Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baguio and Caloocan

For one person, living is cheaper in Caloocan: $496 a month against $737 in Baguio, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Caloocan
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Caloocan Living Index

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Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$737

/mo nomad

Caloocan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$496

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Baguio and in Caloocan

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 Caloocan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $737 in Baguio versus $496 in Caloocan.

Baguio $737
Caloocan $496

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,148 in Baguio versus $665 in Caloocan.

Baguio $1,148
Caloocan $665

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,558 in Baguio versus $834 in Caloocan.

Baguio $1,558
Caloocan $834

Living in Baguio is roughly 49% more expensive than in Caloocan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baguio 46% lower, Caloocan 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 ₱250

$2.70 ₱172

45.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.66 ₱1,062

$16.45 ₱1,048

1.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.73 ₱174

$2.26 ₱144

20.80%

Cappuccino

$1.80 ₱115

$0.84 ₱53.3

114.29%

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

$0.55 ₱35.11

$0.39 ₱25.07

41.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.22

$0.32 ₱20.70

3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ₱63.4

$1.01 ₱64.3

-1.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₱97.9

$1.59 ₱101

-3.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ₱101

$1.65 ₱105

-3.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ₱72.9

$1.11 ₱70.7

2.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.5

$0.99 ₱63.1

-2.02%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$1.79 ₱114

11.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.11 ₱326

$4.93 ₱314

3.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.27 ₱209

$3.32 ₱212

-1.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.63 ₱486

$7.69 ₱490

-0.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 ₱140

$2.23 ₱142

-1.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ₱99.1

$0.97 ₱61.5

59.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 ₱144

$2.34 ₱149

-3.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.9

$1.04 ₱66.6

-1.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 ₱110

$1.06 ₱67.8

63.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 ₱108

$1.77 ₱113

-4.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₱41.13

$0.65 ₱41.39

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.66

$0.46 ₱29.15

10.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 ₱187

$2.82 ₱180

4.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.50 ₱542

$4.82 ₱307

76.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₱60.3

$0.96 ₱61.2

-1.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱131

$2.02 ₱129

1.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱14.02

$0.20 ₱12.69

10.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.90 ₱822

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.7

$0.77 ₱49.01

5.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.35

$0.22 ₱13.97

9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.85 ₱118

2.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ₱76.0

$1.07 ₱68.0

11.21%

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

$21.3K ₱1.4M

$21.4K ₱1.4M

-0.47%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

-2.02%

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

$136 ₱8,660

$53.6 ₱3,416

153.56%

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

$17.08 ₱1,088

$9.42 ₱600

81.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.01 ₱1,466

$22.59 ₱1,439

1.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.76 ₱1,323

$4.82 ₱307

330.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.23 ₱333

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 ₱321

$5.12 ₱326

-1.76%

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

$132 ₱8,442

$130 ₱8,279

1.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱672.3K

$10.6K ₱673.2K

-0.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.91 ₱1,842

$28.20 ₱1,797

2.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.53 ₱1,244

$19.52 ₱1,244

0.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₱4,556

$53.9 ₱3,432

32.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.9 ₱3,497

$47.64 ₱3,035

15.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 ₱25.1K

$209 ₱13.3K

88.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ₱12.2K

$118 ₱7,491

63.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 ₱52.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 ₱29.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,156 ₱201.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,526 ₱97.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$179 ₱11.4K

$307 ₱19.6K

-41.70%

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 Caloocan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baguio

$192 26.1%

Caloocan

$118 23.7% 38.8% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baguio

$176 23.9%

Caloocan

$86 17.3% 51.4% $90

Groceries & Markets

Baguio

$171 23.2%

Caloocan

$158 31.9% 7.7% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Baguio

$79 10.7%

Caloocan

$67 13.6% 14.6% $12

Eating Out

Baguio

$73 9.9%

Caloocan

$50 10% 31.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Baguio

$31 4.2%

Caloocan

$15 3% 51.2% $16

Getting Around

Baguio

$16 2.1%

Caloocan

$2.7 * 0.5% 83.2% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $393 in Baguio and $209 in Caloocan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Caloocan pays 72% 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 Caloocan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $158 per month, with Caloocan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Baguio

🇵🇭 Caloocan

🕒 Local time

08:51 8:51 AM

Same time as Baguio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

366,358

1,661,584

💱 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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Between locations

Baguio Caloocan 200 km

From you

Baguio
Caloocan

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 Caloocan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caloocan wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Baguio. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Caloocan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 42% 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 $209 in Caloocan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Baguio. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $737 per month in Baguio versus $496 in Caloocan – Caloocan is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Safety-wise, Baguio and Caloocan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.