Panama City vs Viña del Mar
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Viña del Mar edges it, 61 to 54, winning 8 of the 9 factors. Panama City is stronger on nothing outright; Viña del Mar on safety, climate, internet. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Panama City | Viña del Mar |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 43 | 45 ✓ |
| Safety | 43 | 62 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 77 | 81 ✓ |
| Internet | 65 | 79 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 52 ✓ | 46 |
| Getting there & around | 28 | 35 ✓ |
| Climate | 33 | 50 ✓ |
| Air quality | 79 | 80 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 61 | 74 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Panama City | Viña del Mar |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,742 | $1,650 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $1,055 | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Panama City | Viña del Mar |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 20.3 | 3.8 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 70.4 ✓ | 68 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 82 | 84 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 77.2 yrs | 79 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Panama City | Viña del Mar |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 43.6 Mbps | 81.6 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 9.9 Mbps | 16.3 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Panama City | Viña del Mar |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Visa-free days, US passport | 180 days ✓ | 90 days |
| Visa-free days, EU passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Visa-free days, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Panama City | Viña del Mar |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 93 ✓ | 70 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 4 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Panama City | Viña del Mar |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 6 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 14.3 µg/m³ | 14.1 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Panama City or Viña del Mar?
- Viña del Mar is cheaper: about $1,650 per month versus $1,742 for one person.
- Is Panama City or Viña del Mar safer?
- Viña del Mar scores higher on safety (62 vs 43), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Panama City or Viña del Mar?
- Viña del Mar: a measured median of 81.6 Mbps versus 43.6 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
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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; 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). Dataset 2026.09.4. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.