---
title: "Living in Cagayan de Oro as a digital nomad: cost, safety, visa, internet"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/cagayan-de-oro
description: "Northern Mindanao's hub, with white-water rafting on its doorstep"
dataset: 2026.10.7 (2026-10-13)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Cagayan de Oro, Philippines

Cagayan de Oro scores 48/100 for digital nomads under balanced weights, ranking 906 of 1000 cities. Expect about $1,150 per month (country-level estimate), a nomad visa (Digital nomad visa (DNV)), and a measured median download speed of 14.7 Mbps.

Cagayan de Oro is the commercial and university hub of Northern Mindanao, with rafting on the Cagayan de Oro River, the Bukidnon highlands behind it and ferries to Camiguin island. It is calm and affordable, but several governments keep broad travel advisories on Mindanao, there is no nomad scene and the airport is about 40 minutes out of town at Laguindingan.

Known for: White-water rafting, Gateway to Camiguin and Bukidnon, Universities and malls, Mindanao travel advisories.

## Scores (balanced weights, 0–100)

| Factor | Score |
| --- | --- |
| Overall | 48 |
| Cost of living | 55 |
| Safety | 47 |
| Healthcare | 54 |
| Internet | 52 |
| Visa ease | 58 |
| Getting there & around | 24 |
| Climate | 25 |
| Air quality | 59 |
| Quality of life | 58 |

## The numbers behind the scores

| Metric | Value | Level | As of | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,150 | country | 2026-09 | [^2] |
| Central 1-bedroom rent | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Outskirts 1-bedroom rent (basis of the monthly total) | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Homicide rate (per 100k) | 4.31 | country | 2024 | [^4] |
| Political stability (0–100) | 51 | country | 2025 | [^5] |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 69 | country | 2023 | [^6] |
| Life expectancy (years) | 66.4 | country | 2021 | [^7] |
| Median download (Mbps) | 14.7 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Median upload (Mbps) | 5.8 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Starlink residential service | Available | country | 2026-10 | [^9] |
| Nomad visa | Digital nomad visa (DNV) | country | 2026-10-13 | [^10] |
| Visa guide | [Philippines long-stay visa guide](https://nostos.navoy.io/visas/philippines) | country | 2026-10-13 | [^10] |
| Entry for US / EU / UK passports | 30 days / 30 days / 30 days | country | 2026-02 | [^11] |
| Non-stop destinations (CGY) | 4 | city | 2026-10 | [^12] |
| Restaurants within 3 km of the centre (OpenStreetMap) | 98 | city | 2026-10 | [^16] |
| Walkability / transit (1–5) | 2 / 2 | editorial | 2026-09 | [^13] |
| Comfortable months | 3 of 12 | city | 2001–2020 | [^14] |
| Annual mean PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 23.4 | city | 2023 | [^15] |
| Human Development Index | 0.72 | country | 2023 | [^17] |
| English proficiency band | high | country | 2024 | [^18] |

## Climate (2001–2020 normals)

| Month | Mean °C | Rain mm | Humidity % | Comfortable |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jan | 26.1 | 157 | 85 | no |
| Feb | 26.2 | 98 | 83 | yes |
| Mar | 26.9 | 76 | 79 | yes |
| Apr | 28 | 71 | 76 | yes |
| May | 28.1 | 157 | 79 | no |
| Jun | 27.5 | 258 | 82 | no |
| Jul | 27.1 | 257 | 83 | no |
| Aug | 27.1 | 206 | 82 | no |
| Sep | 27 | 233 | 83 | no |
| Oct | 27.1 | 238 | 83 | no |
| Nov | 27.1 | 173 | 83 | no |
| Dec | 26.8 | 173 | 85 | no |

## Airports and nonstop flights

| Airport | IATA | Nonstop destinations | International | From US airports |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Laguindingan Airport | CGY | 4 | 0 | 0 |

Unique destinations across all airports: 4, of which 0 international (Wikipedia, 2026-10).

## Similar cities

- [Bacolod](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/bacolod) (49.2) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/bacolod-vs-cagayan-de-oro)
- [Cebu City](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/cebu) (51) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/cagayan-de-oro-vs-cebu)
- [Angeles City (Clark)](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/angeles-city) (51.7) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/angeles-city-vs-cagayan-de-oro)
- [Davao City](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/davao) (51.9) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/cagayan-de-oro-vs-davao)
- [Panglao (Bohol)](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/panglao) (50.4) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/cagayan-de-oro-vs-panglao)

## FAQ

### How much does it cost to live in Cagayan de Oro as a digital nomad?

A single person typically spends about $1,150 per month in Cagayan de Oro (a country-level estimate for Philippines). That is a 55/100 cost score, where 100 is the cheapest city in the dataset.

