City in Chile
Viña del Mar
Viña del Mar is a seaside city on Chile's central coast, 120 km from Santiago by the municipality's account. It counted 334,871 people in the 2024 census, and 21,597 of them were born abroad, the most of any comuna in its region.
- Country
- Chile
- Region
- Región de Valparaíso
- Population
- 334,871 in 2024. Viña del Mar comuna (INE Censo 2024, counted population).
- Settings
- By the sea
- Weather
- Mild, never too hot
The Fernshore Index
How it grades, factor by factor.
The Fernshore Index grades a place factor by factor. Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.
Cost of living
70 of 100StrongCountry figure
Price level 0.476 of United States prices (2025).
Climate
50 of 100MixedOwn figure
Normals from the Rodelillo station in Viña del Mar (330 m above the sea, so shore temperatures may differ): 7 comfortable months a year (January to April and October to December); monthly average daily highs run 15.0 to 23.3 °C and June's rain is over 150 mm.
Safety
55 of 100MixedCountry figure
Global Peace Index 2026: 52nd of 163.
Healthcare
79 of 100StrongCountry figure
WHO UHC service coverage index 84 (2023).
Schools
UnknownCountry figure
Our research doesn't cover schools yet.
Community
UnknownCountry figure
We have no sourced figure for this yet.
Lifestyle
UnknownCountry figure
We have no sourced figure for this yet.
Work and career
15 of 100WeakCountry figure
Weak: neither test holds. SERMIG's 15 temporary residence categories include none for remote work for a foreign employer or clients (the paid-work category needs an employer in Chile), and fixed broadband is 23.73 per 100 people (2024), under the 30 line.
Retirement
85 of 100StrongCountry figure
Strong: retirees and people with steady rents or financial income can apply for temporary residence from abroad, the permit admits an application for permanent residence, and the law sets 24 months of temporary residence for that. No age minimum or deposit is printed, and no income amount (the test is basic needs by a ministry's indicators).
Internet
53 of 100MixedCountry figure
23.73 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people (2024).
English
45 of 100MixedCountry figure
EF EPI score 517, between the 499 and 550 anchors. The page does not print its edition year.
Visa, United States passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for US passports is being checked
Visa, Canada passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for CA passports is being checked
Visa, Australia passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for AU passports is being checked
Visa, New Zealand passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for NZ passports is being checked
Why it is here
Why Viña del Mar is on the list.
A city is listed when there is evidence that people move there. This is the evidence.
More detail
- The 2024 census counted 21,597 people born abroad in Viña del Mar, 6.4% of its 334,871 residents and 21.5% of the Valparaíso region's foreign residents, the most of any comuna in the region.
- INE and SERMIG estimate 645 US nationals living in Viña del Mar at the end of 2023, about a third of the 1,829 in the Valparaíso region.
- SERMIG's office for the Valparaíso region is at Blanco 1791 in neighbouring Valparaíso; its list shows no office in Viña del Mar itself.
The country
More on Chile.
Cost of living
What life costs in Viña del Mar.
Cities
Other cities in Chile.
Questions about Viña del Mar.
How many people live in Viña del Mar?
Viña del Mar counted 334,871 people in the 2024 census, up 0.2% from 334,248 in 2017. Of them, 21,597 (6.4%) were born outside Chile, against 5.3% across the Valparaíso region and 8.7% across Chile.
How many foreigners live in Viña del Mar?
The census counted 21,597 people born abroad in 2024, more than double the 9,897 of 2017, and 21.5% of the region's foreign residents, the most of any comuna there. INE and SERMIG estimated 645 US nationals at the end of 2023; the other launch passports are not broken out.
What is the weather like in Viña del Mar?
At the Rodelillo station, 330 m above the sea, highs run from 15.0 °C in July to 23.3 °C in January (1991 to 2020), with seven comfortable months on our scale. Rain is 524 mm a year, 162 mm in June and under 5 mm in December to February. Shore temperatures may differ.
Is there a SERMIG migration office in Viña del Mar?
