Nomad List| 🏆 Nomad Score™ | 172 reviews |
| 💵 Cost | |
| 📡 Internet | |
| 😝 Fun | |
| ⛅️ Temperature (now) | |
| 💦 Humidity (now) | |
| 💨 Air quality (now) | |
| 👌 Safety | |
| 👍 Quality of life | |
| 🚶 Walkability | |
| ✌️ Peace | |
| 🚦 Traffic safety | |
| 🏥 Healthcare | |
| 😄 Happiness | |
| 🍸 Nightlife | |
| 📶 Free WiFi in city | |
| 🖥 Places to work from | |
| 😁 Friendly to foreigners | |
| 🙊 English speaking | |
| 🗯 Freedom of speech | |
| 🤚🏿🤚🏻 Racial tolerance | |
| 👩 Female friendly | |
| 🌈 LGBT friendly | |
| 🎅 Startup Score |
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| 🌍 Region | Asia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 🚩 Country | Philippines | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ⏱ Average trip duration | 29 days | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 📡 Internet speed (avg) | 6 Mbps | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ⛅️ Weather | 🌧 32°C 89°F + 💦 Humid (91%) + 💨 3km/h = Feels like 49°C 120°F | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 💨 Air quality (now) | 👍 22 µg/m3 equal to 🚬 / day | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 💨 Air quality (annual avg) | 👍 21 µg/m3 equal to 🚬 / day | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 🔌 Power | 230V60Hz | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 🚕 Best taxi app | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 📱 Best wireless carrier | Smart | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 💸 100 PHP in USD | USD 1.97 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 🏧 Suggested ATM take out: PHP 10,000 | USD 197 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 💸 Tipping | No | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 💳 Cashless society | 💳 Yes, cards OK almost everywhere | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 💻 Best coworking space | The Cube | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 🚰 Safe tap water | 🚫 No, not drinkable | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♻️ Return rate | 0% of visitors return | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 👨👩👧👦 Population | 1,600,000 people | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 👫 Gender ratio | 👨 49% 👱♀️ 51% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ⛪️ Religious government | Non-religious | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 💻 Online electronics shop | Lazada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 🏠 Apartment listings | Ayosdito | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ✈️ Best short-haul air carrier | Cebu Pacific | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ✈️ Best int'l air carrier | Philippine | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| beachdivingsurfnomadsislandwarm nowwarmhotclean airgood air qualityslow internetcheap cost of livinghigh humiditymany womenfriendly people | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 💵 Nomad Cost™ | $1,108 / month |
| 💵 Cost of living for expat | $766 / month |
| 💵 Cost of living for family | $1,514 / month |
| 💵 Cost of living for local | $433 / month |
| 🏠 1br studio rent in center | $295 / month |
| 🏢 Coworking | $79 / month |
| 🏨 Hotel | $479 / month |
| 🏨 Hotel | $22 / night |
| 🏠 Airbnb (6 listings) | $1,081 / month |
| 🏠 Airbnb | $35 / night |
| 🍝 Dinner | $4 |
| 🍹 Coca-Cola (0.3L) | $1 |
| 🍺 Beer (0.5L) | $2 |
| ☕️ Coffee | $1 |
Based on Davao's cost of living, here's selected remote jobs that would cover your costs:
Good surfing on this island. More experienced surfers head to Cloud 9.
🎒 Nomad 💵 Cost 📡 Internet 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 40° 104° 30° 87°🥵AQI 57😷✈️24min$1,696 / mo7MbpsJust don't. Want to get ANY work done? Don't come here. I'm here now, hey. I wanna die. If 50 Kbps is your thing, let's go. Just don't go to this country in general. Internet is so bad, even Laos and Cambodia were MUCH better when it comes to free internet in coffee shops and co-working spaces. Thinking about going to Manila or Cebu for travel + work? Don't.
🎒 Nomad 💵 Cost 📡 Internet 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌦 Feels 45° 113° 31° 88°🥵AQI 17✈️31min$1,433 / mo14Mbpssdfdsvsdrewrw fdsfs fsfsdf dsf sdf sdsdf
🎒 Nomad 💵 Cost 📡 Internet 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 48° 118° 32° 90°🥵AQI 12✈️1h$1,371 / mo7MbpsEastwood City hands down best places for nomads in Manila. Why? 50-100 mbps from Sky or PLDT. Closely guarded community where you can feel safe. Everything you could want is inside the community- condos for rent short or long term fully furnished, over 100 restaurants (both fast food and fine dining and some american franchises too), 7 screen movie theater, bowling alley, billiards. Many unique shops that are centered around activities. Pet friendly. Also, has 2 grocery stores, at least a dozen convenience stores, barber shops, massage and day spas (you can even get a professional massage right in your room), laundromat. The mall has anything you might need to buy for your condo.
