⭐️ Total score | 3.58/5 (Rank #144) |
👍 Quality of life score | Okay |
👶 Family score | Okay |
💵 Cost | 😙 Affordable: $1,181 / mo |
📡 Internet | 😡 Slow: 5Mbps (avg) |
😝 Fun | Good |
⛅️ Temperature (now) | 🌞 Perfect: 29°C85°F (feels 34°C93°F) |
💦 Humidity (now) | 🥵 Sweaty: 80% |
💨 Air quality (now) | 🌱 Good: 66 US AQI |
💨 Air quality (annual) | 🌱 Good: 71 US AQI |
👌 Safety | Good |
👮♀️ Lack of crime* | Okay |
🤝 Lack of racism* | Bad |
🎓 Education level* | Mediocre |
💰 Income level* | Very low: $246 / mo |
❤️ Liked by members | 👍60% liked it 👎40% disliked it |
🙊 English speaking* | Good |
🚶 Walkability | Great |
✌️ Peace (no pol. conflict) | Bad |
🚦 Traffic safety* | Okay |
🏥 Healthcare* | Bad |
😄 Happiness* | Okay |
🍸 Nightlife | Okay |
📶 Free WiFi in city | Okay |
🖥 Places to work from | Great |
😁 Friendly to foreigners | Great |
🗯 Freedom of speech* | Okay |
👩 Female friendly | Okay |
🌈 LGBTQ+ friendly | Bad |
🎅 Startup Score | Okay |
🌍 Continent | Asia |
🚩 Country | Philippines |
⏱ Average trip length | 17 days |
📡 Internet speed (avg) | 5 Mbps |
⛅️ Weather (now) | 🌧 29°C 85°F + 🥵 Sweaty (80%) = feels 34°C 93°F |
💨 Air quality (now) | 👍 66 US AQI 🍃 OK |
💨 Air quality (annual avg) | 👎😷 71 US AQI |
🔌 Power | 230V60Hz |
🚕 Best taxi app* | |
🚑 Travel medical insurance | ![]() |
📱 Best wireless carrier | Smart |
💸 100 PHP in USD | USD 1.91 |
🏧 Suggested ATM take out: | PHP 10,000 = USD 191 |
💸 Tipping | No |
💳 Cashless | 💳 Yes, cards OK almost everywhere |
🚰 Tap water | 🚫 No, not drinkable |
👨👩👧👦 Population | 1,600,000 people |
👨👩👧👦 GDP per capita* | $2,951 / year |
👫 Gender ratio (overall) | 👨 49% 👱♀️ 51% |
👫 Gender ratio (young adults) | 👨 52% 👱♀️ 48% |
⛪️ Religious government | Non-religious |
💻 Online electronics shop | Lazada |
🏠 Apartment listings | Ayosdito |
✈️ Best short-haul air carrier | Cebu Pacific |
✈️ Best int'l air carrier | Philippine |
💵 Cost of living for nomad | $1,181 / month |
💵 Cost of living for expat | $778 / month |
💵 Cost of living for family | $1,470 / month |
💵 Cost of living for local | $420 / month |
🏠 1br studio rent in center | $287 / month |
🏢 Coworking | $76 / month |
🏨 Hotel (median price) | $663 / month |
🏨 Hotel (median price) | $31 / night |
🏡 Airbnb (median from 10 listings) | $1,190 / month |
🏠 Airbnb (median price) | $39 / night |
🍛 Dinner | $4 |
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L) | $1 |
🍺 Beer (0.5L) | $2 |
☕️ Coffee | $1 |
✅ Affordable to live
✅ Pretty safe
✅ Lots of fun stuff to do
✅ Warm now
✅ Warm all year round
✅ Good air quality on average
✅ Spacious and not crowded
✅ Very easy to make friends
✅ Roads are pretty safe
✅ Democratic
✅ Everyone speaks English
✅ Safe for women
❌ Freedom of speech is weak
❌ Pretty slow internet
❌ Very sweaty and humid now
❌ Nomad List members didn't like going here
❌ Not many Nomad List members go here
❌ Difficult to do business
❌ Quality of education is low
❌ Hospitals are bad
❌ Not family friendly
❌ Hostile towards LGBTQ+
❌ Many people smoke tobacco
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
Feels | 9334° hot | 9535° hot | 10038° hot | 9535° hot | 9937° hot | 9736° hot | 9736° hot | 9535° hot | 10038° hot | 10239° hot | 9736° hot | 9133° hot |
Real | 8228° very warm | 8429° very warm | 8630° very warm | 8429° very warm | 8429° very warm | 8429° very warm | 8429° very warm | 8429° very warm | 8630° very warm | 8630° very warm | 8429° very warm | 8228° very warm |
Humidity | sweaty 90% | sweaty 84% | sweaty 81% | sweaty 84% | sweaty 90% | sweaty 87% | sweaty 87% | sweaty 84% | sweaty 84% | sweaty 85% | sweaty 87% | sweaty 86% |
Rain | rainy 163mm | rainy 148mm | rainy 143mm | rainy 223mm | rainy 314mm | rainy 190mm | rainy 154mm | rainy 159mm | rainy 201mm | rainy 181mm | rainy 188mm | rainy 133mm |
Cloud | cloudy 89% | cloudy 73% | cloudy 71% | cloudy 86% | cloudy 85% | cloudy 86% | cloudy 87% | cloudy 83% | cloudy 85% | cloudy 85% | cloudy 84% | overcast 93% |
