Iquitos vs Tacloban
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Tacloban edges it, 50 to 47, winning 7 of the 9 factors. Iquitos is stronger on visa ease, healthcare; Tacloban on air quality, internet. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
The world's largest city unreachable by road, deep in the Peruvian Amazon
Full Iquitos profile →Plan a trip to Iquitos →Leyte's rebuilt capital on the San Juanico Strait
Full Tacloban profile →Plan a trip to Tacloban →Where they differ
- Air quality. Tacloban leads on air quality, 77 to 58, against Iquitos. PM2.5: 23.9 µg/m³ vs 15.5 µg/m³.
- Visa ease. Iquitos leads on visa ease, 75 to 58, against Tacloban.
- Internet. Tacloban leads on internet, 49 to 36, against Iquitos. Measured download: 5.9 Mbps vs 11.8 Mbps.
Where they are close. Within five points on quality of life, safety, getting there & around.
Pick Iquitos if you want
- stronger healthcare
Pick Tacloban if you want
- to spend about $200 less a month
- faster internet (11.8 Mbps measured)
- a dedicated digital-nomad visa
- cleaner air
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Iquitos | Tacloban |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 60 | 67 ✓ |
| Safety | 44 | 47 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 73 ✓ | 63 |
| Internet | 36 | 49 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 75 ✓ | 58 |
| Getting there & around | 15 | 16 ✓ |
| Climate | 0 | 8 ✓ |
| Air quality | 58 | 77 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 57 | 61 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Iquitos | Tacloban |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,350 | $1,150 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Iquitos | Tacloban |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 8.6 | 4.31 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 56.9 ✓ | 51 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 68 | 69 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 78.4 yrs ✓ | 70.4 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Iquitos | Tacloban |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 5.9 Mbps | 11.8 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 3.5 Mbps | 6.1 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Iquitos | Tacloban |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | Digital nomad visa (DNV) ✓ |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | 180 days ✓ | 30 days |
| Entry, EU passport | 90 days ✓ | 30 days |
| Entry, UK passport | 180 days ✓ | 30 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Iquitos | Tacloban |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 3 | 4 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Iquitos | Tacloban |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 0 | 1 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 23.9 µg/m³ | 15.5 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Iquitos or Tacloban?
- Tacloban is cheaper: about $1,150 per month versus $1,350 for one person.
- Is Iquitos or Tacloban safer?
- Tacloban scores higher on safety (47 vs 44), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Iquitos or Tacloban?
- Tacloban: a measured median of 11.8 Mbps versus 5.9 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 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.