🎒 Nomad 💵 Cost 📡 Internet 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌤 Feels 49° 120° 32° 89°🥵AQI 30✈️1h$1,436 / mo7MbpsNice and laid back city with good infrastructure. 4G coverage was good
🎒 Nomad 💵 Cost 📡 Internet 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 39° 102° 30° 86°🥵✈️1h$820 / mo12MbpsBest suited for surfers..
🎒 Nomad 💵 Cost 📡 Internet 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 40° 104° 30° 85°🥵AQI 31✈️2h$1,768 / mo6MbpsVery clean city. Internet varies from medium fast to high speed. Public transport is improving greatly. Personal liberties are high, very safe for women and LGBT folk, not that expensive. Winters can be tough.
🎒 Nomad 💵 Cost 📡 Internet 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels -4° 25° -3° 27°AQI 36✈️18h$2,272 / mo26MbpsHonestly, this is an awesome place to be if you're actually trying to get work done. It's a bit of an older vibe than Canggu, and there's certainly a big chunk of yogi's kicking around — but I liked it much better than Canggu and found it less pretentious. Plus, you can drive down there in 45mins whenever you want some beach or party vibes. As others mentioned, there's some great coworking spaces, cheap warungs, some really nice spots to stay cheaply if you go just outside of the mad touristy areas like Hanoman/Monkey Forest/Penestan. You're definitely going to want a scooter, and you'll learn quickly which roads to avoid at what times because the traffic can be pretty crazy — but that's true for Canggu as well. It's green and lush, there's great food and a handful of good bars, lots of great pools and chillout spots, good yoga and gyms, and you're within 45mins ride of the beach, waterfalls, and jungles. Pretty damn good in my books.
🎒 Nomad 💵 Cost 📡 Internet 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌤 Feels 48° 118° 32° 89°🥵AQI 26✈️3h$2,268 / mo13Mbpssdfdsvsdrewrw fdsfs fsfsdf dsf sdf sdsdf
🎒 Nomad 💵 Cost 📡 Internet 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 48° 118° 32° 90°🥵AQI 12✈️1h$1,371 / mo7MbpsThis is going to be a long review but hopefully it will be helpful. I understand this is my subjective experience after only a limited amount of time (1 week) in Da Nang and your mileage may vary. I could imagine some people really enjoying living here but for me it is not a great place to live and I decided to shorten my stay as a result. To start, some good things about Da Nang: It is a very cheap place to live and I think you get decent value too. There are many coffeeshops to work out of and if you search you can find some nice spots to eat, drink, and hang out. There are things to visit in the surrounding area. The city itself has an interesting vibe, like the rest of Vietnam it is very vibrant, but also is in an extreme period of transition and it shows. I have been living in the My An area of Da Nang (by the beach). I could imagine some people really enjoying living here but I personally do not like it here for a few reasons. To start, some good things about Da Nang: — It is a very cheap place to live and I think you get decent value too. — There are many coffee shops to work out of and if you search you can find some nice spots to eat, drink, and hang out. — There are things to visit in the surrounding area. — The city itself has an interesting vibe, like the rest of Vietnam it is very vibrant, but also is in an extreme period of transition and it shows. — The traffic isn’t so bad and roads are decent for the region. — There is a decent expat scene and some nice people to hang out with, although this seems in isolation to the rest of the city. However, there are many negatives, I’ll just list the two main ones for brevity: — You will feel like a walking wallet and people will try to rip you off everywhere. We had some majorly inconvenient and expensive issues with the visa process, experienced blatant lying and short changing by taxi drivers, ridiculously priced items at shops. In our neighborhood, tons of the restaurants have fake reviews and terrible food. Basically, you feel like you need to be on your guard or you will be taken advantage of, which makes it not very enjoyable to stay here. — Rapid Development Pains. Because Da Nang is developing so fast, there are a lot of rough edges, as one could expect. Construction is everywhere and makes it hard to walk around. To add to this, crossing the street in any city of Vietnam is quite a stressful experience. Most of the ATMs in the city seem to not work. There are random power outages in our neighborhood. The area we live feels like a depressing mix of construction lots and tourist traps. To summarize: We had a very negative introduction to Da Nang, but after several days here, things did get a bit better. Compared to a place like Chiang Mai, it is a much harder place to live as a DN, but you also may be rewarded with a bit more authenticity. There is something fun about living in a place that is changing at such a rapid place, but many downsides as well. Personally, I would probably advise waiting several years before coming to Da Nang. Or if you do stay, trying to stay in neighborhoods by the main city rather than near the beach, which feels more like a tourist trap under construction.