No office is listed in Viña del Mar. SERMIG's Valparaíso region office is in neighbouring Valparaíso, at Blanco 1791, Oficina B-6, 4th floor, and it lists another in San Felipe. Opening hours and whether the Valparaíso office serves residence applications were not checked.
Is Viña del Mar on the coast, and how far is it from Santiago?
Yes. The municipality describes a seaside city on the central coast, 120 km from Santiago, about 90 minutes by car, with 13 beaches and 8 km of beaches, promenades and rocks along its shore.
Sources and dates checked
Official sources
- Reporte comunal 2025: Viña del Mar (Censo 2024, INE), Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile (BCN), from INE data. Checked 18 October 2026. Censo 2024: Viña del Mar comuna 334,871 people (334,248 in 2017), of whom 21,597 (6.4%) were born outside Chile; Región de Valparaíso 1,896,053 people and 100,655 born abroad (5.3%).
- Nuestra Ciudad (Viña del Mar), Ilustre Municipalidad de Viña del Mar. Checked 18 October 2026. Describes Viña del Mar as on the central coast of the Valparaíso region, 120 km from Santiago, a seaside resort city with 13 beaches and 8 km of beaches, promenades and rocks along its shore; 90 minutes from Santiago by car.
- Climate normals 1991-2020, Rodelillo, Viña del Mar (WMO 85560), Dirección Meteorológica de Chile (WMO Climate Normals 1991-2020 via NOAA NCEI). Checked 18 October 2026. The Rodelillo aerodrome station at 33°03'55" S 71°33'23" W and 330 m, in the Rodelillo district of Viña del Mar (the municipality's history page places Rodelillo in the city). Monthly mean daily highs January to December: 23.3, 22.6, 22.0, 19.9, 17.3, 15.5, 15.0, 15.6, 16.9, 18.6, 20.9, 22.3 °C; rain 0.7, 1.1, 3.9, 20.4, 96.0, 161.7, 89.3, 88.7, 37.9, 15.5, 5.0, 3.7 mm (523.9 mm a year). Comfortable months (high 18 to 30 °C and under 150 mm): January to April and October to December = 7. The station is on a hill 330 m above the sea, so shore temperatures may differ. Mean temperatures 17.9 °C (January) and 11.0 °C (July) differ by 6.9 °C. The Punta Ángeles lighthouse station at Valparaíso (WMO 85558, 51 m) publishes rain only (363.1 mm a year, 106.1 mm in June) and no temperatures.
- Minuta población extranjera residente en la comuna de Viña del Mar (February 2026), Servicio Nacional de Migraciones (SERMIG), Departamento de Estudios (Censo 2024, INE). Checked 18 October 2026. 21,597 foreign residents at the 2024 census, up 118.2% from 9,897 in 2017; Viña del Mar holds 21.5% of the Región de Valparaíso's foreign residents, the most of its 38 comunas (Valparaíso 13.1%, San Felipe 8.2%, Quillota 7.9%, Quilpué 7.6%).
- Estimación de personas extranjeras residentes habituales en Chile al 31 de diciembre de 2023: base por regiones y base por comunas, Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas (INE) and Servicio Nacional de Migraciones (SERMIG). Checked 18 October 2026. Estimate of foreign habitual residents at 31 December 2023 (census adjusted with SERMIG records), published 30 December 2024; files '8. baseregiones.csv' and '10. basecomunas.csv', summed over sex and age. Only the United States is named among the launch passports (Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom sit in 'otro país'). US nationals: Chile 14,783; Región Metropolitana 9,387; Valparaíso region 1,829. By comuna: Las Condes 1,996, Lo Barnechea 1,198, Providencia 1,030, Vitacura 883, Santiago 767, Viña del Mar 645, Ñuñoa 532, Colina 363, Valparaíso 298. The comuna file lists the larger comunas only and groups the rest as 'otras comunas' (3,405 US nationals).
- Oficinas regionales (SERMIG offices), Servicio Nacional de Migraciones (SERMIG), Ministerio del Interior. Checked 18 October 2026. Page dated 30 September 2026. Región Metropolitana: San Antonio 580, Santiago (no in-person service at this address) and San Carlos de Ancud 402, locales 9 to 13, Boulevard Plaza Vespucio, La Florida. Región de Valparaíso: Blanco 1791, Oficina B-6, 4th floor, Valparaíso, and Salinas 1231, 4th floor, San Felipe. No office is listed in Viña del Mar.
