2.69/5
501 reviews
Photo by Abraham De La Cruz via Unsplash

Oaxaca

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culture

cheap

arts

great

charming

full

food

center

underrated

stayed

neighborhood

staying

town

walkable

gorgeous

vibe

relaxed

family

Oaxaca is a charming, affordable, and culturally rich city that is great for digital nomads and families alike. The city has a strong arts scene, with street art, local crafts, and a vibrant creative community. The food is some of the best in Mexico, especially the local specialty, mole. Internet is fast and reliable, and coworking spaces and cafes are plentiful, making it easy to work remotely.

The city is also very walkable, allowing easy exploration of its beautiful streets, rooftop restaurants, and historical sites. Despite being a smaller city, it has a strong nightlife, salsa dancing, and a welcoming atmosphere. Oaxaca has a peaceful, relaxed vibe but still offers plenty to do.

There are a few downsides. Political protests can occasionally block traffic outside the historical center, but they do not generally impact safety. Some visitors noted past issues with garbage removal, though this may not always be a problem. Additionally, those used to larger cities may miss the presence of malls.

Overall, Oaxaca is a hidden gem in Mexico. It offers a unique mix of affordability, culture, walkability, and great food, making it an excellent option for both long-term stays and short visits.

AI-generated summary of reviews

Loved this city! It is not big although has great nightlife, coworkings, amazing streetart and is quite cheap. Although, when I visited in December 2021 they had problems with garbage removal.

3 years ago

Oaxaca is a charming little city full of history and culture. The internet here is strong and reliable and there is a cafe for work from seemingly on every street in El Centro. The food is by far the best in all of Mexico; be sure to try all seven different moles and find your favorite. The only minor downside is that there is are frequent political protests which often block the traffic outside the historical center. However, I never once felt unsafe there. Oaxaca is also the mezcal center of Mexico try "pechuga" which is distilled across a turkey imparting a distinctive umami flavor. I will definitely return to Oaxaca!

3 years ago

Oaxaca is probably the most underrated city for digital nomads in all of Mexico, or maybe I just stayed in the right neighborhood. I stayed in Jalatlaco, a foodie district and I can say that I am blown away by the experience staying in Oaxaca. Oaxaca is full or arts, artisans and creatives. It still has the small town feel but everywhere you look, theres art everywhere and these little piece of details brings a great touch of what could have been a regular town. It doesnt have any malls, but this place is highly livable and walkable. At night, there are salsa dance class in the neighborhood, coffee culture and did i say arts? Oaxaca is the most charming underrated city I have ever been in Mexico! I can easily see myself staying for 6 months in this place each year.

3 years ago

Oaxaca is one of a kind. It's a gorgeous city, incredible culture and the best mexican food around. It's cheap, clean, walkable and has quick wifi. I fell in love with this city. In my opinion, it has a Chiang Mai vibe except smaller and cleaner.

4 years ago

Oaxaca is magical! Tons of cute cafes, rooftop restaurants with gorgeous views of mountains and cathedrals, cheap, beautiful.

4 years ago

Oaxaca is a city of arts, in its style, vibe and people it attracts. It has a wonderfully peaceful and relaxed atmosphere. I was here for a few months and really enjoyed it. I am more a business type of guy but if I'd be more relaxed I could image spending a few years here.

5 years ago

I disagree greatly with Oaxaca not being family friendly in the pros and cons - it's extremely family friendly! There's a free children's Museum, a children's library, plenty of indoor play spaces, lovely playgrounds and the culture itself loves kids.

5 years ago

✅ Very affordable

✅ Very clean

✅ Fast internet

✅ Walkable

✅ Great food

✅ Strong arts and culture scene

✅ Charming and relaxed atmosphere

✅ Good for digital nomads

✅ Family-friendly

✅ Affordable to live

✅ Warm now

✅ Warm all year round

✅ Perfect humidity now

✅ Good air quality on average

✅ Nomads.com members liked going here a lot

✅ Many Nomads.com members have been

✅ Spacious and not crowded

✅ Very easy to make friends

✅ Easy to do business

✅ Roads are pretty safe

✅ Democratic

✅ Safe for women

✅ Very friendly to LGBTQ+

✅ Not many people smoke tobacco

✅ (Medical) marijuana MAY be legal, unenforced or decriminalized (always double check this)

❌ Occasional political protests

❌ Past garbage removal issues

❌ No malls

❌ Freedom of speech is weak

❌ Not very safe

❌ Not much to do

❌ Not many Nomads.com members right now

❌ Quality of education is low

❌ Hospitals are bad

❌ People don't speak English well

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Dec

Feels

73 23°
mild

75 24°
warm

77 25°
warm

79 26°
warm

77 25°
warm

73 23°
mild

72 22°
mild

70 21°
mild

Real

73 23°
mild

74 24°
warm

79 26°
warm

81 27°
warm

77 25°
warm

73 23°
mild

72 22°
mild

70 21°
mild

Humidity

nice
32%

too dry
27%

nice
36%

nice
42%

nice
38%

nice
42%

nice
43%

nice
38%

nice
31%

too dry
30%

Most common

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

☀️ Clear

Rain

dry
2mm

dry
5mm

dry
16mm

dry
30mm

dry
38mm

rainy
170mm

rainy
110mm

rainy
131mm

rainy
167mm

rainy
76mm

dry
11mm

dry
2mm

Cloud

pockets
29%

pockets
11%

pockets
13%

pockets
25%

pockets
40%

cloudy
55%

pockets
44%

pockets
47%

cloudy
53%

pockets
39%

pockets
23%

pockets
15%

Air quality

clean
43 US AQI

okay
59 US AQI

okay
61 US AQI

okay
66 US AQI

okay
70 US AQI

clean
33 US AQI

clean
44 US AQI

clean
30 US AQI

clean
28 US AQI

clean
27 US AQI

clean
41 US AQI

clean
48 US AQI

Sun

avoid sun
8 UVI

avoid sun
11 UVI

avoid sun
13 UVI

avoid sun
12 UVI

avoid sun
11 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

avoid sun
9 UVI

avoid sun
8 UVI

Remote workers

1,218 people

1,160 people

1,036 people

867 people

889 people

1,000 people

514 people

1,000 people

733 people

1,933 people

1,015 people

1,080 people

Green is good. Red is bad. Values shown are the medians of all daily highs in a month based on past few years, not necessarily current numbers. Remote worker count is estimated based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Not all nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