🎒 Nomad 💵 Cost 📡 Internet 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 25° 77° 23° 73°AQI 34✈️3h$849 / mo15MbpsIt truly is a garden city - the amount of green space is mindboggling. Everywhere you go it's green and amazing. One of my favourite cities anywhere.
🎒 Nomad 💵 Cost 📡 Internet 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 47° 117° 32° 89°🥵AQI 63😷✈️3h$2,873 / mo83MbpsJust don't. Want to get ANY work done? Don't come here. I'm here now, hey. I wanna die. If 50 Kbps is your thing, let's go. Just don't go to this country in general. Internet is so bad, even Laos and Cambodia were MUCH better when it comes to free internet in coffee shops and co-working spaces. Thinking about going to Manila or Cebu for travel + work? Don't.
🎒 Nomad 💵 Cost 📡 Internet 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌦 Feels 45° 113° 31° 88°🥵AQI 17✈️31min$1,433 / mo🌇 Also went here4 peopleEastwood City hands down best places for nomads in Manila. Why? 50-100 mbps from Sky or PLDT. Closely guarded community where you can feel safe. Everything you could want is inside the community- condos for rent short or long term fully furnished, over 100 restaurants (both fast food and fine dining and some american franchises too), 7 screen movie theater, bowling alley, billiards. Many unique shops that are centered around activities. Pet friendly. Also, has 2 grocery stores, at least a dozen convenience stores, barber shops, massage and day spas (you can even get a professional massage right in your room), laundromat. The mall has anything you might need to buy for your condo.
🎒 Nomad 💵 Cost 📡 Internet 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌤 Feels 49° 120° 32° 89°🥵AQI 30✈️1h$1,436 / mo🌇 Also went here3 peopleMain advantage of Vietnam in general is the ease of getting a visa. That's real nice but there are some big problems here. The food is terrible. Bland soups with slippery, boring rice noodles topped with weird stuff like pig's feet are not my idea of a good meal. Neither are sandwiches with fatty mystery meats. Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia all have way better food. The sushi I've had here was also terrible. The city itself is pretty ugly. Every building is the same tall, skinny shape. Overall safety is low and you'll probably end up in a traffic accident if you stay here long enough. It costs more to rent a place and if you're on a low budget you'll likely end up in a home stay or guesthouse when you could have rented an apartment for the same price in another city. Many places have curfews, even as early as 8pm, so make sure to ask your Airbnb about that because they won't bother to mention it in the listing. Stay in D1/D10/D3/D4/Phu nhuan. Avoid Tan phu, D7, D2, Tan binh, and Go vap. Avoid the rainy season.
🎒 Nomad 💵 Cost 📡 Internet 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 39° 102° 31° 88°🥵AQI 41✈️3h$1,039 / mo🌇 Also went here4 peoplePersonally I hated it. Being somewhat of a SEA vet, I found it crowded, over touristed, expensive and with too many annoying hipsters. You can't walk ten feet without a scooter blocking your path and a red eyed local going "Taxi?" Literally every ten feet in Semniyak. Canggu maybe isn't so bad, but still the traffic is annoying. The roads are super small and traffic is horrible. If you're into walking places, Canngu isn't for you. You'll get run over. So either drive a scooter or get used to dealing with the taxi mafia. There's a war between them and ride hailing apps at the moment. So when you call a grab, after he drops you off there's a chance he'll be beaten to death. But this is normal around the world at the moment, for less affluent countries anyway. Pros? It's beautiful. Lots of stuff to see and do. Unfortunately you'll be charged money for literally everything, including walking through rice paddies. The landscapes, the architecture. I know Bali is a big island with a lot to do. You can rent a villa for $1200 usd a month and live like a drug dealer with your own indoor swimming pool. So gather four nomads and have your own gated compound. Lots of nightlife, clubs, if you're into that stuff. I'm not. For parties I'd rather go to a beach place with hippies in Thailand. The local food is good, the tourist food is amazing if you're willing to pay western prices. But the quality is very high. Overall it's not an expensive place, but it can be. I know Bali is a huge island but I'm just referring to Canggu. It's just to westernized for me. Too crowded with westerners. But if you want to go meet nomads and do western priced fitness, meditation and yoga classes it's the place to be. Plus the beaches are super polluted. Argh. I couldn't wait to leave. I doubt I'll be back soon. But if I do I'm definitely renting a villa and learning to surf. Cool place to do business. But not a place I'd want to live for long. Maybe I'll give it another chance one day.
