Where to retire in the Philippines: 20 places compared

There is no single best place to retire in the Philippines. The right place depends on what matters most to you: a big hospital nearby, easy flights for family visits, a cooler climate, or a smaller budget. The two tables compare 20 places on official data, in alphabetical order. We do not rank them or give scores.

Read each row as a starting point, and see the detail for each place further down. Every figure has a source below, and “check locally” marks a cell that no official source covered as of 20 October 2026.

Costs and climate

Scroll the table sideways for more

Hospitals, flights and one drawback

Scroll the table sideways for more

The threshold is PSA’s 2025 annual per capita poverty threshold for the province (preliminary, released 26 August 2026): the income one person needs in a year for food and basic needs. PSA reports each province with its cities included, so a city shows its province’s figure. The wage is the regional non-agriculture daily minimum in force on 20 October 2026 (NWPC table of 6 October 2026).

How the places are compared

Scroll the table sideways for more

Why there is no ranking. A score would have to weigh a hospital against an airport against a budget, and that weighting is yours to make. A place that suits a couple in good health with grandchildren in Manila may not suit someone who needs regular specialist care.

What is left out. Property prices and rents, because there is no official source for them by city. Crime figures, because as of 20 October 2026 no official source publishes figures that compare these cities. Third-party “retirement index” scores and cost-of-living websites, because they are not official sources.

Hospital levels. The DOH licenses general hospitals at levels 1 to 3. Level 3 hospitals offer the widest range of services. The registry showed licence validity dates of 31 December 2024 for several government hospitals while still listing them as licensed, so check a hospital’s current licence if it matters to your choice.

If health care comes first

These places have a level 3 hospital in the city itself: Baguio, La Union (in San Fernando), Subic and Olongapo (in Olongapo), Clark and Angeles (in Angeles), Lipa, Naga, Legazpi, Cebu City, Bohol (in Tagbilaran), Dumaguete, Iloilo City, Bacolod, Davao City, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos and Zamboanga City.

In Dumaguete and General Santos, the level 3 hospital the DOH registry lists in the city is private. Vigan, Laoag and Tagaytay have level 2 hospitals in the city, with the nearest level 3 in another town. In Puerto Princesa the DOH registry lists only level 2 hospitals.

If flights and family visits come first

• International airport in or next to the city: Clark and Angeles (Clark), Cebu City (Mactan-Cebu), Iloilo City, Davao City and Puerto Princesa.
• International airport within reach by road: Baguio, La Union and Subic and Olongapo use Clark; Tagaytay and Lipa use Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
• Domestic flights only nearby: Naga, Dumaguete (international trips go through Cebu) and Bacolod (through Iloilo). Laoag’s airport is international by name, but CAAP’s 2025 figures show no international passengers, and Vigan uses Laoag.
• Check locally: Bohol-Panglao, Laguindingan (for Cagayan de Oro), General Santos, Zamboanga and Bicol International (for Legazpi) carry “international” in their names, but as of 20 October 2026 no official source confirms current international routes from them.

If climate matters most

PAGASA groups the country into four climate types by rainfall. Most of the Luzon places here (Baguio, La Union, Vigan, Laoag, Subic and Olongapo, Clark and Angeles, Tagaytay and Lipa) are Type I, which PAGASA describes as dry from November to April and wet the rest of the year, with the most rain from June to September. Bohol, Davao City and Cagayan de Oro are Type IV on PAGASA’s map, where rainfall is “more or less evenly distributed throughout the year”. PAGASA’s 2024 station profile puts General Santos in Type III, with no pronounced rainy peak and a dry season of one to three months. Naga and Legazpi sit in provinces that span three types, so check locally.

For heat, altitude matters more than latitude. PAGASA gives Baguio, at about 1,500 metres, a mean annual temperature of 18.3 °C, “comparable with those in the temperate climate”. PAGASA also notes that most typhoons crossing the country do not hit Mindanao directly.

If the budget is tight

The poverty threshold gives a rough idea of how costs differ. Among the 20 places, it is lowest for General Santos (South Cotabato, PHP 28,479 per person a year), Puerto Princesa (Palawan, PHP 31,222) and Dumaguete (Negros Oriental, PHP 31,390). It is highest for Tagaytay (Cavite, PHP 43,585), Subic and Olongapo (Zambales, PHP 42,228) and Clark and Angeles (Pampanga, PHP 41,733).

Regional minimum wages are lowest in Bicol and MIMAROPA (PHP 455 a day for Naga, Legazpi and Puerto Princesa) and highest in Metro Cebu (PHP 582) and Central Luzon and CALABARZON (PHP 600). Lower wages can mean cheaper help at home and services, but also fewer well-paid jobs for family members.

A cheaper place can cost more in other ways: a long trip to a level 3 hospital, or extra flights to see family. Put your own figures into the OFW retirement calculator, which has a preset for each of these places.

