Arica vs La Serena
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights La Serena edges it, 62 to 61, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Chile's sunny northern tip of surf, desert valleys and Chinchorro mummies
Full Arica profile →Plan a trip to Arica →Chile's second-oldest city, with a long beach, pisco valleys and dark skies
Full La Serena profile →Plan a trip to La Serena →Where they differ
- Climate. La Serena leads on climate, 67 to 58, against Arica. Comfortable months: 7 vs 8.
- Internet. La Serena leads on internet, 81 to 75, against Arica. Measured download: 59.4 Mbps vs 78.5 Mbps.
Where they are close. Within five points on air quality, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, getting there & around, quality of life.
Pick Arica if you want
- no clear edge over La Serena in the data
Pick La Serena if you want
- faster internet (78.5 Mbps measured)
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Arica | La Serena |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 50 | 50 |
| Safety | 56 | 56 |
| Healthcare | 87 | 87 |
| Internet | 75 | 81 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 46 | 46 |
| Getting there & around | 16 | 16 |
| Climate | 58 | 67 ✓ |
| Air quality | 85 ✓ | 84 |
| Quality of life | 76 | 76 |
Cost
| Metric | Arica | La Serena |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Arica | La Serena |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Arica | La Serena |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 59.4 Mbps | 78.5 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 10.3 Mbps | 16.4 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Arica | La Serena |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Arica | La Serena |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 5 | 5 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Arica | La Serena |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 7 | 8 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 11.6 µg/m³ ✓ | 12.2 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Arica or La Serena?
- Arica and La Serena cost about the same: roughly $1,650 per month for one person.
- Is Arica or La Serena safer?
- Arica and La Serena score the same on safety (56), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Arica or La Serena?
- La Serena: a measured median of 78.5 Mbps versus 59.4 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Arica vs Viña del Mar
- Arica vs Rincón (Puerto Rico)
- La Serena vs Antofagasta
- La Serena 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); 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 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.