City in Philippines
Dumaguete
Dumaguete is a university city on the coast of Negros, with 142,171 residents at the 2024 census. In 2018 the Philippine Retirement Authority gave it its retirement-destination plaque for the year and said 255 of the 300-plus retirees on its visa in Negros Oriental lived there. [N1] [D1] [D2] [E1]
Why it is here
Why Dumaguete is on the list.
A city is listed when there is evidence that people move there. This is the evidence.
- In August 2018 the Philippine Retirement Authority gave Dumaguete its 2018 retirement-destination plaque, scoring it 87.48 percent on cost of living, friendliness, climate, health care and peace and order. [D1]
- In 2018 the authority said 255 of the more than 300 holders of its retiree visa in Negros Oriental lived in Dumaguete. This is the latest count we could open. [D2]
- A private retirement guide ranks Dumaguete first of nine retirement places and says it has a sizable expat community and a large student population; it gives no headcount. [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
8 of 100WeakOwn figure
Dumaguete City station (WMO 98642): January (29.2 °C, 96.7 mm) and February (29.4 °C, 73.7 mm) are the only comfortable months, so 2; March to December all have an average daily high above 30 °C (30.1 to 32.0).
Source: Climate normals 1991–2020, Dumaguete City Negros Oriental (WMO 98642). 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 Dumaguete.
How big is Dumaguete?
Dumaguete is a university city on the coast of Negros, the capital of Negros Oriental, with 142,171 residents at the 2024 census. That counts the city itself and is not a count of foreign residents.
What do rents look like in Dumaguete?
On 16 October 2026 one portal's Negros Oriental page showed three Dumaguete two-bedroom apartments at PHP 20,000, 28,000 and 30,000 a month, and three-bedroom apartments at 26,000 and 30,000. It showed no one-bedroom units there. These are asking prices from one site, not a town average.
Is there a retiree visa office in Dumaguete, and how many retirees live there?
The Philippine Retirement Authority's contact page lists no office in Dumaguete or Siargao. In 2018 it said 255 of the 300-plus retiree-visa holders in Negros Oriental lived in Dumaguete. That is the latest count we could open, and it is eight years old.
What do guides say about expats and retirees in Dumaguete?
In August 2018 the retirement authority scored Dumaguete 87.48 percent in its ranking of retirement places in the Philippines. A private guide lists it among nine retirement places and says it has a sizable expat community, but gives no headcount.
How hot and rainy is Dumaguete, and what about the volcano?
At the Dumaguete station highs run from 29.2 °C in January to 32.0 °C in May. Rain is 49.1 mm in April and 158.6 mm in October. Canada lists a 4 km permanent danger zone around Kanlaon volcano, which spans Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental, and says alert levels can change quickly.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [N1] Dumaguete 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. Dumaguete (a component city, capital of Negros Oriental) 142,171 people on 1 July 2024 (134,103 in 2020). Wikipedia gives the same 2024 figure. Coordinates 9.31 N, 123.31 E are from the Wikipedia article on Dumaguete.
- [D1] Dumaguete named Best Place to Retire in the PHL for 2018, GMA News Online. Checked 16 October 2026. Published 8 August 2018. The Philippine Retirement Authority gave Dumaguete its 2018 retirement-destination plaque, with an average score of 87.48 percent against standards from the UN, International Living, the WHO and others (cost of living, friendliness of locals, climate, health care, peace and order). Its marketing head said "A dominating number of our retirees from Negros Oriental are living in Dumaguete".
- [D2] Dumaguete City named best place to retire in Philippines for 2018, The Freeman (Philstar). Checked 16 October 2026. Published 10 August 2018, quoting the Philippine Retirement Authority's marketing head: "out of the more than 300 retirees living in the province, 255 of them live in Dumaguete". Does not give nationalities. Eight years old; a newer count from the city government (reported as close to 400 retiree-visa holders in 2025) could not be opened.
- [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 Dumaguete first of nine retirement places and says it "also has a sizable expat community and a large proportion of the student population"; says its coastal location offers beach outings and water activities; names Silliman University Medical Center. Private guide, no headcount.
- [W1] Climate normals 1991–2020, Dumaguete City Negros Oriental (WMO 98642), PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration), WMO Climate Normals 1991–2020 via NOAA NCEI. Checked 16 October 2026. The station is in Dumaguete City. Mean daily highs (°C): January 29.2, February 29.4, March 30.2, April 31.2, May 32.0, June 31.7, July 31.4, August 31.9, September 31.7, October 31.2, November 30.7, December 30.1. Rainfall (mm): 96.7, 73.7, 68.2, 49.1, 84.5, 143.7, 146, 104.6, 116.8, 158.6, 148.8, 127.8. Comfortable (18 to 30 °C and under 150 mm): January, February (2 months). Station at 9°20′N, 123°18′E, 8 m.
- [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.