Cebu City vs Cusco
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Cusco edges it, 47 to 43, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Cebu City is stronger on climate; Cusco on visa ease, getting there & around, safety. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Cebu City | Cusco |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 61 ✓ | 52 |
| Safety | 33 | 44 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 51 | 60 ✓ |
| Internet | 52 | 55 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 33 | 59 ✓ |
| Getting there & around | 6 | 21 ✓ |
| Climate | 17 ✓ | 0 |
| Air quality | 73 | 75 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 57 ✓ | 54 |
Cost
| Metric | Cebu City | Cusco |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,150 ✓ | $1,406 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Cebu City | Cusco |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 12.7 | 6.2 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 52.7 | 54.7 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 69 ✓ | 68 |
| Life expectancy | 66.4 yrs | 71.7 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Cebu City | Cusco |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 22.4 Mbps | 22.6 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 7.3 Mbps | 13.3 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Cebu City | Cusco |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Visa-free days, US passport | 30 days | 180 days ✓ |
| Visa-free days, EU passport | 30 days | 90 days ✓ |
| Visa-free days, UK passport | 30 days | 180 days ✓ |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Cebu City | Cusco |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 43 ✓ | 6 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 4 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 2 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | Cebu City | Cusco |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 2 ✓ | 0 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 17.1 µg/m³ | 16.4 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Cebu City or Cusco?
- Cebu City is cheaper: about $1,150 per month versus $1,406 for one person.
- Is Cebu City or Cusco safer?
- Cusco scores higher on safety (44 vs 33), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Cebu City or Cusco?
- Cusco: a measured median of 22.6 Mbps versus 22.4 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); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; 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); 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); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages). Dataset 2026.09.4. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.