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Cusco vs Ushuaia

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Ushuaia edges it, 56 to 51, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Cusco is stronger on internet; Ushuaia on quality of life, safety, healthcare. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 5.3 of 51 points (scores 47/100)Safety: 4.9 of 51 points (scores 44/100)Healthcare: 6.9 of 51 points (scores 62/100)Internet: 6.8 of 51 points (scores 62/100)Visa ease: 8.4 of 51 points (scores 75/100)Getting there & around: 4.2 of 51 points (scores 38/100)Climate: 0.0 of 51 points (scores 0/100)Air quality: 8.3 of 51 points (scores 75/100)Quality of life: 6.1 of 51 points (scores 55/100)51
Cusco
out of 100

Inca capital at 3,400 metres

Full Cusco profile →Where to stay in Cusco →
Cost of living: 6.1 of 56 points (scores 55/100)Safety: 6.8 of 56 points (scores 61/100)Healthcare: 8.1 of 56 points (scores 73/100)Internet: 5.4 of 56 points (scores 48/100)Visa ease: 7.9 of 56 points (scores 71/100)Getting there & around: 4.1 of 56 points (scores 37/100)Climate: 0.0 of 56 points (scores 0/100)Air quality: 9.3 of 56 points (scores 84/100)Quality of life: 8.7 of 56 points (scores 79/100)56
Ushuaia
out of 100

The world's southernmost city, gateway to Antarctica and Tierra del Fuego

Full Ushuaia profile →Where to stay in Ushuaia →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricCuscoUshuaia
Cost of living4755 ✓
Safety4461 ✓
Healthcare6273 ✓
Internet62 ✓48
Visa ease75 ✓71
Getting there & around38 ✓37
Climate00
Air quality7584 ✓
Quality of life5579 ✓

Cost

MetricCuscoUshuaia
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,383$1,150 ✓
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricCuscoUshuaia
Homicides per 100k8.63.94 ✓
Political stability (0–100)56.968.4 ✓
UHC service coverage (0–100)6880 ✓
Life expectancy71.7 yrs74.6 yrs ✓

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricCuscoUshuaia
Download22.6 Mbps ✓12.1 Mbps
Upload13.3 Mbps ✓4.6 Mbps

Visa

MetricCuscoUshuaia
Nomad visanone listedDigital nomad transitory residence ✓
Minimum income for the visano datano data
Entry, US passport180 days ✓90 days
Entry, EU passport90 days90 days
Entry, UK passport180 days ✓90 days

Getting there and around

MetricCuscoUshuaia
Non-stop airport destinations69 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)4 ✓3
Transit (1–5, editorial)22

Climate and air

MetricCuscoUshuaia
Comfortable months per year00
Annual mean PM2.516.4 µg/m³12.3 µg/m³ ✓

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Cusco or Ushuaia?
Ushuaia is cheaper: about $1,150 per month versus $1,383 for one person.
Is Cusco or Ushuaia safer?
Ushuaia scores higher on safety (61 vs 44), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Cusco or Ushuaia?
Cusco: a measured median of 22.6 Mbps versus 12.1 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

More comparisons

Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); 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); 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); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.