3.4/5
25 reviews
Photo by Michael Rivera via Unsplash

Davao

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internet

beautiful

food

transportation

great

boring

friendly

affordable

highly

grab

taxis

public

samal

island

traffic

terrible

cheap

Davao City stands out as a safe, friendly, and affordable destination in the Philippines. Visitors and returning guests consistently highlight how approachable and helpful the locals are, with strong English skills making communication easy. The cost of living is low, with plenty of inexpensive food options including night markets and casual restaurants. Internet speed has improved recently, making the city a more viable option for travelers needing good connectivity. The environment is relaxed and scenic, with popular nearby destinations like Samal Island and Marilog district offering beaches and mountain views.

The city has a growing but relatively low number of Western tourists, though Asian tourism is rebounding. While navigating the city using public transportation can be challenging and traffic is often heavy, Grab and taxis provide a convenient alternative. Those unfamiliar with the city might find it a bit slow initially, but discovering the local spots with the help of locals can dramatically improve the experience. Shoppers will also find high-quality malls and amenities. All in all, Davao offers a blend of urban convenience and natural beauty, ideal for those who appreciate a more laid-back but culturally rich environment.

AI-generated summary of reviews
9 months ago

I was here for almost three weeks last month. The internet is fast, and the surroundings are beautiful. The people are friendly, and most of them speak English well. I never felt unsafe during my stay. If you know where to go, there's plenty to do. There are many lovely parks, and the food is delicious and surprisingly affordable (I highly recommend Roxas). The shopping centers are of high quality. It's best to install the Grab app or take taxis for transportation. Public transportation can take a bit longer, but with Grab and taxis, you can get anywhere quickly, and it's reasonably priced. There's a relaxed atmosphere in Davao City. For beaches, it's best to visit Samal Island or spend a few days in Mati (approximately a three-hour drive). You won't encounter many Westerners or nomads here. Tourism is starting to pick up again after the pandemic, but most visitors are from Asia. I highly recommend it and will definitely come back here 100%.

3 years ago

Internet has significantly improved from the last time I have been. Traffic is still terrible, with public transportation is quite challenging. Overall the city is really nice, excellent beach on nearby Samal Island and beautiful mountain resorts somewhere in Marilog district. There are a lot of affordable accommodations to choose from. Food is cheap and restaurants are everywhere, there area lot of night markets where food is not that bad but incredibly inexpensive. Locals are friendly and communication is not a difficulty because they are amiable and have good English communication skills. Jacks Ridge is an ideal place to unwind late in the afternoon with panoramic view of the city. Great folks and a great city, I'll probably return.

3 years ago

Not sure where the last person went in the city for him/her to say that there are zero expats. Throughout my years with Davao, I would bump into at least 20 expats in one night out in just a single area. Davao City is only boring if you don't know where to go, and as someone who lives outside of Davao, I find myself coming back more than five times a year for the people, the culture it has, and how conveniently close it is to beautiful vacation places. You'll love it when you know the gems that you can only find if you approach the right people. You attract the right people if you're a cool person yourself.

5 years ago

Terrible internet even taxi drivers can't use maps and don't know where they are going. Super boring. Congested with traffic and horns. No infrastructure. Bums everywhere. Sketchy people. Davao city is a scary and weird place. There are zero foreigners here. Check the expat group on Facebook it's a handful of creepy old men. I guess Filipinos that live here that are pumping up the reviews for this place because they are proud of where they are from and love their president and his beloved city. Lots of fake crap about how amazing it is all over the internet. Really far from the truth. Police and military all over yeah maybe that makes some people feel safe but I'd rather deal with threats from pickpocketers than terrorists and kidnappers!

6 years ago

Very safe, very cheap city to live in. They have a couple decent gyms and coworking spaces. Overall, the city is quite boring with very little to do - unless you enjoy walking around the 2-3 big malls they have dotted around the city. They have liquor restrictions so clubs and bars stop serving alcohol after midnight. A great place to live if you want to get a lot of work don with no distractions and live cheaply - also close to other hot spots like Cebu, Manila and the rest of Asia.

6 years ago

✅ Very safe

✅ Fast internet

✅ Friendly people

✅ Very affordable

✅ Beautiful surroundings

✅ Affordable to live

✅ 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

✅ Family friendly

❌ Traffic congestion

❌ Challenging public transportation

❌ Freedom of speech is weak

❌ Pretty slow internet

❌ Not many Nomads.com members go here

❌ Difficult to do business

❌ Quality of education is low

❌ Hospitals are bad

❌ Hostile towards LGBTQ+

❌ Many people smoke tobacco

❌ Marijuana is illegal

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Feels (median)

3290°
hot

3493°
hot

3290°
hot

3595°
hot

3799°
hot

3697°
hot

3290°
hot

3799°
hot

3697°
hot

3391°
hot

Real (median)

