---
title: "Davao City vs El Nido (Palawan) for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/davao-vs-el-nido
description: "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."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# 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.

## 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) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 67 | 67 | tie |
| Safety | 47 | 47 | tie |
| Healthcare | 63 | 63 | tie |
| Internet | 55 | 59 | El Nido (Palawan) |
| Visa ease | 58 | 58 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 12 | 6 | Davao City |
| Climate | 25 | 33 | El Nido (Palawan) |
| Air quality | 79 | 89 | El Nido (Palawan) |
| Quality of life | 61 | 61 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Davao City | El Nido (Palawan) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,150 | $1,150 | tie |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Davao City | El Nido (Palawan) | 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 | Davao City | El Nido (Palawan) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 18.2 Mbps | 21.3 Mbps | El Nido (Palawan) |
| Upload | 5.2 Mbps | 8.5 Mbps | El Nido (Palawan) |

## Visa

| Metric | Davao City | El Nido (Palawan) | 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 | Davao City | El Nido (Palawan) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 15 | 5 | Davao City |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 1 | Davao City |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Davao City | El Nido (Palawan) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 4 | El Nido (Palawan) |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 14.3 µg/m³ | 9.8 µg/m³ | El Nido (Palawan) |

## FAQ

### 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).

City pages: [Davao City](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/davao) · [El Nido (Palawan)](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/el-nido). 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.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/davao-vs-el-nido