Calama is characterized by annual precipitation that does not surpass 75 millimetres (3.0 in).

The average temperature is 11.2 °C (52.2 °F) throughout the year (with drastic changes between daily highs of over 20 °C (68 °F) and daily lows below zero in winter and maximums of over 30 °C (86 °F) in summer.

Voltage: The electrical voltage is 220 volts, 50 cycles (220V 50Hz), so devices that operate on 110 v. must use a transformer.

Measurement systems: Chile uses the metric system, where 1 meter is equivalent to 3.3 feet, 1.6 kilometres is equal to 1 mile, and 1 litre is 0.26 gallons.

Tips: There is no rule about tipping; it is customary to leave 10% of total consumption. It is not customary to tip in taxicabs, so this is at the discretion of the user.