Austin vs Dumaguete

Real cost of living, rent, internet, safety and visa terms for both cities, side by side — then open the interactive tool to weight them against your own priorities.

Austin, USA
🇺🇸USA

Austin

67Freedom Score#57Global rank$2,800Per month

Texas tech capital — no state income tax, live music, and a booming startup scene with perfect US market hours for traders.

Dumaguete, Philippines
🇵🇭Philippines

Dumaguete

69Freedom Score#51Global rank$850Per month

The 'City of Gentle People' — Dumaguete is a laid-back Philippine university town with 90% English proficiency, warm dives at Apo Island, and one of the lowest costs of living in Asia.

The short answer

Compare these two in the full toolBoth cities pre-loaded — add your income and priorities to get a personal match score

Cost of living

Monthly figures for one person. Rent, meals and coworking are measured values, not shares of the total budget.

ExpenseAustinDumaguete
Comfortable budgetper month, all in$2,800$850✓
Rent, 1BR city centre$1,453$300✓
Meal, mid-range$18$5✓
Coworking deskper month$290$80✓
Cost of living indexlower is cheaper71.834.0✓

Quality of life

Scored 0–100 on the same attributes the match engine weights, so these agree with the interactive tool.

MeasureAustinDumaguete
Safety
56
72
Healthcare
75
52
Walkability
50
68
English spoken
100
90
Food & dining
80
65
Nightlife
85
48
Outdoors
66
70
Nomad community
60
62
Climate quality
78
74
Public transit
35
40

Scores, connectivity and paperwork

MeasureAustinDumaguete
Freedom Score67/10069/100✓
Global rankof 100 cities#57#51✓
Internet200 Mbps✓45 Mbps
Average temperature70°F82°F
Air quality48/100✓45/100
Airport connectivity78/100✓35/100
Nomad visaUS citizen/visa30 days
Headline tax rateon local income10%20%

Which should you choose?

Choose Austin if internet is faster at 200 Mbps, English is more widely spoken, the climate scores better and the headline tax rate is lower.

Choose Dumaguete if runs $1,950/mo cheaper, rent is $1,153/mo lower, it scores higher on safety (72 vs 56) and it is more walkable.

What each city is known for

Austin

  • Texas has zero state income tax — max your take-home
  • Perfect market hours: NYSE opens at 9:30am (with 1hr offset)
  • Booming tech & startup ecosystem — huge networking
  • Live-music, food-truck, and outdoor culture year-round

Dumaguete

  • 90% English proficiency — easiest Asian city for English speakers
  • Gateway to Apo Island's world-class diving and whale sharks
  • Among the most affordable cities on the platform at $850/mo
  • Philippines' 0% territorial tax on foreign-sourced income

Frequently asked questions

Which is better for digital nomads: Austin or Dumaguete?
Dumaguete scores higher on the Freedom Score (69/100 against 67/100), which makes it the stronger all-round base. That is an average, though — if cost, climate or community is what actually decides it for you, the tables above will point the other way as often as not.
Which is cheaper: Austin or Dumaguete?
Dumaguete is cheaper. A comfortable monthly budget is $850 against $2,800, a difference of $1,950 a month or about $23,400 a year. Rent is the biggest single line: $1,453/mo in Austin versus $300/mo in Dumaguete.
Which is safer: Austin or Dumaguete?
Dumaguete scores higher on safety, 72/100 against 56/100. Safety scores blend crime levels, political stability and healthcare access, and they describe a city as a whole — individual neighbourhoods vary far more than the headline number suggests.
How fast is the internet in Austin and Dumaguete?
Austin averages 200 Mbps and Dumaguete averages 45 Mbps, so Austin has the headroom if you push large files or run video calls all day.
What visa would I need for Austin or Dumaguete?
Austin sits in USA (US citizen/visa) and Dumaguete in Philippines (30 days). Requirements, income floors and processing times change often, so check the visa and residency guide before you commit to either.
Open the interactive comparison

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Cost, connectivity and quality-of-life figures come from the YourLifeMatch city dataset. Where a value is not confirmed it reads n.a. rather than an estimate. Figures are for planning, not professional advice.