NavoyNostos

Dumaguete vs Puerto Princesa

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Dumaguete edges it, 53 to 52, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Dumaguete is stronger on climate; Puerto Princesa on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 6.1 of 53 points (scores 55/100)Safety: 5.3 of 53 points (scores 47/100)Healthcare: 6.0 of 53 points (scores 54/100)Internet: 6.8 of 53 points (scores 62/100)Visa ease: 6.5 of 53 points (scores 58/100)Getting there & around: 2.4 of 53 points (scores 22/100)Climate: 4.6 of 53 points (scores 42/100)Air quality: 9.1 of 53 points (scores 82/100)Quality of life: 6.4 of 53 points (scores 58/100)53
Dumaguete
out of 100

Quiet university city with a long-standing expat scene

Full Dumaguete profile →Where to stay in Dumaguete →
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: 6.6 of 52 points (scores 60/100)Visa ease: 6.5 of 52 points (scores 58/100)Getting there & around: 2.9 of 52 points (scores 26/100)Climate: 2.8 of 52 points (scores 25/100)Air quality: 9.8 of 52 points (scores 88/100)Quality of life: 6.4 of 52 points (scores 58/100)52
Puerto Princesa
out of 100

Palawan's capital and the long road to El Nido

Full Puerto Princesa profile →Where to stay in Puerto Princesa →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricDumaguetePuerto Princesa
Cost of living5555
Safety4747
Healthcare5454
Internet62 ✓60
Visa ease5858
Getting there & around2226 ✓
Climate42 ✓25
Air quality8288 ✓
Quality of life5858

Cost

MetricDumaguetePuerto Princesa
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,150$1,150
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricDumaguetePuerto Princesa
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)

MetricDumaguetePuerto Princesa
Download23.9 Mbps ✓20.1 Mbps
Upload10.3 Mbps12.8 Mbps ✓

Visa

MetricDumaguetePuerto Princesa
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

MetricDumaguetePuerto Princesa
Non-stop airport destinations25 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)3 ✓2
Transit (1–5, editorial)22

Climate and air

MetricDumaguetePuerto Princesa
Comfortable months per year5 ✓3
Annual mean PM2.513 µg/m³10.3 µg/m³ ✓

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

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Dumaguete or Puerto Princesa?
Puerto Princesa is cheaper: about $1,150 per month versus $1,150 for one person.
Is Dumaguete or Puerto Princesa safer?
Dumaguete scores higher on safety (47 vs 47), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Dumaguete or Puerto Princesa?
Dumaguete: a measured median of 23.9 Mbps versus 20.1 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); 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 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.