City in Philippines
Baguio
Baguio is a highland city in the Cordillera at about 1,500 m, with 368,426 residents at the 2024 census. Average daily highs stay between 22.4 and 25.5 °C all year, and six months are both 30 °C or under and under 150 mm of rain. The Philippine Retirement Authority has its North Luzon office here. [N1] [W1] [P2]
Why it is here
Why Baguio is on the list.
A city is listed when there is evidence that people move there. This is the evidence.
- The Philippine Retirement Authority runs its North Luzon satellite office on Loakan Road in Baguio. [P2]
- The authority counts about 1,200 holders of its retiree visa in the Cordillera region (approximate; regional, not for Baguio alone). [P1]
- A private retirement guide ranks Baguio third of nine places to retire in the Philippines and describes it as the cooler-climate option. [E1]
The Fernshore Index
How it grades, factor by factor.
Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.
Cost of living
90 of 100StrongCountry figure
Price level 0.332 of United States prices (2025).
Source: Price level index (GDP), Philippines. Checked 15 October 2026.
Climate
42 of 100MixedOwn figure
Baguio station (WMO 98328, 1,500 m): January (23.1 °C, 16.4 mm), February (23.7, 23.7), March (24.8, 49.9), April (25.5, 99.5), November (23.9, 96.1) and December (23.6, 41.6) are comfortable, so 6; May to October have 340 mm or more of rain a month.
Source: Climate normals 1991–2020, Baguio City Benguet (WMO 98328). Checked 16 October 2026.
Safety
33 of 100WeakCountry figure
Global Peace Index 2026: 102nd of 163.
Source: Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank. Checked 15 October 2026.
Healthcare
33 of 100WeakCountry figure
WHO UHC service coverage index 69 (2023), on the weak line.
Source: UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1). Checked 15 October 2026.
Schools
UnknownCountry figure
Our research doesn't cover schools yet.
Community
UnknownCountry figure
Not covered by Expat Insider 2026
Lifestyle
UnknownCountry figure
Not covered by Expat Insider 2026
Work and career
15 of 100WeakCountry figure
Weak: Executive Order 86 (2025) allows a one-year Digital Nomad Visa, but its guidelines are not published and the visa is not offered on the Department of Foreign Affairs e-visa portal, so we found no working residence route for remote workers; fixed broadband is 7.1 per 100 people (2024), under the 30 line.
Source: Executive Order No. 86: Authorizing the issuance of Digital Nomad Visa; Welcome to the Philippine Visa Online Portal (PH Visa Policy); Philippines Digital Nomad Visa 2026: Status & Reality; Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Philippines. Checked 16 October 2026.
Retirement
50 of 100MixedCountry figure
Mixed: the Special Resident Retiree's Visa (SRRV Classic) is open only from age 40, with a visa deposit of about US$15,000 to US$50,000 by age and pension. The page describes indefinite stay and permanent residency, but the age minimum makes the grade mixed.
Source: Special Resident Retiree's Visa (SRRV). Checked 16 October 2026.
Internet
15 of 100WeakCountry figure
7.14 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people (2024).
Source: Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Philippines. Checked 15 October 2026.
English
80 of 100StrongCountry figure
EF EPI 2025 score 569, rank 28 of 123 (above the 550 line).
Source: EF English Proficiency Index 2025: Philippines. Checked 16 October 2026.
Visa, United States passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for United States passports is being checked
Visa, Canada passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for Canada passports is being checked
Visa, Australia passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for Australia passports is being checked
Visa, New Zealand passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for New Zealand passports is being checked
The country
More on Philippines.
Questions about Baguio.
How big is Baguio, and how high is it?
Baguio is a highland city in the Cordillera at about 1,500 m. It had 368,426 residents at the 2024 census. That counts the city itself and is not a count of foreign residents.
How hot and rainy is Baguio?
At the Baguio station average daily highs stay between 22.4 and 25.5 °C all year. Six months (November to April) are both 30 °C or under and under 150 mm of rain. May to October each get 340 mm or more, and August averages 963.2 mm.
What does a one-bedroom condo cost to rent in Baguio?
On 16 October 2026 one portal's Baguio one-bedroom condo page showed only two listings, at PHP 25,000 and 30,000 a month (both listed for sale or rent). Two listings are too few to show a typical rent, so that is unknown here.
Is there a retiree visa office in Baguio?
Yes. The Philippine Retirement Authority runs its North Luzon satellite office on Loakan Road, Baguio. It counts about 1,200 retiree-visa holders in the Cordillera region, a regional figure (approximate, with no as-of date) that is not for Baguio alone.
What do retirement guides say about Baguio?
A private retirement guide ranks Baguio third of nine places to retire in the Philippines, presents it as the cooler-climate option, and describes a serene mountain setting. It gives no headcount of foreign residents and is not official.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [N1] Baguio City: population, Philippine Statistics Authority (2024 Census of Population, reference date 1 July 2024), as compiled by City Population (citypopulation.de, a private site); psa.gov.ph refused automated access (HTTP 403). Checked 16 October 2026. Baguio (a highly urbanized city in the Cordillera) 368,426 people on 1 July 2024 (366,358 in 2020). Wikipedia gives the same 2024 figure. Coordinates 16.41 N, 120.59 E are from the Wikipedia article on Baguio.
