Antofagasta vs Arica
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Antofagasta edges it, 62 to 61, winning 1 of the 9 factors. Antofagasta is stronger on climate; Arica on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Mining port on the Atacama coast, Chile's richest region with few tourists
Full Antofagasta profile →Plan a trip to Antofagasta →Chile's sunny northern tip of surf, desert valleys and Chinchorro mummies
Full Arica profile →Plan a trip to Arica →Where they differ
- Climate. Antofagasta leads on climate, 83 to 58, against Arica. Comfortable months: 10 vs 7.
- Internet. Arica leads on internet, 75 to 66, against Antofagasta. Measured download: 32.1 Mbps vs 59.4 Mbps.
- Getting there & around. Arica leads on getting there & around, 16 to 11, against Antofagasta. Non-stop airport destinations: 5 vs 5.
Where they are close. Within five points on air quality, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Antofagasta if you want
- a longer comfortable season (10 months against 7)
Pick Arica if you want
- faster internet (59.4 Mbps measured)
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Antofagasta | Arica |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 50 | 50 |
| Safety | 56 | 56 |
| Healthcare | 87 | 87 |
| Internet | 66 | 75 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 46 | 46 |
| Getting there & around | 11 | 16 ✓ |
| Climate | 83 ✓ | 58 |
| Air quality | 84 | 85 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 76 | 76 |
Cost
| Metric | Antofagasta | Arica |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,650 | $1,650 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Antofagasta | Arica |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 6.11 | 6.11 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 68.6 | 68.6 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 84 | 84 |
| Life expectancy | 81.1 yrs | 81.1 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Antofagasta | Arica |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 32.1 Mbps | 59.4 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 11.1 Mbps ✓ | 10.3 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Antofagasta | Arica |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Entry, EU passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Antofagasta | Arica |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 5 | 5 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Antofagasta | Arica |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 10 ✓ | 7 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 12 µg/m³ | 11.6 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Antofagasta or Arica?
- Antofagasta and Arica cost about the same: roughly $1,650 per month for one person.
- Is Antofagasta or Arica safer?
- Antofagasta and Arica score the same on safety (56), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Antofagasta or Arica?
- Arica: a measured median of 59.4 Mbps versus 32.1 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Antofagasta vs Iquique
- Antofagasta vs La Serena
- Arica vs La Serena
- Arica vs Viña del Mar
- All comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; 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); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.