Davao City vs Manila
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Manila edges it, 54 to 52, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Davao City is stronger on nothing outright; Manila on 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 →Where they differ
- Getting there & around. Manila leads on getting there & around, 23 to 12, against Davao City. Non-stop airport destinations: 15 vs 88.
- Internet. Manila leads on internet, 62 to 55, against Davao City. Measured download: 18.2 Mbps vs 26.9 Mbps.
Where they are close. Within five points on air quality, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Davao City if you want
- no clear edge over Manila in the data
Pick Manila if you want
- to spend about $49 less a month
- faster internet (26.9 Mbps measured)
- more flights and easier getting around
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Davao City | Manila |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 67 | 70 ✓ |
| Safety | 47 | 47 |
| Healthcare | 63 | 63 |
| Internet | 55 | 62 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 58 | 58 |
| Getting there & around | 12 | 23 ✓ |
| Climate | 25 | 25 |
| Air quality | 79 ✓ | 77 |
| Quality of life | 61 | 61 |
Cost
| Metric | Davao City | Manila |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,150 | $1,101 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Davao City | Manila |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Manila |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 18.2 Mbps | 26.9 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 5.2 Mbps | 7.8 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Davao City | Manila |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Manila |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 15 | 88 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 ✓ | 1 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | Davao City | Manila |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 3 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 14.3 µg/m³ ✓ | 15.4 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Davao City or Manila?
- Manila is cheaper: about $1,101 per month versus $1,150 for one person.
- Is Davao City or Manila safer?
- Davao City and Manila 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 Manila?
- Manila: a measured median of 26.9 Mbps versus 18.2 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Davao City vs Angeles City (Clark)
- Davao City vs Moalboal
- Manila vs Tagaytay
- Manila vs Moalboal
- 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); 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 2026.11.3. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.