Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baguio and Bulacan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulacan: $633 a month against $737 in Baguio, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
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Baguio Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Bulacan
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Bulacan Living Index

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Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$737

/mo nomad

Bulacan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$633

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Baguio and in Bulacan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $737 in Baguio versus $633 in Bulacan.

Baguio $737
Bulacan $633

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,148 in Baguio versus $915 in Bulacan.

Baguio $1,148
Bulacan $915

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,558 in Baguio versus $1,197 in Bulacan.

Baguio $1,558
Bulacan $1,197

Living in Baguio is roughly 16% more expensive than in Bulacan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baguio 46% lower, Bulacan 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 ₱251

$1.94 ₱124

102.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.66 ₱1,064

$15.70 ₱1,003

6.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.73 ₱174

$2.81 ₱179

-2.85%

Cappuccino

$1.80 ₱115

$1.83 ₱117

-1.64%

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

$0.55 ₱35.21

$0.43 ₱27.62

27.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.28

$0.23 ₱14.64

43.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ₱63.6

$0.92 ₱58.7

7.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₱98.2

$1.53 ₱98.0

0.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ₱101

$1.66 ₱106

-4.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ₱73.1

$1.09 ₱69.7

4.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.7

$0.86 ₱54.9

12.79%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$1.73 ₱111

15.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.11 ₱326

$2.70 ₱173

89.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.27 ₱209

$3.38 ₱216

-3.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.63 ₱487

$5.94 ₱380

28.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 ₱140

$1.97 ₱126

11.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ₱99.3

$1.52 ₱97.3

1.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 ₱144

$1.90 ₱121

18.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ₱65.1

$1.00 ₱64.1

2.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 ₱110

$1.51 ₱96.7

14.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 ₱108

$1.74 ₱111

-2.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₱41.24

$0.61 ₱38.88

6.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.75

$0.52 ₱33.42

-1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 ₱188

$2.96 ₱189

-0.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.50 ₱543

$3.56 ₱227

138.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₱60.5

$0.95 ₱60.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱131

$1.52 ₱96.9

34.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱14.05

$0.22 ₱13.79

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.90 ₱825

$6.66 ₱425

93.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.9

$0.71 ₱45.54

14.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.39

$0.16 ₱10.26

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.84 ₱118

3.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ₱76.2

$1.09 ₱69.7

9.17%

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

$21.3K ₱1.4M

$21.4K ₱1.4M

-0.53%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$16.1K ₱1.0M

16.74%

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

$136 ₱8,684

$110 ₱7,004

23.98%

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

$17.08 ₱1,091

$17.22 ₱1,100

-0.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.01 ₱1,470

$23.27 ₱1,487

-1.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.76 ₱1,326

$36.36 ₱2,323

-42.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.23 ₱334

$0.75 ₱47.93

597.33%

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 ₱322

$4.95 ₱316

1.62%

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

$132 ₱8,465

$94.3 ₱6,023

40.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱674.1K

$944 ₱60.3K

1017.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.91 ₱1,847

$28.32 ₱1,809

2.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.53 ₱1,248

$19.35 ₱1,236

0.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₱4,568

$74.6 ₱4,766

-4.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.9 ₱3,507

$54.1 ₱3,456

1.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 ₱25.1K

$242 ₱15.5K

62.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ₱12.3K

$149 ₱9,489

29.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 ₱52.3K

$387 ₱24.7K

111.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 ₱29.6K

$212 ₱13.5K

118.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,156 ₱201.6K

$1,869 ₱119.4K

68.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,526 ₱97.5K

$1,431 ₱91.4K

6.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$179 ₱11.4K

$287 ₱18.4K

-37.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

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

Last update for Baguio: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bulacan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baguio

$192 26.1%

Bulacan

$149 23.5% 22.7% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baguio

$176 23.9%

Bulacan

$150 23.7% 14.7% $26

Groceries & Markets

Baguio

$171 23.2%

Bulacan

$144 22.7% 15.9% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Baguio

$79 10.7%

Bulacan

$79 12.5% 0.9% $0.7

Eating Out

Baguio

$73 9.9%

Bulacan

$56 8.9% 22.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Baguio

$31 4.2%

Bulacan

$46 7.3% 50% $15

Getting Around

Baguio

$16 2.1%

Bulacan

$9 1.4% 42.8% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $393 in Baguio and $242 in Bulacan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bulacan pays 60% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $17 in Baguio vs $16 in Bulacan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $144 per month, with Bulacan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Baguio

🇵🇭 Bulacan

🕒 Local time

02:43 2:43 AM

Same time as Baguio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

366,358

3,700,000

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Baguio Bulacan 180 km

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Baguio
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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

Baguio vs Bulacan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bulacan wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Baguio. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bulacan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Baguio. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $393 in Baguio versus $242 in Bulacan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $737 per month in Baguio versus $633 in Bulacan – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bulacan runs roughly 48% less than in Baguio. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

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.

Expats usually find Bulacan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Baguio. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.