All 20 places, in detail

The same places, grouped by island, with the full detail behind each cell of the tables.

Luzon

• Baguio: CAR, Benguet. Hospital: Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (level 3, government) and Saint Louis University Sacred Heart Medical Center (level 3, private). Airport: Clark International Airport, Pampanga (international). Baguio’s own airport had no airline passengers in 2025. Climate: Type I (Benguet). Drawback: No scheduled flights at the city airport: CAAP’s 2025 figures show no airline passengers at Baguio. Minimum wage: PHP 505 a day, wage order CAR-24.
• La Union: Region I (Ilocos), La Union. Hospital: Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center, San Fernando (level 3, government). Airport: Clark International Airport (international), or Laoag; which is closer by road: check locally. Climate: Type I (La Union). Drawback: A long wet season: PAGASA’s Type I is dry only from November to April, with the most rain from June to September. Minimum wage: PHP 505 a day, wage order RB 1-24.
• Vigan: Region I (Ilocos), Ilocos Sur. Hospital: Ilocos Sur Provincial Hospital - Gabriela Silang, Vigan (level 2, government); nearest level 3 is Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center, Batac. Airport: Laoag International Airport, Ilocos Norte. Vigan’s airport had no airline passengers in 2025. Climate: Type I (Ilocos Sur). Drawback: No level 3 hospital in the city; the nearest is in Batac, Ilocos Norte. Minimum wage: PHP 505 a day, wage order RB 1-24.
• Laoag: Region I (Ilocos), Ilocos Norte. Hospital: Gov. Roque B. Ablan Sr. Memorial Hospital, Laoag (level 2, government); nearest level 3 is Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center, Batac. Airport: Laoag International Airport (domestic flights only in 2025, per CAAP). Climate: Type I (Ilocos Norte). Drawback: No level 3 hospital in the city, and CAAP shows no international passengers at Laoag’s airport in 2025. Minimum wage: PHP 505 a day, wage order RB 1-24.
• Subic and Olongapo: Region III (Central Luzon), Zambales. Hospital: James L. Gordon Memorial Hospital, Olongapo (level 3, government). Airport: Clark International Airport (international). Subic Bay’s airport had no airline passengers in 2025. Climate: Type I (Zambales). Drawback: In the Mount Pinatubo area, where PHIVOLCS records lahars for months and years after the 1991 eruption. Minimum wage: PHP 600 a day, wage order RBIII-26.
• Clark and Angeles: Region III (Central Luzon), Pampanga. Hospital: Angeles University Foundation Medical Center, Angeles (level 3, private). Airport: Clark International Airport (international). Climate: Type I (Pampanga). Drawback: In the Mount Pinatubo area, which PHIVOLCS’s Pinatubo Volcano Observatory monitors. Minimum wage: PHP 600 a day, wage order RBIII-26.
• Tagaytay: Region IV-A (CALABARZON), Cavite. Hospital: Tagaytay Medical Center (level 2, private); nearest level 3 is De La Salle University Medical Center, Dasmariñas. Airport: Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Manila. Climate: Type I (Cavite). Drawback: Taal Volcano is nearby: an active volcano with a permanent danger zone around it. PHIVOLCS sets the alert level, so check its latest bulletin. Minimum wage: PHP 600 a day, wage order IVA-22 (645 from 26 October 2026 under IVA-23).
• Lipa: Region IV-A (CALABARZON), Batangas. Hospital: Mary Mediatrix Medical Center, Lipa (level 3, private). Airport: Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Manila. Climate: Type I (Batangas). Drawback: Taal Volcano, an active volcano with a permanent danger zone around it, is in the same province. PHIVOLCS sets the alert level, so check its latest bulletin. Minimum wage: PHP 600 a day, wage order IVA-22 (645 from 26 October 2026 under IVA-23).
• Naga: Region V (Bicol), Camarines Sur. Hospital: Bicol Medical Center, Naga (level 3, government). Airport: Naga Airport, Pili (domestic flights only). Climate: Camarines Sur spans Types II, III and IV: check locally. Drawback: Only a domestic airport nearby, and Camarines Sur had the highest family poverty rate (23.0%) of the provinces on this list in PSA’s 2025 figures. Minimum wage: PHP 455 a day, wage order RBV-23 (480 from 1 December 2026).
• Legazpi: Region V (Bicol), Albay. Hospital: Bicol Regional Hospital and Medical Center, Legazpi (level 3, government). Airport: Bicol International Airport, Daraga (international status: check locally). Climate: Albay spans Types II, III and IV: check locally. Drawback: Mayon Volcano, an active volcano with a permanent danger zone around it, is in Albay, and PHIVOLCS’s Mayon Volcano Observatory is in Legazpi. PHIVOLCS sets the alert level, so check its latest bulletin. Minimum wage: PHP 455 a day, wage order RBV-23 (480 from 1 December 2026).