- [W1] Climate normals 1991–2020, Baguio City Benguet (WMO 98328), PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration), WMO Climate Normals 1991–2020 via NOAA NCEI. Checked 16 October 2026. The station is in Baguio City, at 1,500 m. Mean daily highs (°C): January 23.1, February 23.7, March 24.8, April 25.5, May 24.7, June 24.3, July 23.1, August 22.4, September 23.0, October 23.6, November 23.9, December 23.6. Rainfall (mm): 16.4, 23.7, 49.9, 99.5, 340, 406.1, 772.7, 963.2, 537.3, 489.6, 96.1, 41.6. Comfortable (18 to 30 °C and under 150 mm): January, February, March, April, November, December (6 months). Station at 16°24′N, 120°36′E, 1500.18 m.
- [P2] Contact Us (head office and satellite offices), Philippine Retirement Authority. Checked 16 October 2026. Head office: 29/F BDO Towers Valero, Paseo de Roxas, Makati City. Satellite offices: North Luzon, Unit 8, Nevada Square Bldg. 3, 2 Loakan Road, Baguio; Central Luzon, Savers Mall Bldg., Best Western Plus Metro Clark Hotel, McArthur Highway, Balibago, Angeles City, Pampanga; Visayas, 2QUAD Bldg., Cebu Business Park, Cardinal Rosales Ave, Cebu City; Mindanao, Plaza de Luisa Building, Ramon Magsaysay Avenue, Davao City. The page lists no office in Dumaguete or Siargao.
- [E1] Best Places To Retire In The Philippines: Expat Guide, Expatra (private expat guide, run by an insurance broker; not official). Checked 16 October 2026. Page published 12 July 2023, modified 4 June 2025 (per the page's metadata). Ranks Baguio third of nine retirement places, as its cooler-climate option, and says it offers "a refreshing and serene environment in the mountains of Luzon". Private guide, no headcount.
- [P1] Geographic Concentration of SRRV Holders in the Philippines (public data feed behind the page), Philippine Retirement Authority. Checked 16 October 2026. Read 16 October 2026 from the data the page loads (pra.gov.ph/cms/whereabouts/public). Approximate numbers of Special Resident Retiree's Visa (SRRV) holders by region, rounded, with no as-of date given: National Capital Region 12,500; CALABARZON 7,200; Central Luzon 5,400; Central Visayas 4,200; Western Visayas 3,500; Davao Region 3,100; Northern Mindanao 2,800; Bicol 2,600; Ilocos 2,300; MIMAROPA 2,100; Eastern Visayas 1,900; Cagayan Valley 1,800; SOCCSKSARGEN 1,700; Zamboanga Peninsula 1,500; Caraga 1,300; Cordillera 1,200; Bangsamoro 100; "Others" 15,700 (the regions and "Others" add to 70,900). In the National Capital Region: Quezon City 2,200, Manila 1,500, Makati 1,100, Pasig 950, Taguig 900, Parañaque 850. Counts are for regions and Metro Manila cities only; no other city is listed.
- [C1] Price level index (GDP), Philippines, World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 33.16 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [S1] Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank, Institute for Economics and Peace. Checked 15 October 2026. The Philippines ranks 102nd of 163 countries.
- [H1] UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization. Checked 15 October 2026. The Philippines: 69 out of 100 (2023).
- [K1] Executive Order No. 86: Authorizing the issuance of Digital Nomad Visa, Office of the President of the Philippines (text hosted by The Lawphil Project, Arellano Law Foundation; the Official Gazette refused automated access). Checked 16 October 2026. Signed 24 April 2025. Lets the Department of Foreign Affairs issue Digital Nomad Visas for up to one year, renewable, to people aged 18 or over who show proof of remote work, "sufficient income" earned outside the Philippines (no amount), no criminal record and health insurance, from countries that offer such visas to Filipinos. Section 7 gave the Department 30 days to issue implementing guidelines.
- [K3] Welcome to the Philippine Visa Online Portal (PH Visa Policy), Department of Foreign Affairs, Office of Consular Affairs (eVisaPH). Checked 16 October 2026. Lists the types of Philippine visa: 9(a) temporary visitor visas (a-1 to a-8) and visa-free entry for 30 days for nationals of listed countries, which include the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The page names no Digital Nomad Visa.
- [K4] Philippines Digital Nomad Visa 2026: Status & Reality, LiveInPH (private relocation guide, not official). Checked 16 October 2026. Says that on 15 October 2026 the Digital Nomad Visa was "created in law, not operational": the implementing guidelines were not published, no fee or country list had been set, and the visa was not among the options on the Department of Foreign Affairs e-visa portal. We confirmed the portal part on the portal itself (K3); the rest rests on this guide.
- [K2] Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Philippines, International Telecommunication Union, via the World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2024: 7.14 per 100 people, read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [R1] Special Resident Retiree's Visa (SRRV), Philippine Retirement Authority. Checked 16 October 2026. Page read 16 October 2026. SRRV Classic: principal applicants aged 40 and over; visa deposit USD 15,000 (pensioner, 50 and over), USD 30,000 (non-pensioner, 50 and over), USD 25,000 (pensioner, 40 to 49) or USD 50,000 (non-pensioner, 40 to 49); a lifetime pension of at least USD 800 a month (USD 1,000 with dependents) for pensioners; PRA processing fee USD 1,500; annual fee USD 360. Benefits listed include "permanent residency in the Philippines" and "multiple entry and indefinite stay", and exemption from separate work or student permits. The page lists no maximum age.
- [F1] EF English Proficiency Index 2025: Philippines, EF Education First (private test-taker index). Checked 16 October 2026. Score 569, rank 28 of 123 countries and regions (read on the page on 16 October 2026; the page does not print a proficiency-band word); the 2026 edition was not yet published on 15 October 2026.