2781°
warm

2983°
very warm

2882°
very warm

2984°
very warm

2882°
very warm

3085°
very warm

2984°
very warm

2882°
very warm

Humidity

sweaty
90%

sweaty
84%

sweaty
81%

sweaty
84%

sweaty
90%

sweaty
87%

sweaty
84%

sweaty
85%

sweaty
87%

sweaty
86%

Most common

☔️ Rain

Rain

rainy
161mm

rainy
134mm

rainy
124mm

rainy
93mm

rainy
206mm

rainy
204mm

rainy
154mm

rainy
158mm

rainy
219mm

rainy
212mm

rainy
169mm

rainy
138mm

Cloud

cloudy
55%

pockets
46%

pockets
45%

cloudy
54%

cloudy
55%

cloudy
53%

cloudy
52%

cloudy
53%

cloudy
52%

cloudy
55%

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

Sun

avoid sun
7 UVI

avoid sun
8 UVI

avoid sun
9 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

avoid sun
8 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

avoid sun
6 UVI

Remote workers

700 people

600 people

900 people

600 people

720 people

1,200 people

600 people

Green is good. Red is bad. Values shown are the medians of all daily highs in a month based on past few years, not necessarily current numbers. Remote worker count is estimated based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members.

If you'd like to filter destinations based on their climate, try Nomads.com's Climate Finder

Based on Davao's cost of living, here's selected remote jobs that would cover your costs:

Help pick the best photos for Davao and improve this page's look by tappingclicking on them and the site saves your feedback Vote photos

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✈️5h

$3,217 / mo

27 Mbps

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🙂 Okay

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 10° 50° 10° 51° AQI 38

✈️5h

$2,530 / mo

33 Mbps

Singapore

⭐️ OverallAll

Malaysia

Members who have been here

Values shown are estimated visits by traveling remote workers based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Visits to a place are only counted once per year per user, even if they visit more in that year. Visits are also normalized by overall trips added per month on the site, so if site usage goes up or down it does not affect trends. Not all digital nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

The chart below shows visitors by nationality normalized for population size. This means we take all trips logged on Nomads.com, check which country of origin the user is from, then divide that total visit count by the country of origin's population. If we didn't, it'd just show the big countries like US, Brazil and India always on top. Instead, this shows which nationalities worldwide proportionally visit more or less, which is more useful.

🎒 Nomad Score™	3.4/5 (Rank #187) 25 reviews
❤️ Liked by members	👍5 liked it 👎2 disliked it
👍 Quality of life score	Okay
👶 Family score	Okay
🎒 Community score	Okay
🤯 Overcrowding score	0% is nomad here
💵 Cost	😙 Affordable: $1,280 / mo
📡 Internet	😡 Slow: 8 Mbps (avg)
😝 Fun	Good
⛅️ Temperature (now)	🥵 Too hot: 31°C87°F (feels 38°C100°F)
💦 Humidity (now)	😊 Comfy: 70%
❄️ % of buildings with AC	🥵 Very low: 14%
💨 Air quality (annual)	🌱 Good: 71 US AQI
👌 Safety	Good
👩 Safe for women	Okay
🌈 Safe for LGBTQ+	Bad
🤮 Food safety*	Good
👮‍♀️ Lack of crime*	Good
🤝 Lack of racism*	Bad
🎓 Education level*	Mediocre
⚡️ Power grid	Great
🌊 Vulnerability to climate change	Okay
💰 Income level*	Very low: $246 / mo
🙊 English speaking*	Good
🚶 Walkability	Great
🚦 Traffic safety*	Okay
✈️ Airline scores*	Good
🧳 Lost luggage*	Great
😄 Happiness*	Bad
🍸 Nightlife	Okay
📶 Free WiFi in city	Okay
🖥 Places to work from	Great
😁 Friendly to foreigners	Great
🗯 Freedom of speech*	Okay
🎅 Startup Score	Okay

🌍 Continent	Asia
🚩 Country	Philippines
🗓️ Average trip length	27 days
📡 Internet speed (avg)	8 Mbps
⛅️ Weather (now)	🌥 31°C 87°F + 😊 Comfy (70%) = feels 38°C 100°F
💨 Air quality (annual avg)	👎😷 71 US AQI
🔌 Power	230V 60Hz
🚕 Best taxi app*	Grab
🚑 Travel medical insurance	Safetywing
💸 100 PHP in USD	USD 1.68
🏧 Suggested ATM take out:	PHP 10,000 = USD 168
💸 Tipping	No
💳 Cashless	💳 Yes, cards OK almost everywhere
💻 Best coworking space	The Cube
🚰 Tap water	🚫 No, not drinkable
♻️ Return rate	👍22% of visitors return
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Population	1,600,000 people
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 GDP per capita*	$2,951 / year
👫 Gender ratio (population)	👨 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	$1,280 / month
💵 Cost of living for expat	$802 / month
💵 Cost of living for family	$1,519 / month
💵 Cost of living for local	$434 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$620 / month
🏡 Airbnb (median price)	$1,375 / month
🏠 1br studio rent in center	$251 / month
🏠 Median home price	$70,485
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$29 / night
🏠 Airbnb (median price)	$45 / night
🏢 Coworking hot desk	$143 / month
🍛 Dinner	$3
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L)	$1
🍺 Beer in cafe (0.5L)	$2
☕️ Coffee in cafe	$2
👩‍🏫 International school	$7,552 / year
📱 Mobile data (~10GB)	$13 / month
🚕 Taxi price (avg trip ~3km/2mi)	$1 / trip