Davao City vs Lucena
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Lucena edges it, 54 to 52, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Davao City is stronger on nothing outright; Lucena on internet, getting there & around. 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 →Quezon's provincial capital and port for Marinduque ferries
Full Lucena profile →Plan a trip to Lucena →Where they differ
- Internet. Lucena leads on internet, 65 to 55, against Davao City. Measured download: 18.2 Mbps vs 26.1 Mbps.
- Getting there & around. Lucena leads on getting there & around, 23 to 12, against Davao City. Non-stop airport destinations: 15 vs 88.
- Climate. Davao City leads on climate, 25 to 17, against Lucena. Comfortable months: 3 vs 2.
Where they are close. Within five points on air quality, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Davao City if you want
- no clear edge over Lucena in the data
Pick Lucena if you want
- faster internet (26.1 Mbps measured)
- more flights and easier getting around
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Davao City | Lucena |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 67 | 67 |
| Safety | 47 | 47 |
| Healthcare | 63 | 63 |
| Internet | 55 | 65 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 58 | 58 |
| Getting there & around | 12 | 23 ✓ |
| Climate | 25 ✓ | 17 |
| Air quality | 79 | 81 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 61 | 61 |
Cost
| Metric | Davao City | Lucena |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Lucena |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Lucena |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 18.2 Mbps | 26.1 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 5.2 Mbps | 21.4 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Davao City | Lucena |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Lucena |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 15 | 88 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Davao City | Lucena |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 3 ✓ | 2 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 14.3 µg/m³ | 13.6 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Davao City or Lucena?
- Davao City and Lucena cost about the same: roughly $1,150 per month for one person.
- Is Davao City or Lucena safer?
- Davao City and Lucena 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 Lucena?
- Lucena: a measured median of 26.1 Mbps versus 18.2 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Davao City vs Angeles City (Clark)
- Davao City vs Moalboal
- Lucena vs Manila
- Lucena vs Tagaytay
- 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.