Air quality | okay 72 US AQI | okay 78 US AQI | okay 74 US AQI | okay 61 US AQI | okay 63 US AQI | okay 68 US AQI | okay 78 US AQI | okay 76 US AQI | okay 71 US AQI | okay 73 US AQI | okay 70 US AQI | okay 70 US AQI |
Sun | avoid sun 7 UVI | avoid sun 8 UVI | avoid sun 9 UVI | avoid sun 7 UVI | avoid sun 7 UVI | avoid sun 7 UVI | avoid sun 7 UVI | avoid sun 8 UVI | avoid sun 7 UVI | avoid sun 7 UVI | avoid sun 7 UVI | avoid sun 6 UVI |
Remote workers | 200 people | 0 people | 300 people | 200 people | 200 people | 200 people | 200 people | 200 people | 200 people | 200 people | 200 people | 200 people |
If you'd like to filter destinations based on their climate, try Nomad List's Climate Finder
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.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun good👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌥 Feels 35° 95° 30° 86°🥵✈️24min$1,327 / mo6Mbps×I was reading previous reviews and there are digital nomads here calling locals idiots, i dont even know if i wanna be classified as a digital nomad because of these arrogant and privileged expats. better go back to your first world country and not travel. anyway, Cebu is a good jump off point for other islands but good internet is not easy to find unless you just stay at the center.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun good👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌥 Feels 38° 100° 31° 87°🥵✈️31min$1,307 / mo5Mbps×If this place is Hostile towards LGBT, then non of the rich movie stars in Hollywood would even think of visiting this place. When I say rich, I mean Billionaires and Millionaires, that even a fraction of their money can probably buy the whole island itself. Now, they say that this beach is world famous? World famous for what! for bashing LGBTs? This narrow mindedness that's going on around this island is nothing but hypocrisy. Women are allowed to wear pasties and dental floss on the beac
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun very bad👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌧 Feels 36° 97° 30° 87°🥵AQI 24✈️52min$1,785 / mo6Mbps×Been there for a week, in March 2022, and If you happen to stay in El nido, you should definitely go to FRENDZ, where they have a nice open space where you can work, and the connection speed was like 300down/100up!!
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun great👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌧 Feels 39° 102° 31° 88°🥵AQI 24✈️1h$1,388 / mo6Mbps×Manila and the Philippines in general are an absolute horrible place to stay or live. The whole country looks like a slum. The food is horrible (mainly rice and burgers). Completely unhealthy. The air pollution is high. Fun level is absolute zero. Internet is bad. Accommodation is pricey for very low quality. Would never recommend this place to anyone. Go to Bali instead much better.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun bad👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌧 Feels 43° 109° 33° 91°🥵AQI 34✈️1h$1,355 / mo5Mbps×Nice and laid back city with good infrastructure. 4G coverage was good
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😝 Cheap📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun good👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌥 Feels 39° 102° 31° 88°🥵AQI 52✈️1h$777 / mo13Mbps×The air quality in Baguio is awful. I left with a cough and sore throat. Streets are crowded. Lots of traffic. Internet is not very stable. Head north to Sagada for a much more beautiful place in the mountains—equally unstable internet but at least the food and air quality are better in Sagada!
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun bad👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌧 Feels 23° 73° 23° 74°AQI 24✈️2h$1,575 / mo5Mbps×Best suited for surfers..
