Antofagasta vs Nouméa
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Nouméa edges it, 71 to 62, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Antofagasta is stronger on nothing outright; Nouméa on air quality, getting there & around, visa ease. 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 →Where to stay in Antofagasta →French Pacific capital on a UNESCO lagoon, expensive and politically tense
Full Nouméa profile →Where to stay in Nouméa →Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Antofagasta | Nouméa |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 41 | no data |
| Safety | 56 | 67 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 82 | no data |
| Internet | 66 | 66 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 46 | 61 ✓ |
| Getting there & around | 26 | 41 ✓ |
| Climate | 83 | 92 ✓ |
| Air quality | 84 | 100 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 74 | no data |
Cost
| Metric | Antofagasta | Nouméa |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,650 | no data |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Antofagasta | Nouméa |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 6.11 | no data |
| Political stability (0–100) | 68.6 | 70.7 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 84 | no data |
| Life expectancy | 79 yrs | no data |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Antofagasta | Nouméa |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 32.1 Mbps ✓ | 31 Mbps |
| Upload | 11.1 Mbps | 13.6 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Antofagasta | Nouméa |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | unlimited ✓ |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Antofagasta | Nouméa |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 5 | 14 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Antofagasta | Nouméa |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 10 | 11 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 12 µg/m³ | 3.9 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Antofagasta or Nouméa?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Antofagasta or Nouméa safer?
- Nouméa scores higher on safety (67 vs 56), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Antofagasta or Nouméa?
- Antofagasta: a measured median of 32.1 Mbps versus 31 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Antofagasta vs La Serena
- Antofagasta vs Asunción
- Nouméa vs Port Louis
- Nouméa vs Grand Baie
- 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); 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); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); 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); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.