---
title: "Antofagasta vs Arica for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/antofagasta-vs-arica
description: "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."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# 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.

## 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 | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 50 | 50 | tie |
| Safety | 56 | 56 | tie |
| Healthcare | 87 | 87 | tie |
| Internet | 66 | 75 | Arica |
| Visa ease | 46 | 46 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 11 | 16 | Arica |
| Climate | 83 | 58 | Antofagasta |
| Air quality | 84 | 85 | Arica |
| Quality of life | 76 | 76 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Antofagasta | Arica | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,650 | $1,650 | tie |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Antofagasta | Arica | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 6.11 | 6.11 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 68.6 | 68.6 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 84 | 84 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 81.1 yrs | 81.1 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Antofagasta | Arica | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 32.1 Mbps | 59.4 Mbps | Arica |
| Upload | 11.1 Mbps | 10.3 Mbps | Antofagasta |

## Visa

| Metric | Antofagasta | Arica | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Antofagasta | Arica | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 5 | 5 | tie |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 | Arica |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Antofagasta | Arica | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 10 | 7 | Antofagasta |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 12 µg/m³ | 11.6 µg/m³ | Arica |

## FAQ

### 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).

City pages: [Antofagasta](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/antofagasta) · [Arica](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/arica). 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.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/antofagasta-vs-arica