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun good👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌧 Feels 38° 100° 31° 88°🥵AQI 24✈️2h$1,623 / mo5Mbps×Like everywhere, Singapore has pros and cons. // Pros: // Everything works very well, it's clean, you can use the trains and transport system with a bank card, Grab taxis are efficient and safe, the airport is amazing // Everyone speaks English // Population seems well educated and cosmopolitan // There are lots of parks and green spaces. // Cons: // It's very expensive. For what you get it feels overpriced compared to most Western countries for example. // It's hot and very, very humid. Unti
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun good👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌧 Feels 41° 106° 32° 89°🥵AQI 46✈️3h$3,603 / mo60Mbps×I spent 4 months working here during summertime. It's one of the best summers I have ever had in my life. The city is just amazing and offers dozens of outdoor activities. There are so many different places such as parks, lakes, hills, mountains, beaches, etc. Also, you can feel the Californication vibe on every step. I lived in Hollywood and I would avoid this place at any cost. It's just too overrated and won't meet your expectations. Hollywood (esp. West Hollywood) is a big pile of dirtiness
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun great👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌥 Feels 20° 68° 20° 68°AQI 73✈️16h$4,754 / mo72Mbps×Don't go thinking it's another Chiang Mai, because it doesn`t. Instead, Chiang Rai is much smaller and simple, not so much to see and do --forget about nighlife, just relax and get the work done. Food is amazing and you can have as much khao soi you can eat. Finding a condo with pool and gym is possible, but there are not much options available. Better book something in the middle of nature -- rent a motorbike.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😝 Cheap📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun bad👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌧 Feels 33° 91° 28° 83°🥵AQI 17✈️4h$997 / mo29Mbps×A top city. Everything works, beautiful greenery (hehe), cycling everywhere, happy people, great nightlife... Lots to love about. For nomads? Not a chance. Price of housing is outrageous, and the city is expensive af. They charge you 4.5-5 eur for a capuccino, completely shameless. An hour of public transport is 3 euros. I could go on and on. I'd love to live there, but it's not worth it.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😳 Way too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun good👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌧 Feels 14° 57° 15° 59°AQI 30✈️15h$5,949 / mo14Mbps×Been there for a week, in March 2022, and If you happen to stay in El nido, you should definitely go to FRENDZ, where they have a nice open space where you can work, and the connection speed was like 300down/100up!!
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun great👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌧 Feels 39° 102° 31° 88°🥵AQI 24✈️1h$1,388 / mo6Mbps×Very 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.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🙂 Okay📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun mediocre👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌥 Feels 15° 59° 15° 59°AQI 13✈️18h$2,622 / mo17Mbps×I have been both HCM and Da Nang. Da Nang is obviously a winner. Cooler climate, nicer people, less crowded, less pollution. Love it here
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun mediocre👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌧 Feels 39° 102° 31° 87°🥵AQI 43✈️3h$1,013 / mo6Mbps×I was reading previous reviews and there are digital nomads here calling locals idiots, i dont even know if i wanna be classified as a digital nomad because of these arrogant and privileged expats. better go back to your first world country and not travel. anyway, Cebu is a good jump off point for other islands but good internet is not easy to find unless you just stay at the center.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun good👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌥 Feels 38° 100° 31° 87°🥵✈️31min$1,307 / mo🌇 Also went here4 people×Manila and the Philippines in general are an absolute horrible place to stay or live. The whole country looks like a slum. The food is horrible (mainly rice and burgers). Completely unhealthy. The air pollution is high. Fun level is absolute zero. Internet is bad. Accommodation is pricey for very low quality. Would never recommend this place to anyone. Go to Bali instead much better.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun bad👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌧 Feels 43° 109° 33° 91°🥵AQI 34✈️1h$1,355 / mo🌇 Also went here8 people×Hong Kong is a great city with dense urban areas but also nature and hiking routes only 15 minutes away. There are restaurants for every taste and budget, from the best US fast casual chains to high end Michelin star restaurants. It's also extremely safe, despite recent political instability.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun great👮 Safety goodTap to open🌦 Feels 30° 86° 26° 78°🥵AQI 13✈️3h$2,422 / mo🌇 Also went here6 people×Only thing to add is that in general Saigon has terrible walkability. I love Saigon, lived there for 3 years. But motorbikes are always parked on the sidewalks so you constantly have to step onto the road which is a little hair raising. And if it's not motorbikes then there are restaurant tables scattered across the pavement. Plus the pavement is almost always cracked. I'm a pretty chill person. But going for a random walk in Saigon always leaves me kind of irritated after a while. Of course the