If you'd like to filter destinations based on their climate, try Nomads.com's Climate Finder

Based on Oaxaca's cost of living, here's selected remote jobs that would cover your costs:

	UX UI Designer @ 1840 & Company
	Member of Product Design Core Exper... @ Anchorage Digital
	Senior DevOps Engineer @ Twingate
	Data Science Manager @ Netomi
	Staff Engineer Gaming Backend @ Voodoo
	Senior Software Engineer GoUSD @ BitGo
	Mobile Engineer Mid Level @ CoinGecko
	Senior Fullstack Engineer EMEA @ Aircall
	Lead Product Designer @ AllTrails
	Marketing Lead @ Flow Foundation
	Software Engineer Front End @ Pendo

Help pick the best photos for Oaxaca and improve this page's look by tappingclicking on them and the site saves your feedback Vote photos

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✈️58min

$2,564 / mo

10 Mbps

Puerto Escondido

Mexico

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 31° 88° 28° 82°

✈️11min

$2,000 / mo

🌇 Also went here165 people

Members who have been here

Values shown are estimated visits by traveling remote workers based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Visits to a place are only counted once per year per user, even if they visit more in that year. Not all nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

The chart below shows visitors by nationality normalized for population size. This means we take all trips logged on Nomads.com, check which country of origin the user is from, then divide that total visit count by the country of origin's population. If we didn't, it'd just show the big countries like US, Brazil and India always on top. Instead, this shows which nationalities worldwide proportionally visit more or less, which is more useful.

⭐️ Total score	2.69/5 (Rank #247) 501 reviews
❤️ Liked by members	👍17 liked it 👎1 disliked it
👍 Quality of life score	Okay
👶 Family score	Okay
🎒 Community score	Okay
💵 Cost	😙 Affordable: $1,730 / mo
📡 Internet	😡 Slow: 12Mbps (avg)
😝 Fun	Okay
⛅️ Temperature (now)	🥵 Hot: 27°C81°F (feels 28°C82°F)
💦 Humidity (now)	😊 Comfy: 51%
💨 Air quality (annual)	🌱 Great: 38 US AQI
👌 Safety	Okay
🤮 Food safety*	Great
👮‍♀️ Lack of crime*	Bad
🤝 Lack of racism*	Okay
🎓 Education level*	Mediocre
⚡️ Power grid	Great
🌊 Vulnerability to climate change	Great
💰 Income level*	Very low: $704 / mo
🙊 English speaking*	Bad
🚶 Walkability	Great
🚦 Traffic safety*	Okay
✈️ Airline scores*	Good
🧳 Lost luggage*	Okay
😄 Happiness*	Bad
🍸 Nightlife	Okay
📶 Free WiFi in city
🖥 Places to work from	Great
❄️ A/C or heating	Bad
😁 Friendly to foreigners	Great
🗯 Freedom of speech*	Okay
👩 Female friendly	Okay
🌈 LGBTQ+ friendly	Great
🎅 Startup Score	Bad

🌍 Continent	Latin America
🚩 Country	Mexico
🗓️ Average trip length	14 days
📡 Internet speed (avg)	12 Mbps
⛅️ Weather (now)	☀️ 27°C 81°F + 😊 Comfy (51%) = feels 28°C 82°F
💨 Air quality (annual avg)	👍 38 US AQI
🔌 Power	115V 60Hz
🚕 Best taxi app*	Uber
🚑 Travel medical insurance	Safetywing
💸 100 MXN in USD	USD 4.97
🏧 Suggested ATM take out:	MXN 10,000 = USD 497
💸 Tipping	No
💳 Cashless	💵 No, cash only (esp. for foreigners)
💻 Best coworking space	Hub Oaxaca
🚰 Tap water	🚫 No, not drinkable
♻️ Return rate	👍12% of visitors return
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Population	260,000 people
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 GDP per capita*	$8,444 / year
👫 Gender ratio (population)	👨 43% 👱‍♀️ 57%
👫 Gender ratio (young adults)	👨 51% 👱‍♀️ 49%
👫 Gender ratio (nomads)	👨 69% 👱‍♀️ 31%
🏞 Foreign land ownership allowed	Yes
⛪️ Religious government	Non-religious
💻 Online electronics shop	Linio
🏠 Apartment listings	Comparto Depa
✈️ Best short-haul air carrier	Volaris
✈️ Best int'l air carrier	Aero Mexico

💵 Cost of living for nomad	$1,730 / month
💵 Cost of living for expat	$978 / month
💵 Cost of living for family	$1,921 / month
💵 Cost of living for local	$549 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$1,320 / month
🏡 Airbnb (median price)	$1,405 / month
🏠 1br studio rent in center	$435 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$62 / night
🏠 Airbnb (median price)	$46 / night
🏢 Coworking hot desk	$211 / month
🍛 Dinner	$5
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L)	$1
🍺 Beer in cafe (0.5L)	$1
☕️ Coffee in cafe	$1