Palawan

• Puerto Princesa: MIMAROPA, Palawan. Hospital: Ospital ng Palawan (level 2, government); the DOH registry lists no level 3 hospital in the city. Airport: Puerto Princesa International Airport (CAAP class: international). Climate: Type III (east coast of Palawan). Drawback: No level 3 hospital in the city: the DOH registry lists its hospitals as level 2. Minimum wage: PHP 455 a day, wage order RB-MIMAROPA-13.

Visayas

• Cebu City: Region VII (Central Visayas), Cebu. Hospital: Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (level 3, government). Airport: Mactan-Cebu International Airport (international). Climate: Type III (Cebu). Drawback: Earthquakes: PHIVOLCS names the Bogo Fault, the Daanbantayan Lineament and the Cebu Fault System among the area’s earthquake sources; a magnitude 6.9 quake hit northern Cebu in September 2025. Minimum wage: PHP 582 a day, wage order ROVII-27, Class A (Expanded Metro Cebu).
• Bohol: Region VII (Central Visayas), Bohol. Hospital: Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital, Tagbilaran (level 3, government). Airport: Bohol-Panglao International Airport (international routes: check locally). Climate: Type IV (Bohol). Drawback: Earthquakes: the magnitude 7.2 quake of 15 October 2013 was centred in Bohol and reached Intensity VII in Tagbilaran. Minimum wage: PHP 542 a day, wage order ROVII-27.
• Dumaguete: Negros Island Region, Negros Oriental. Hospital: SUMC Foundation, formerly Silliman University Medical Center (level 3, private); Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital (level 2, government). Airport: Dumaguete (Sibulan) Airport, domestic; nearest international is Mactan-Cebu. Climate: Type III (Negros Oriental). Drawback: Domestic airport only: international trips go through Cebu. Minimum wage: PHP 542 a day, wage order ROVII-27, Class B (Region VII wage board still covers Negros Oriental).
• Iloilo City: Region VI (Western Visayas), Iloilo. Hospital: Western Visayas Medical Center (level 3, government). Airport: Iloilo International Airport (CAAP class: international). Climate: Type III (Iloilo). Drawback: Flooding: the city’s disaster office lists 98 of 180 barangays as flood susceptible. Minimum wage: PHP 550 a day, wage order RBVI-29.
• Bacolod: Negros Island Region, Negros Occidental. Hospital: Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (level 3, government). Airport: Bacolod-Silay Airport, domestic; nearest international is Iloilo. Climate: Type III (Negros Occidental). Drawback: Kanlaon Volcano, an active volcano with a permanent danger zone around it, is on Negros. PHIVOLCS sets the alert level, so check its latest bulletin. Minimum wage: PHP 550 a day, wage order RBVI-29 (Region VI wage board still covers Negros Occidental).

Mindanao

• Davao City: Region XI (Davao Region), Davao del Sur. Hospital: Southern Philippines Medical Center (level 3, government). Airport: Francisco Bangoy International Airport (CAAP class: international). Climate: Type IV (Davao). Drawback: Earthquakes: the magnitude 7.4 offshore Davao Oriental quake of 10 October 2025 reached Intensity V in the city. Minimum wage: PHP 540 a day, wage order RB XI-24.
• Cagayan de Oro: Region X (Northern Mindanao), Misamis Oriental. Hospital: Northern Mindanao Medical Center (level 3, government). Airport: Laguindingan Airport, Misamis Oriental (international routes: check locally). Climate: Type IV on PAGASA’s climate map for Misamis Oriental; PAGASA’s 2024 station profile classes the Laguindingan airport station as Type III. Drawback: River flooding: the city government says flash floods from Tropical Storm Sendong in 2011 killed at least 674 people. Minimum wage: PHP 500 a day, wage order RX-24.
• General Santos: Region XII (SOCCSKSARGEN), South Cotabato. Hospital: St. Elizabeth Hospital (level 3, private); Dr. Jorge P. Royeca City Hospital (level 2, government). Airport: General Santos International Airport (international routes: check locally). Climate: Type III (PAGASA station profile, 2024). Drawback: The only level 3 hospital the DOH registry lists in the city is private; the city’s government hospital is level 2. Minimum wage: PHP 460 a day, wage order RB XII-25.
• Zamboanga City: Region IX (Zamboanga Peninsula), Zamboanga del Sur. Hospital: Zamboanga City Medical Center (level 3, government). Airport: Zamboanga International Airport (international routes: check locally). Climate: Type III (Zamboanga City). Drawback: CAAP classes the airport Principal Class I, and as of 20 October 2026 no official source confirms current international routes. Minimum wage: PHP 464 a day, wage order RIX-24.

Each place will get its own page with more detail. Going home for good? Start with retiring in the Philippines after years abroad, and see the cost of living in the Philippines.