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😝 Cheap📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun good👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌧 Feels 40° 104° 31° 88°🥵AQI 61✈️3h$957 / mo🌇 Also went here7 people×Like everywhere, Singapore has pros and cons. // Pros: // Everything works very well, it's clean, you can use the trains and transport system with a bank card, Grab taxis are efficient and safe, the airport is amazing // Everyone speaks English // Population seems well educated and cosmopolitan // There are lots of parks and green spaces. // Cons: // It's very expensive. For what you get it feels overpriced compared to most Western countries for example. // It's hot and very, very humid. Unti
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun good👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌧 Feels 41° 106° 32° 89°🥵AQI 46✈️3h$3,603 / mo🌇 Also went here7 people×I do not like Hanoi. I would not recommend it. I would rather go to Mexico city (cleaner and easier to get around). The driving situation is bizarre and scary. Gab app only works with cash, and honestly, most things only work with cash. The streets are dirty and disorganized. People barely speak English here (I found more english speakers in Da Nang, Vietnam). I tried to stay in Truc Bach and it was so dirty and loud that i left to West lake (which is supposed to be one of the nice area). It is
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😝 Cheap📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun mediocre👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌧 Feels 30° 86° 26° 79°🥵AQI 8✈️3h$970 / mo🌇 Also went here4 people×Putrajaya is the only place I would recommend due to its close proximity to the airport. The Shaftsbury Hotel is modern with two convenience stores, pharmacy, restaurants, dental, and more in the actual building. There is a rain fountain in "mall" of the building that would be Putrajaya's attempt at Singapore's airport one. The location is also literally right across from the bigger mall that has restaurants, international grocery store, movie theater, bowling, electronics, etc. It's a safe a
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun mediocre👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌧 Feels 45° 113° 32° 89°🥵AQI 87😷✈️4h$1,290 / mo🌇 Also went here5 people×I cannot help but agree with the review from the person before me. I'm finishing my 3 weeks trip here, and something feels off. Like that person put it rightly, everything is for sale, and nothing has value. There is no soul to this city and its people, locals or otherwise. Something is wrong here.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun good👮 Safety goodTap to open🌧 Feels 38° 100° 30° 86°🥵AQI 50✈️4h$1,320 / mo🌇 Also went here8 people×Chiang Mai used to be N.1 for the digital nomad life. It is still great and you can find really cheap apartments (300-400$) 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.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😝 Cheap📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun good👮 Safety goodTap to open🌧 Feels 34° 93° 29° 84°AQI 25✈️4h$970 / mo🌇 Also went here6 people×Pros: Friendly people, safe, stable government, efficient and fast public transportation, established foreigner (gaijin) population due many English teachers, many great food options, many festivals (cherry blossom fest), onsens! Cons: Expensive, work til you die at your desk mentality, drunken businessman culture, groping on packed public transit, lack of mental health services so be cautious around the destitute, over sexualization of underage females, high risk if caught with illegal substan
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun mediocre👮 Safety goodTap to open☀️ Feels 27° 81° 26° 78°AQI 74✈️4h$2,028 / mo🌇 Also went here5 people×Tokyo has so much to offer and so much to do. It is easily overwhelming. Whereas I usually take my first week to explore a place Tokyo’s sights just kept on going. I remember ending up in a hidden cocktail bar, a mexican rooftop party with 1 meter margaritas, spending a whole day going only to French places(?), visiting a store that only imported 2nd hand hiphop apparel, and throughout it all the best michelin star ramen. It just seemed endless, completely unrelated and incredibly fun. Six wee
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun great👮 Safety goodTap to open🌥 Feels 24° 75° 24° 75°AQI 30✈️5h$3,042 / mo🌇 Also went here8 people×I was in Dubai for 1 week, It's the best place for doing business and modern lifestyle, You can see an impressive infrastructure and what the mankind can build.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun mediocre👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌤 Feels 43° 109° 35° 96°🥵AQI 178😷✈️10h$3,345 / mo🌇 Also went here5 people×A top city. Everything works, beautiful greenery (hehe), cycling everywhere, happy people, great nightlife... Lots to love about. For nomads? Not a chance. Price of housing is outrageous, and the city is expensive af. They charge you 4.5-5 eur for a capuccino, completely shameless. An hour of public transport is 3 euros. I could go on and on. I'd love to live there, but it's not worth it.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😳 Way too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun good👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌧 Feels 14° 57° 15° 59°AQI 30✈️15h$5,949 / mo🌇 Also went here5 people×I spent 4 months working here during summertime. It's one of the best summers I have ever had in my life. The city is just amazing and offers dozens of outdoor activities. There are so many different places such as parks, lakes, hills, mountains, beaches, etc. Also, you can feel the Californication vibe on every step. I lived in Hollywood and I would avoid this place at any cost. It's just too overrated and won't meet your expectations. Hollywood (esp. West Hollywood) is a big pile of dirtiness
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow😀 Fun great👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌥 Feels 20° 68° 20° 68°AQI 73✈️16h$4,754 / mo🌇 Also went here5 people×