---
title: "Arica vs Valparaíso for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/arica-vs-valparaiso
description: "Under balanced weights Valparaíso edges it, 63 to 61, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Arica is stronger on climate; Valparaíso on cost of living, getting there & around. 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
---

# Arica vs Valparaíso for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Valparaíso edges it, 63 to 61, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Arica is stronger on climate; Valparaíso on cost of living, getting there & around. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Climate.** Arica leads on climate, 58 to 42, against Valparaíso. Comfortable months: 7 vs 5.
- **Cost of living.** Valparaíso leads on cost of living, 66 to 50, against Arica. Monthly cost, one person: $1,650 vs $1,183.
- **Getting there & around.** Valparaíso leads on getting there & around, 30 to 16, against Arica. Non-stop airport destinations: 5 vs 69.

Where they are close: within five points on air quality, internet, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.

**Pick Arica if you want** a longer comfortable season (7 months against 5).

**Pick Valparaíso if you want** to spend about $467 less a month; more flights and easier getting around.

## Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

| Metric | Arica | Valparaíso | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 50 | 66 | Valparaíso |
| Safety | 56 | 56 | tie |
| Healthcare | 87 | 87 | tie |
| Internet | 75 | 79 | Valparaíso |
| Visa ease | 46 | 46 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 16 | 30 | Valparaíso |
| Climate | 58 | 42 | Arica |
| Air quality | 85 | 81 | Arica |
| Quality of life | 76 | 76 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Arica | Valparaíso | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,650 | $1,183 | Valparaíso |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | $518 | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Arica | Valparaíso | 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 | Arica | Valparaíso | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 59.4 Mbps | 59.1 Mbps | Arica |
| Upload | 10.3 Mbps | 35.1 Mbps | Valparaíso |

## Visa

| Metric | Arica | Valparaíso | 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 | Arica | Valparaíso | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 5 | 69 | Valparaíso |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 | Valparaíso |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Arica | Valparaíso | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 7 | 5 | Arica |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 11.6 µg/m³ | 13.7 µg/m³ | Arica |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Arica or Valparaíso?

Valparaíso is cheaper: about $1,183 per month versus $1,650 for one person.

### Is Arica or Valparaíso safer?

Arica and Valparaíso score the same on safety (56), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Arica or Valparaíso?

Arica: a measured median of 59.4 Mbps versus 59.1 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Arica](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/arica) · [Valparaíso](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/valparaiso). 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/arica-vs-valparaiso