Davao City vs El Nido (Palawan)
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights El Nido (Palawan) edges it, 54 to 52, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Davao City is stronger on nothing outright; El Nido (Palawan) on air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Mindanao's orderly big city with durian and Mount Apo
Full Davao City profile →Plan a trip to Davao City →Limestone-lagoon gateway to Palawan's Bacuit Bay
Full El Nido (Palawan) profile →Plan a trip to El Nido (Palawan) →Where they differ
- Air quality. El Nido (Palawan) leads on air quality, 89 to 79, against Davao City. PM2.5: 14.3 µg/m³ vs 9.8 µg/m³.
- Climate. El Nido (Palawan) leads on climate, 33 to 25, against Davao City. Comfortable months: 3 vs 4.
- Getting there & around. Davao City leads on getting there & around, 12 to 6, against El Nido (Palawan). Non-stop airport destinations: 15 vs 5.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Davao City if you want
- no clear edge over El Nido (Palawan) in the data
Pick El Nido (Palawan) if you want
- faster internet (21.3 Mbps measured)
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Davao City | El Nido (Palawan) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 67 | 67 |
| Safety | 47 | 47 |
| Healthcare | 63 | 63 |
| Internet | 55 | 59 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 58 | 58 |
| Getting there & around | 12 ✓ | 6 |
| Climate | 25 | 33 ✓ |
| Air quality | 79 | 89 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 61 | 61 |
Cost
| Metric | Davao City | El Nido (Palawan) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,150 | $1,150 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Davao City | El Nido (Palawan) |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 4.31 | 4.31 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 51 | 51 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 69 | 69 |
| Life expectancy | 70.4 yrs | 70.4 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Davao City | El Nido (Palawan) |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 18.2 Mbps | 21.3 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 5.2 Mbps | 8.5 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Davao City | El Nido (Palawan) |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Digital nomad visa (DNV) | Digital nomad visa (DNV) |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | 30 days | 30 days |
| Entry, EU passport | 30 days | 30 days |
| Entry, UK passport | 30 days | 30 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Davao City | El Nido (Palawan) |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 15 ✓ | 5 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 ✓ | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Davao City | El Nido (Palawan) |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 4 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 14.3 µg/m³ | 9.8 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Davao City or El Nido (Palawan)?
- Davao City and El Nido (Palawan) cost about the same: roughly $1,150 per month for one person.
- Is Davao City or El Nido (Palawan) safer?
- Davao City and El Nido (Palawan) score the same on safety (47), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Davao City or El Nido (Palawan)?
- El Nido (Palawan): a measured median of 21.3 Mbps versus 18.2 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
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- Davao City vs Moalboal
- El Nido (Palawan) vs Coron
- El Nido (Palawan) vs Puerto Princesa
- All comparisons
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); 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); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.