🎒 Nomad 💵 Cost 📡 Internet 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 48° 118° 32° 90°🥵AQI 34✈️3h$1,410 / mo🌇 Also went here4 peopleIt truly is a garden city - the amount of green space is mindboggling. Everywhere you go it's green and amazing. One of my favourite cities anywhere.
🎒 Nomad 💵 Cost 📡 Internet 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 47° 117° 32° 89°🥵AQI 63😷✈️3h$2,873 / mo🌇 Also went here4 peopleDon't believe the prices on here for an apartment. 686 usd/month refers to an apartment in a high class condo, right in the city centre and seconds away from the BTS(train station). Just remember this, people working at supermarkets make 2 usd/per hour. If you want to live like a local, then you can save a lot of money. If you don't mind a 5-10 minute walk from the BTS, then you can easily get a one bedroom apartment for 300 USD per month, in a high class condo, plus with free golf cart service to the BTS station. I have literally gone to a restaurant to pay 8 USD for a meal, when the exact dish was available on the street for only 1 USD and tastes much better. I ate out everyday and went partying a couple of times a week, and my total monthly expenses was still under 1000 usd. TIPS -Gyms are fucking expensive in Thailand. Expect to pay at least 60 USD/month for the gym, which is crazy when you consider the average wage in Thailand is 15 usd/per day. -Vitamins and supplements cost double the price than what you would get at home. Thais do not take supplements. Maybe only foreigners and really rich Thais. People spending 1500 USD per month must be eating steak daily and hanging out at places meant for foreigners.
🎒 Nomad 💵 Cost 📡 Internet 😀 Fun 👮 Safety ☀️ Feels 32° 90° 30° 86°🥵AQI 96😷✈️4h$1,615 / mo🌇 Also went here4 peopleChiang Mai used to be N.1 for the digital nomad life. It is still great and you can find really cheap apartments (300-400$) and restaurants (2-3$ for a main). Wouldn't recommend staying there during the burning season. The best area is Nimman, but it's also the most expensive. You can stay in the old city that's very nice but that gets noisy during the weekend for the night markets. Last but not least, very safe city. All in all would go back in a heartbeat.
🎒 Nomad 💵 Cost 📡 Internet 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌥 Feels 27° 81° 26° 79°AQI 68😷✈️4h$1,162 / mo🌇 Also went here4 peopleSpend a few hours and learn the Korean alphabet (not that hard) and Google some names of Korean dishes + it's spelling in Korean. It will help a lot as most restaurants only have Korean menu's and often without pictures. As mentioned previously on the reviews, it's a little hard to eat alone, but Gimbab Chonguk (김밥천국) is everywhere and 24/7 - no one will bat an eye. Also look for places that "specialises" in dumplings, They are usually "alone-eating" friendly. And so are ramen places as well as Korean "chinese" restaurants - Jajangmyeon (자장면) is very good and super addictive. Bibimbab restaurant places are fine too. Actually, it's not that hard to eat alone in Korea. The "group" meals are generally quite obvious and will be things like BBQ. You'll figure it out. Do Get used to kimchi and spicy food otherwise you'll end up eating the same thing all the time. Be adventurous. Challenge yourself and eat an octopus alive (산낙지). If you're really brave try 보신탕 before authorities close them all - I haven't but a lot of Weagukins (foreigners) secret do. Cafe's generally have really good wifi, as you would expect from one of the most connected countries in the world. Expect to pay $4-6 for a latte and maybe even more at Starbucks. Best cafe's are usually around Hipster areas and Universities. Indie owned cafe's are awesome. Nightlife is great, probably amongst the best in Asia. Can get very expensive especially at night clubs in Gangnam where it would could be like $10 for a beer - in that case you can still get drunk for $2 with soju just outside at 7Eleven. Winters are stupidly cold and summers can be brutally hot & humid. Go between April and June or September to October. They have cherry blossoms in spring which is beautiful and so are the autumn leaves. Lived here for many years. It's a cool place and vastly underrated. Seoul is continuously becoming more expensive and cost of living will soon be comparable with places like Tokyo.
