Cost of living in Philippines
Summary of cost of living in Philippines
- Family of four estimated monthly costs: $3,000 (Php170,792)
- Single person estimated monthly costs: $1,565 (Php89,113) WARNING! These estimates are based on data that may have some inconsistencies at the moment. They already provide a decent estimate but they are not currently bullet-proof.
| Food | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| PHP | USD | ||
| Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district | Php286 | ($5.02) | |
| Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) | Php229 | ($4.02) | |
| 500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | Php125 | ($2.20) | |
| 1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | Php122 | ($2.14) | |
| 12 eggs, large | Php136 | ($2.39) | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | Php87 | ($1.53) | |
| 500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | Php215 | ($3.77) | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | Php137 | ($2.41) | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | Php122 | ($2.14) | |
| 0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | Php79 | ($1.39) | |
| 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | Php507 | ($9) | |
| 2 liters of coca-cola | Php74 | ($1.29) | |
| Bread for 2 people for 1 day | Php39 | ($0.68) | |
| Housing | |||
| PHP | USD | ||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area | Php84,274 | ($1,480) | |
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area | Php39,909 | ($701) | |
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | Php5,673 | ($100) | |
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area | Php26,566 | ($467) | |
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area | Php15,487 | ($272) | |
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio | Php5,075 | ($89) | |
| Internet 8 mbps (1 month) | Php1,536 | ($27) | |
| 40” flat screen tv | Php22,695 | ($399) | |
| Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) | Php7,617 | ($134) | |
| Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | Php343 | ($6) | |
| Hourly rate for cleaning help | Php999 | ($18) | |
| Clothes | |||
| PHP | USD | ||
| 1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) | Php1,931 | ($34) | |
| 1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) | Php1,578 | ($28) | |
| 1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) | Php4,413 | ($77) | |
| 1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | Php3,616 | ($64) | |
| Transportation | |||
| PHP | USD | ||
| Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new | Php1,332,570 | ($23,404) | |
| 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | Php64 | ($1.12) | |
| Monthly ticket public transport | Php941 | ($17) | |
| Personal Care | |||
| PHP | USD | ||
| Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) | Php263 | ($4.62) | |
| 1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | Php1,132 | ($20) | |
| Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) | - | - | |
| 1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) | Php224 | ($3.93) | |
| Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | Php183 | ($3.22) | |
| Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | Php217 | ($3.82) | |
| 4 rolls of toilet paper | Php79 | ($1.38) | |
| Tube of toothpaste | Php78 | ($1.36) | |
| Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | Php311 | ($5.46) | |
| Entertainment | |||
| PHP | USD | ||
| Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | Php746 | ($13) | |
| 2 tickets to the movies | Php823 | ($14) | |
| 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | Php8,198 | ($144) | |
| Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | Php1,739 | ($31) | |
| 1 cocktail drink in downtown club | Php237 | ($4.15) | |
| Cappuccino in expat area of the city | Php163 | ($2.86) | |
| 1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | Php243 | ($4.27) | |
| Ipad wi-fi 128gb | Php50,403 | ($885) | |
| 1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | Php34 | ($0.60) | |
| 1 month of gym membership in business district | Php2,215 | ($39) | |
| 1 package of marlboro cigarettes | Php176 | ($3.09) | |
Moving to Philippines with your children?
International Schools in Philippines
Map of Cost of Living in Philippines
This map shows only the top cities in Philippines. We also have on this page a list of all the cities available in Expatistan:
List of all the cities available in Expatistan
The color of each marker corresponds with the cost of living in the city red markers show more expensive cities green ones show cheaper cities
Moving the mouse on top of a city will show its name and the Cost of Living Index of that city.
What is the Cost of Living Index? To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a
central reference city (that happens to be Prague).
Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the
database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.
Cost of Living Ranking in Philippines
(top cities by data quality)
| Ranking | City | Price Index * |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | San Juan, La Union | 102 |
| 2nd | Manila | 68 |
| 3rd | Davao | 50 |
Price Index:
To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a central reference city (that happens to be Prague). Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.
List of all cities available in Philippines
Recent Comparisons
- Cost of living in Cebu City is 28% more expensive than in Port-au-Prince
- Cost of living in Manila is 60% cheaper than in Melbourne
- Cost of living in Manila is 48% cheaper than in Darwin
- Cost of living in Manila is 6% more expensive than in Koronadal
- Cost of living in Manila is 29% cheaper than in Chania
- Cost of living in Manila is 27% cheaper than in Vilnius
- Cost of living in Manila is 33% more expensive than in Port-au-Prince
- Cost of living in Manila is 25% more expensive than in Vientiane
- Cost of living in Cebu City is 23% more expensive than in Semarang
- Cost of living in Manila is 16% cheaper than in Taranto
- Cost of living in Cebu City is 548% more expensive than in Corrientes
- Cost of living in Manila is 60% cheaper than in Paris
- Cost of living in Cebu City is 90% more expensive than in Omsk
- Cost of living in Manila is 99% more expensive than in Omsk
- Cost of living in Manila is 16% more expensive than in Ho Chi Minh City
- Cost of living in Davao is 24% cheaper than in Cartagena, Colombia
- Cost of living in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro is 12% cheaper than in Cairns
- Cost of living in Manila is 35% more expensive than in Arkhangelsk
- Cost of living in Manila is 60% cheaper than in Hong Kong
- Cost of living in Manila is 28% cheaper than in Erie, Pennsylvania
Compare other countries
Prices recently added
- 1 pack of marlboro cigarettes in Cagayan de Oro costs Php175 (3 days ago)
- Hourly rate for domestic cleaning help in Manila costs Php150 (9 days ago)
- 1 pack of marlboro cigarettes in Manila costs Php200 (9 days ago)