Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bago and Baguio

For one person, living is cheaper in Bago: $688 a month against $737 in Baguio, rent and utilities included – about $590 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Baguio outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

35

Cost of Living Index in Bago
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Bago Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
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Baguio Living Index

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Bago

🇵🇭 Philippines

$688

/mo nomad

Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bago and in Baguio

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bago and in Baguio actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $688 in Bago versus $737 in Baguio.

Bago $688
Baguio $737

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,080 in Bago versus $1,148 in Baguio.

Bago $1,080
Baguio $1,148

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,472 in Bago versus $1,558 in Baguio.

Bago $1,472
Baguio $1,558

Living in Bago costs roughly 7% less than in Baguio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bago 49% lower, Baguio 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ₱282

$3.92 ₱251

12.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.67 ₱1,003

$16.66 ₱1,066

-5.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.86 ₱183

$2.73 ₱175

4.76%

Cappuccino

$2.35 ₱150

$1.80 ₱115

30.56%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 ₱43.87

$0.55 ₱35.26

25.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₱20.55

$0.33 ₱21.31

-3.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.26 ₱80.6

$0.99 ₱63.7

27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ₱115

$1.54 ₱98.3

16.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ₱102

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 ₱79.2

$1.14 ₱73.2

8.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ₱59.0

$0.97 ₱61.8

-5.15%

Eggs

$1.72 ₱110

$1.99 ₱127

-13.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.11 ₱391

$5.11 ₱327

19.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 ₱292

$3.27 ₱209

39.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.00 ₱448

$7.63 ₱488

-8.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 ₱173

$2.19 ₱140

23.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 ₱88.4

$1.55 ₱99.5

-10.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 ₱140

$2.26 ₱144

-3.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 ₱71.8

$1.02 ₱65.2

9.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 ₱115

$1.73 ₱110

3.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 ₱131

$1.69 ₱108

21.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ₱72.9

$0.65 ₱41.31

75.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱33.10

$0.51 ₱32.80

1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 ₱172

$2.94 ₱188

-8.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.84 ₱438

$8.50 ₱544

-19.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ₱64.9

$0.95 ₱60.6

6.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ₱108

$2.05 ₱131

-18.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₱12.70

$0.22 ₱14.08

-9.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.19 ₱780

$12.90 ₱826

-5.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 ₱50.9

$0.81 ₱52.0

-1.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.46

$0.24 ₱15.42

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.79 ₱115

$1.90 ₱122

-5.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ₱85.8

$1.19 ₱76.3

12.61%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$18.2K ₱1.2M

$21.3K ₱1.4M

-14.61%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$17.3K ₱1.1M

$18.8K ₱1.2M

-8.06%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$113 ₱7,209

$136 ₱8,698

-17.11%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$14.33 ₱917

$17.08 ₱1,093

-16.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.00 ₱1,408

$23.01 ₱1,472

-4.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.03 ₱1,794

$20.76 ₱1,328

35.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.61 ₱295

$5.23 ₱335

-11.85%

Cinema Ticket

$5.27 ₱337

$5.03 ₱322

4.77%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$112 ₱7,182

$132 ₱8,478

-15.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,644 ₱553.1K

$10.6K ₱675.2K

-18.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.74 ₱1,967

$28.91 ₱1,850

6.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.38 ₱1,112

$19.53 ₱1,250

-11.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.6 ₱3,944

$71.5 ₱4,576

-13.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ₱3,771

$54.9 ₱3,512

7.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$286 ₱18.3K

$393 ₱25.2K

-27.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$144 ₱9,203

$192 ₱12.3K

-25.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$553 ₱35.4K

$819 ₱52.4K

-32.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 ₱22.8K

$463 ₱29.6K

-22.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,770 ₱177.3K

$3,156 ₱201.9K

-12.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$968 ₱62.0K

$1,526 ₱97.6K

-36.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$179 ₱11.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.92

6.75

2.52%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bago: October 25, 2026

Last update for Baguio: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Bago

$179 26.1%

Baguio

$171 23.2% 4.6% $8.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bago

$149 21.7%

Baguio

$176 23.9% 18.1% $27

Accommodation & Living

Bago

$144 20.9%

Baguio

$192 26.1% 33.7% $48

Eating Out

Bago

$86 12.5%

Baguio

$73 9.9% 15.3% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Bago

$76 11%

Baguio

$79 10.7% 3.6% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Bago

$39 5.6%

Baguio

$31 4.2% 20.1% $7.8

Getting Around

Bago

$15 2.2%

Baguio

$16 2.1% 5.4% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $286 in Bago and $393 in Baguio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $16 in Bago vs $17 in Baguio. Groceries flip the comparison at $179 vs $171, with Baguio cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Bago

🇵🇭 Baguio

🕒 Local time

18:02 6:02 PM

Same time as Bago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

191,210

366,358

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bago Baguio 700 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bago
Baguio

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bago vs Baguio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bago is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,031 in Bago and $1,106 in Baguio to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $286 in Bago versus $393 in Baguio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $112 in Bago versus $132 in Baguio. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Baguio pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Bago gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.