### Is Cagayan de Oro safe for digital nomads?

Cagayan de Oro scores 47/100 on safety. Philippines records 4.31 homicides per 100,000 people per year (WHO, 2024) and a political-stability score of 51/100 (World Bank WGI). Both figures are national, so neighbourhood-level risk can differ.

### Does Philippines have a digital nomad visa?

Yes. Philippines offers the Digital nomad visa (DNV). Verify current rules with the issuing authority before applying. Full guide: https://nostos.navoy.io/visas/philippines

### How fast is the internet in Cagayan de Oro?

Measured median download speed in Cagayan de Oro was 14.7 Mbps (upload 5.8 Mbps) across 186,665 M-Lab tests in 2024. Measured speeds run below advertised plan speeds everywhere, so compare cities rather than reading the number as a plan.

### Is Starlink available in Cagayan de Oro?

Yes. Starlink's availability map lists residential service as available in Philippines (checked 2026-10), so a dish can serve as a backup line in Cagayan de Oro. Check the exact address on starlink.com before ordering, since capacity varies by area.

### Which airports serve Cagayan de Oro and how many nonstop flights are there?

Cagayan de Oro is served by Laguindingan Airport (CGY) with 4 nonstop destinations, of which 0 are international. 0 US airports have a nonstop link. Source: Wikipedia, 2026-10.

### When is the best time of year to be in Cagayan de Oro?

The most comfortable months are Feb, Mar, Apr. Mean temperatures range from 79°F (26°C) in Jan to 83°F (28°C) in May (NASA POWER 2001–2020 climatology).

### Cagayan de Oro or Bacolod: which is better for digital nomads?

Bacolod is the city with the closest factor profile to Cagayan de Oro in this dataset. Which one wins depends on your weights; the comparison page puts every factor side by side with the numbers behind them.

## Plan a trip

[Where to stay in Cagayan de Oro](https://navoy.io/hotels/philippines/cagayan-de-oro) on Navoy, the AI travel planner behind Nostos.

## Sources

[^1]: City population (latest census or official estimate), Wikipedia (citing national statistics offices). CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^2]: 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level), WhereNext. CC BY 4.0. https://getwherenext.com/data/cost-of-living-2026 (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^3]: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows), WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. https://github.com/0brien18/global-emigration-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^4]: Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, dataUNODC. UNODC data, free to reuse with attribution. https://data.unodc.org/datareport/hom-victim (retrieved 2026-10-12)
[^5]: Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100), World Bank. CC BY 4.0. https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^6]: UHC service coverage index, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/uhc-index-of-service-coverage (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^7]: Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/life-expectancy-at-birth-(years) (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^8]: M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024), Measurement Lab. CC0 1.0. https://statistics.measurementlab.net/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^9]: Starlink availability map, SpaceX (Starlink). Factual status cited from starlink.com. https://www.starlink.com/map (retrieved 2026-10-07)
[^10]: Nostos long-stay visa guides, Navoy. CC BY 4.0. https://nostos.navoy.io/visas (retrieved 2026-10-04)
[^11]: Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations), Ilya Ilyankou (compiled from passportindex.org). MIT. https://github.com/ilyankou/passport-index-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^12]: Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables), Wikipedia contributors; countries via Wikidata. CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-24)
[^13]: Walkability and transit ratings (editorial), Navoy. CC BY 4.0. https://nostos.navoy.io/methodology (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^14]: NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means), NASA Langley Research Center. Public domain (US Government). https://power.larc.nasa.gov/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^15]: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8), World Health Organization. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/who-ambient-air-quality-database-(update-jun-2026) (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^16]: OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API), OpenStreetMap contributors. ODbL 1.0. https://overpass-api.de/ (retrieved 2026-10-02)
[^17]: Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023), United Nations Development Programme. CC BY 3.0 IGO. https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/documentation-and-downloads (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^18]: EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band), EF Education First. Proprietary; band cited as a fact with attribution. https://www.ef.com/epi/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/cagayan-de-oro