23°

7mm250

35°

4mm229

Mar

22°

3mm311

37°

1mm331

Apr

22°

8mm219

37°

3mm295

May

22°

6mm234

38°

3mm300

Jun

20°

3mm296

38°

11mm221

Jul

17°

0mm379

37°

14mm167

Aug

19°

1mm385

38°

5mm290

Sep

20°

0mm399

38°

8mm300

Oct

23°

2mm332

37°

11mm229

Nov

24°

0mm414

36°

18mm182

Dec

22°

9mm250

35°

14mm152

Who Should Choose Cuenca?

Great for budget nomads — monthly costs around $1294
Excellent for video calls and large uploads with 110 Mbps
Clean air with a 5/5 air quality score
Family-friendly at $2675.15625/mo for families
Smaller city feel with 331.9k residents
Peak season in November — 24 degrees, score 414

Who Should Choose Puerto Viejo?

Excellent for video calls and large uploads with 119 Mbps
Clean air with a 5/5 air quality score
Smaller city feel with 10.0k residents
Peak season in March — 37 degrees, score 331

Overall Verdict

The data favors Cuenca as the more well-rounded choice. At $1294/mo versus Puerto Viejo's $3244/mo, that is a 60% saving that adds up significantly on an extended stay.

Granular Price Comparison

Cuenca Puerto Viejo

ItemCuencaPuerto ViejoDiff

🍽️Restaurants8 items

Meal, inexpensive restaurant$10.54—

—

Meal for 2, mid-range (3-course)$34.25—

—

McMeal or equivalent combo$7.9—

—

Cappuccino (regular)$1.26—

—

Domestic beer (0.5L draught)$2.11—

—

Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$2.63—

—

Coke/Pepsi (0.33L)$1.83—

—

Water (0.33L)$0.97—

—

🛒Markets18 items

Milk (1L)$0.68—

—

White bread (500g)$0.66—

—

Eggs (12)$1.99—

—

Chicken fillets (1kg)$5.09—

—

Beef round (1kg)$8.96—

—

Local cheese (1kg)$10.54—

—

Apples (1kg)$1.57—

—

Bananas (1kg)$1.46—

—

Oranges (1kg)$0.63—

—

Tomatoes (1kg)$3.09—

—

Potatoes (1kg)$0.63—

—

Onions (1kg)$1.12—

—

Lettuce (1 head)$1.05—

—

Water (1.5L bottle)$1.02—

—

Wine, mid-range bottle$3.16—

—

Domestic beer (0.5L bottle)$0.48—

—

Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$1.11—

—

Cigarettes (pack of 20)$5.48—

—

🚌Transport7 items

One-way local transport ticket$1.11—

—

Taxi start (normal tariff)$3.74—

—

Taxi per 1km$0.9—

—

Taxi 1hr waiting$18.97—

—

Gasoline (1L)$1.52—

—

Volkswagen Golf (new)$20,021.16—

—

Toyota Corolla (new)$21,074.9—

—

⚡Utilities2 items

Utilities, 85m² apartment/mo$152.79—

—

Internet 60+ Mbps/mo$56.2—

—

🏋️Sport & Leisure3 items

Fitness club, monthly$36.88—

—

Tennis court rent (1hr weekend)$10.54—

—

Cinema, 1 ticket$7.64—

—

👶Childcare1 items

International primary school/yr$3,161.24—

—

👗Clothing4 items

Jeans (Levi's 501 or similar)$59.71—

—

Summer dress (chain store)$29.86—

—

Nike running shoes (mid-range)$89.57—

—

Men's leather business shoes$77.27—

—

🏗️Buy2 items

Price per m², city centre$2,212.86—

—

Price per m², outside centre$1,264.49—

—

💰Finance2 items

Average monthly net salary$1,185.46—

—

Mortgage interest rate (20yr fixed)$3.52—

—

Lower is better for all cost items.

Data from Open-Meteo (weather) and global internet speed rankings. Updated monthly.

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