- Price level index (GDP), Chile, World Bank. Checked 18 October 2026. 2025: 47.64 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 18 October 2026.
- UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization. Checked 18 October 2026. Chile: 84 out of 100 (2023), read from the WHO GHO API (UHC_INDEX_REPORTED) on 18 October 2026.
- Subcategorías de Residencia Temporal (list of 15), Servicio Nacional de Migraciones (SERMIG), Ministerio del Interior. Checked 18 October 2026. Page last updated 8 April 2025. The 15 subcategories: family reunification; paid lawful activities (needs an employer in Chile); students; seasonal workers; people in custody; court order; humanitarian reasons; international agreements; religious; medical treatment; retirees or rentistas; former permanent residents; investors; multiple-entry business; Mercosur reciprocity. The page does not mention remote work, teleworking or digital nomads. Article 10 of Decreto 177 of 2022 (letters a to p) likewise has no permit for remote work; its job-search permit (oportunidades laborales) is quota-based and for looking for work in Chile.
- Permanencia Transitoria (tourist and short stays), Servicio Nacional de Migraciones (SERMIG), Ministerio del Interior. Checked 18 October 2026. Page updated 14 October 2025. Up to 90 days, extendable once for up to 90 days for US$100 (children exempt); no prior authorisation or visa in general, but some nationalities need prior authorisation from a Chilean consulate (the page points to the consular list and names no countries); holders may not do paid activities, apart from specific one-off ones (shows, sport, conferences, technical advice) that SERMIG authorises. Remote work is not mentioned.
- Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Chile, International Telecommunication Union, via the World Bank. Checked 18 October 2026. 2024: 23.73 per 100 people (2025 not yet published), read from the World Bank API on 18 October 2026.
- Extranjeros jubilados y rentistas (Residencia Temporal, subcategory 11), Servicio Nacional de Migraciones (SERMIG), Ministerio del Interior. Checked 18 October 2026. Page last updated 18 December 2025. Only available from abroad. Retirees: a pension that covers at least basic needs in Chile by Ministerio de Desarrollo Social y Familia indicators, with a pension certificate and the last payment slip. Rentistas: steady income from property or financial assets that covers at least basic needs. The page prints no amount, no age minimum and no deposit, and it does not give the validity, fees, whether it leads to permanent residence or whether work is allowed. Extension needs proof the person is still a retiree or rentista with enough income.
- Decreto 177 de 2022: reglamento de subcategorías de residencia temporal (articles 10, 53 to 59), Ministerio del Interior y Seguridad Pública (BCN LeyChile, official legal database). Checked 18 October 2026. Text as published 14 May 2022. Article 10 lists the subcategories, including 'permiso para extranjeros jubilados y para rentistas', and says holders of these permits may apply for permanent residence except those under letters d, f, g and k (the retiree and rentista permit is letter l). Articles 53 to 59 set the conditions: a pension or steady income enough for basic needs by the Ministerio de Desarrollo Social y Familia's indicators, applied for from abroad, extendable on proof. No amount is printed.
- Ley 21.325 de Migración y Extranjería, articles 72 and 79, Congreso Nacional de Chile (BCN LeyChile, official legal database). Checked 18 October 2026. Article 79: permanent residence may be granted to holders of a temporary permit that admits it who have lived in Chile as such for at least 24 months; a regulation may extend that to up to 48 months in some cases. Article 72: temporary residence lasts up to two years, extendable by up to two more.
Index measures and references (not official sources)
- Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank, Institute for Economics and Peace. Checked 18 October 2026. Chile ranks 52nd of 163 countries (score 1.826); the report calls it the second most peaceful country in South America and the largest percentage improver in the region.
- EF English Proficiency Index: Chile, EF Education First (private test-taker index). Checked 18 October 2026. Score 517, global rank 54, down 8 points on the previous score. The page does not print its edition year; it is the live country page read on 18 October 2026.