Potosí vs Puerto Varas
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Puerto Varas edges it, 53 to 44, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Potosí is stronger on nothing outright; Puerto Varas on healthcare, quality of life, internet. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Colonial silver-mine city at 4,090 m, one of the highest on Earth
Full Potosí profile →Plan a trip to Potosí →German-settled lake town with volcano views, gateway to Chilean Patagonia
Full Puerto Varas profile →Plan a trip to Puerto Varas →Where they differ
- Healthcare. Puerto Varas leads on healthcare, 87 to 65, against Potosí. Health coverage index: 67 vs 84.
- Quality of life. Puerto Varas leads on quality of life, 76 to 57, against Potosí.
- Internet. Puerto Varas leads on internet, 65 to 53, against Potosí. Measured download: 14.8 Mbps vs 27.2 Mbps.
Where they are close. Within five points on visa ease, air quality, safety.
Pick Potosí if you want
- no clear edge over Puerto Varas in the data
Pick Puerto Varas if you want
- faster internet (27.2 Mbps measured)
- stronger healthcare
- more flights and easier getting around
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Potosí | Puerto Varas |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | 50 |
| Safety | 58 ✓ | 56 |
| Healthcare | 65 | 87 ✓ |
| Internet | 53 | 65 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 42 | 46 ✓ |
| Getting there & around | 11 | 21 ✓ |
| Climate | 0 | 8 ✓ |
| Air quality | 70 ✓ | 67 |
| Quality of life | 57 | 76 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Potosí | Puerto Varas |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | $1,650 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Potosí | Puerto Varas |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 3.65 ✓ | 6.11 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 62.7 | 68.6 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 67 | 84 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 73.1 yrs | 81.1 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Potosí | Puerto Varas |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 14.8 Mbps | 27.2 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 8.1 Mbps | 18.7 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Potosí | Puerto Varas |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | visa on arrival | 90 days ✓ |
| Entry, EU passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Potosí | Puerto Varas |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 4 | 6 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 4 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 2 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | Potosí | Puerto Varas |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 0 | 1 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 18.6 µg/m³ ✓ | 19.8 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Potosí or Puerto Varas?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Potosí or Puerto Varas safer?
- Potosí scores higher on safety (58 vs 56), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Potosí or Puerto Varas?
- Puerto Varas: a measured median of 27.2 Mbps versus 14.8 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More 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); OpenFlights airports and routes; 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); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.