General Santos vs Iligan
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 49. General Santos is stronger on climate; Iligan on air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
The Philippines' tuna capital on Sarangani Bay
Full General Santos profile →Plan a trip to General Santos →Northern Mindanao's industrial city of waterfalls
Full Iligan profile →Plan a trip to Iligan →Where they differ
- Climate. General Santos leads on climate, 33 to 17, against Iligan. Comfortable months: 4 vs 2.
- Air quality. Iligan leads on air quality, 57 to 43, against General Santos. PM2.5: 30.5 µg/m³ vs 24.2 µg/m³.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, getting there & around, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick General Santos if you want
- a longer comfortable season (4 months against 2)
Pick Iligan if you want
- cleaner air
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | General Santos | Iligan |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 67 | 67 |
| Safety | 47 | 47 |
| Healthcare | 63 | 63 |
| Internet | 55 | 56 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 58 | 58 |
| Getting there & around | 10 | 11 ✓ |
| Climate | 33 ✓ | 17 |
| Air quality | 43 | 57 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 61 | 61 |
Cost
| Metric | General Santos | Iligan |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | General Santos | Iligan |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | General Santos | Iligan |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 18 Mbps ✓ | 17.9 Mbps |
| Upload | 6.6 Mbps | 7.2 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | General Santos | Iligan |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | General Santos | Iligan |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 3 | 4 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | General Santos | Iligan |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 4 ✓ | 2 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 30.5 µg/m³ | 24.2 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, General Santos or Iligan?
- General Santos and Iligan cost about the same: roughly $1,150 per month for one person.
- Is General Santos or Iligan safer?
- General Santos and Iligan score the same on safety (47), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, General Santos or Iligan?
- General Santos: a measured median of 18 Mbps versus 17.9 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- General Santos vs Cagayan de Oro
- General Santos vs Baguio
- Iligan vs Cagayan de Oro
- Iligan vs Calamba
- 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); 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.