---
title: "General Santos vs Iligan for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/general-santos-vs-iligan
description: "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."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# 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.

## 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 | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 67 | 67 | tie |
| Safety | 47 | 47 | tie |
| Healthcare | 63 | 63 | tie |
| Internet | 55 | 56 | Iligan |
| Visa ease | 58 | 58 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 10 | 11 | Iligan |
| Climate | 33 | 17 | General Santos |
| Air quality | 43 | 57 | Iligan |
| Quality of life | 61 | 61 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | General Santos | Iligan | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,150 | $1,150 | tie |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | General Santos | Iligan | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 4.31 | 4.31 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 51 | 51 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 69 | 69 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 70.4 yrs | 70.4 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | General Santos | Iligan | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 18 Mbps | 17.9 Mbps | General Santos |
| Upload | 6.6 Mbps | 7.2 Mbps | Iligan |

## Visa

| Metric | General Santos | Iligan | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | Digital nomad visa (DNV) | Digital nomad visa (DNV) | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | 30 days | 30 days | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | 30 days | 30 days | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | 30 days | 30 days | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | General Santos | Iligan | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 3 | 4 | Iligan |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | General Santos | Iligan | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 2 | General Santos |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 30.5 µg/m³ | 24.2 µg/m³ | Iligan |

## FAQ

### 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).

City pages: [General Santos](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/general-santos) · [Iligan](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/iligan). 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.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/general-santos-vs-iligan