---
title: "Butuan vs Cebu City for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/butuan-vs-cebu
description: "Under balanced weights Cebu City edges it, 50 to 48, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Butuan is stronger on air quality; Cebu City on climate, internet. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Butuan vs Cebu City for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Cebu City edges it, 50 to 48, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Butuan is stronger on air quality; Cebu City on climate, internet. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Climate.** Cebu City leads on climate, 17 to 0, against Butuan. Comfortable months: 0 vs 2.
- **Internet.** Cebu City leads on internet, 59 to 43, against Butuan. Measured download: 10 Mbps vs 22.4 Mbps.
- **Air quality.** Butuan leads on air quality, 83 to 73, against Cebu City. PM2.5: 12.6 µg/m³ vs 17.1 µg/m³.

Where they are close: within five points on getting there & around, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.

**Pick Butuan if you want** no clear edge over Cebu City in the data.

**Pick Cebu City if you want** faster internet (22.4 Mbps measured); a longer comfortable season (2 months against 0).

## Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

| Metric | Butuan | Cebu City | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 67 | 67 | tie |
| Safety | 47 | 47 | tie |
| Healthcare | 63 | 63 | tie |
| Internet | 43 | 59 | Cebu City |
| Visa ease | 58 | 58 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 10 | 6 | Butuan |
| Climate | 0 | 17 | Cebu City |
| Air quality | 83 | 73 | Butuan |
| Quality of life | 61 | 61 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Butuan | Cebu City | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,150 | $1,150 | tie |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | $589 | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Butuan | Cebu City | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 4.31 | 4.31 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 51 | 51 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 69 | 69 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 70.4 yrs | 70.4 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Butuan | Cebu City | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 10 Mbps | 22.4 Mbps | Cebu City |
| Upload | 2.3 Mbps | 7.3 Mbps | Cebu City |

## Visa

| Metric | Butuan | Cebu City | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | Digital nomad visa (DNV) | Digital nomad visa (DNV) | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | 30 days | 30 days | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | 30 days | 30 days | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | 30 days | 30 days | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Butuan | Cebu City | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 2 | 44 | Cebu City |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 1 | Butuan |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 1 | Butuan |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Butuan | Cebu City | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 0 | 2 | Cebu City |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 12.6 µg/m³ | 17.1 µg/m³ | Butuan |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Butuan or Cebu City?

Butuan and Cebu City cost about the same: roughly $1,150 per month for one person.

### Is Butuan or Cebu City safer?

Butuan and Cebu City score the same on safety (47), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Butuan or Cebu City?

Cebu City: a measured median of 22.4 Mbps versus 10 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Butuan](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/butuan) · [Cebu City](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/cebu). Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); 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); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); 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); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/butuan-vs-cebu