🎒 Nomad 💵 Cost 📡 Internet 😀 Fun 👮 Safety ✈️5h$2,400 / mo🌇 Also went here3 peopleI spent most of the trip in Tokyo staying in part of suginami city called Ogikubo. This was really just a vacation for me; I spent most of my time shopping in Harajuku, Shibuya, Shinjuku and Ueno. These places are immense, dense, vibrant and crazy-wealthy. Ogikubo would pass for downtown in almost any definition of a city, but in Tokyo it is sometimes called a suburb (although still part of the 23wards). I also traveled out if Tōkyō: 1 day in the temples in Nikko, and 1 day in Fukuoka for Nakasu and Sumo. I love Ogikubo: the barely-one lane roads with multi family surrounds is both quiet and urban at the same time. All of Tokyo, not just Ogikubo is cleaner than any western city. After seeing the other side of that equation in months in Latin American cities, it was an honest surprise to see a huge city that Is far more clean than those from my home country. Some things are cheap (coffee, humble/normal food) others expensive (cabs/jr, fashion). In attire and customs, you see shades of formality and expressiveness at once that feels both more stodgy and more informal in various ways. Just different, really. Ogikubo exemplifies quiet/ luxurious living to me, and more generally perfect urban density. I do wonder if any other parts of the world I will see will tend to have such small, walkable streets and that much density in a still serene but more affordable form. My apartment was the first story of a converted house, about 125m2 - apparently worth about $1.5m... 1m too much for me, and only somewhat bigger than ideal.
🎒 Nomad 💵 Cost 📡 Internet 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌤 Feels 10° 50° 11° 52°AQI 4✈️5h$3,911 / mo🌇 Also went here6 peopleOne giant tourist trap. Giant hordes of rich Europeans vacationing with their parents credit cards.
🎒 Nomad 💵 Cost 📡 Internet 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 7° 45° 10° 50°AQI 28✈️15h$5,295 / mo🌇 Also went here4 peopleLived there for 5 month on a contract project in one IT company, With my monthly income of $3,400 it was disgustingly hard to have a normal lifestyle. The city is also very dirty, specifically the Mission. Would not recommend moving there as an expat.
🎒 Nomad 💵 Cost 📡 Internet 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 17° 63° 17° 62°AQI 31✈️15h$6,129 / mo🌇 Also went here3 peopleI would disagree on the safety level of this city. Living there for 8 months now I'd say from my experience that Barcelona streets aren't safe at all. Many robberies, physical and sexual agressions are frequently occurring mostly due to drug issues in some central neighborhoods. I agree on the perfect weather great food and tech scene too on the positive side.
🎒 Nomad 💵 Cost 📡 Internet 😀 Fun 👮 Safety ☀️ Feels 16° 61° 16° 60°AQI 16✈️16h$3,408 / mo🌇 Also went here3 peopleit's a great place to live and i recommend to visit it just to check it out. We came here on our way from Playa del Carmen to USA and loved it so much that we decided to live there.
🎒 Nomad 💵 Cost 📡 Internet 😀 Fun 👮 Safety ☀️ Feels 25° 77° 24° 75°AQI 96😷✈️19h$1,540 / mo🌇 Also went here3 peoplewasn't crazy about the town - the surrounding country is gorgeous
🎒 Nomad 💵 Cost 📡 Internet 😀 Fun 👮 Safety 🌧 Feels 25° 77° 22° 72°🥵AQI 46✈️23h$1,199 / mo🌇 Also went here3 people✅ Affordable to live
✅ Pretty safe
✅ Lots of fun stuff to do
✅ Warm all year round
✅ Good air quality on average
✅ Spacious and not crowded
✅ Very easy to make friends
✅ High quality of education
✅ Roads are pretty safe
✅ Democratic
✅ Everyone speaks English
✅ Safe for women
❌ Pretty slow internet
❌ Very humid now
❌ Not many nomads go here
❌ Difficult to do business
❌ Hospitals are pretty bad
❌ Freedom of speech is weak
❌ Hostile towards LGBT
❌ Many people smoke tobacco
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