NavoyNostos

Davao City vs Iloilo City

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights the two cities tie. Davao City is stronger on nothing outright; Iloilo City on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 6.0 of 52 points (scores 54/100)Safety: 5.3 of 52 points (scores 47/100)Healthcare: 6.0 of 52 points (scores 54/100)Internet: 6.1 of 52 points (scores 55/100)Visa ease: 6.5 of 52 points (scores 58/100)Getting there & around: 4.0 of 52 points (scores 36/100)Climate: 2.8 of 52 points (scores 25/100)Air quality: 8.8 of 52 points (scores 79/100)Quality of life: 6.4 of 52 points (scores 58/100)52
Davao City
out of 100

Mindanao's orderly big city with durian and Mount Apo

Full Davao City profile →Where to stay in Davao City →
Cost of living: 6.1 of 52 points (scores 55/100)Safety: 5.3 of 52 points (scores 47/100)Healthcare: 6.0 of 52 points (scores 54/100)Internet: 5.4 of 52 points (scores 49/100)Visa ease: 6.5 of 52 points (scores 58/100)Getting there & around: 4.4 of 52 points (scores 40/100)Climate: 2.8 of 52 points (scores 25/100)Air quality: 9.1 of 52 points (scores 82/100)Quality of life: 6.4 of 52 points (scores 58/100)52
Iloilo City
out of 100

The Philippines' tidiest mid-size city, with bike lanes

Full Iloilo City profile →Where to stay in Iloilo City →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricDavao CityIloilo City
Cost of living5455 ✓
Safety4747
Healthcare5454
Internet55 ✓49
Visa ease5858
Getting there & around3640 ✓
Climate2525
Air quality7982 ✓
Quality of life5858

Cost

MetricDavao CityIloilo City
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,178$1,150 ✓
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricDavao CityIloilo City
Homicides per 100k4.314.31
Political stability (0–100)5151
UHC service coverage (0–100)6969
Life expectancy66.4 yrs66.4 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricDavao CityIloilo City
Download18.2 Mbps ✓12.5 Mbps
Upload5.2 Mbps ✓4.5 Mbps

Visa

MetricDavao CityIloilo City
Nomad visaDigital nomad visa (DNV)Digital nomad visa (DNV)
Minimum income for the visano datano data
Entry, US passport30 days30 days
Entry, EU passport30 days30 days
Entry, UK passport30 days30 days

Getting there and around

MetricDavao CityIloilo City
Non-stop airport destinations14 ✓12
Walkability (1–5, editorial)23 ✓
Transit (1–5, editorial)22

Climate and air

MetricDavao CityIloilo City
Comfortable months per year33
Annual mean PM2.514.3 µg/m³13.3 µg/m³ ✓

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Davao City or Iloilo City?
Iloilo City is cheaper: about $1,150 per month versus $1,178 for one person.
Is Davao City or Iloilo City safer?
Davao City scores higher on safety (47 vs 47), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Davao City or Iloilo City?
Davao City: a measured median of 18.2 Mbps versus 12.5 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

More 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); 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. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.