Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baguio and Cotabato City

For one person, living costs are similar in Baguio and in Cotabato City: $737 and $738 a month, rent and utilities included.

36

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
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Baguio Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Cotabato City
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Cotabato City Living Index

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Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$737

/mo nomad

Cotabato City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Baguio and in Cotabato City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $737 in Baguio versus $738 in Cotabato City.

Baguio $737
Cotabato City $738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,148 in Baguio versus $1,139 in Cotabato City.

Baguio $1,148
Cotabato City $1,139

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,558 in Baguio versus $1,539 in Cotabato City.

Baguio $1,558
Cotabato City $1,539

Monthly costs are close between Baguio and Cotabato City; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baguio 46% lower, Cotabato City 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 ₱251

$4.81 ₱307

-18.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.66 ₱1,064

$16.14 ₱1,031

3.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.73 ₱174

$3.97 ₱254

-31.23%

Cappuccino

$1.80 ₱115

$2.17 ₱139

-17.05%

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

$0.55 ₱35.21

$1.06 ₱67.6

-48.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.28

$0.62 ₱39.75

-46.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ₱63.6

$1.14 ₱73.1

-13.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₱98.2

$2.08 ₱133

-25.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ₱101

$2.01 ₱128

-20.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ₱73.1

$1.08 ₱68.8

5.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.7

$0.75 ₱48.19

29.33%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$1.90 ₱121

4.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.11 ₱326

$6.44 ₱411

-20.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.27 ₱209

$4.59 ₱293

-28.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.63 ₱487

$9.44 ₱603

-19.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 ₱140

$2.76 ₱176

-20.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ₱99.3

$1.10 ₱70.0

40.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 ₱144

$2.40 ₱153

-5.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ₱65.1

$1.17 ₱74.7

-12.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 ₱110

$1.97 ₱126

-12.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 ₱108

$3.30 ₱211

-48.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₱41.24

$1.24 ₱78.9

-47.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.75

$0.66 ₱42.15

-22.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 ₱188

$2.40 ₱154

22.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.50 ₱543

$8.03 ₱513

5.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₱60.5

$1.27 ₱80.9

-25.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱131

$1.64 ₱105

25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱14.05

$0.22 ₱13.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.90 ₱825

$11.32 ₱723

13.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.9

$0.76 ₱48.30

6.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.39

$0.22 ₱13.97

9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.85 ₱118

2.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ₱76.2

$1.10 ₱70.2

8.18%

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

$21.3K ₱1.4M

$20.8K ₱1.3M

2.11%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

0.09%

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

$136 ₱8,684

$108 ₱6,875

26.31%

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

$17.08 ₱1,091

$18.43 ₱1,178

-7.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.01 ₱1,470

$30.97 ₱1,978

-25.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.76 ₱1,326

$30.96 ₱1,978

-32.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.23 ₱334

$5.25 ₱335

-0.38%

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 ₱322

$4.73 ₱302

6.34%

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

$132 ₱8,465

$105 ₱6,684

26.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱674.1K

$7,282 ₱465.3K

44.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.91 ₱1,847

$32.48 ₱2,075

-10.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.53 ₱1,248

$19.49 ₱1,246

0.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₱4,568

$69.5 ₱4,438

2.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.9 ₱3,507

$60.5 ₱3,862

-9.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 ₱25.1K

$224 ₱14.3K

75.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ₱12.3K

$153 ₱9,753

25.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 ₱52.3K

$447 ₱28.6K

83.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 ₱29.6K

$333 ₱21.3K

38.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,156 ₱201.6K

$2,692 ₱172.0K

17.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,526 ₱97.5K

$1,003 ₱64.1K

52.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$179 ₱11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

8.31

-18.77%

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

Last update for Baguio: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cotabato City: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baguio

$192 26.1%

Cotabato City

$153 20.7% 20.6% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baguio

$176 23.9%

Cotabato City

$157 21.3% 10.8% $19

Groceries & Markets

Baguio

$171 23.2%

Cotabato City

$199 26.9% 16.1% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Baguio

$79 10.7%

Cotabato City

$82 11.1% 4% $3.2

Eating Out

Baguio

$73 9.9%

Cotabato City

$93 12.6% 28% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Baguio

$31 4.2%

Cotabato City

$40 5.5% 31.1% $9.6

Getting Around

Baguio

$16 2.1%

Cotabato City

$14 1.9% 11.1% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $393 in Baguio and $224 in Cotabato City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $17 in Baguio vs $16 in Cotabato City. Groceries flip the comparison at $171 vs $199, with Baguio cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Baguio

🇵🇭 Cotabato City

🕒 Local time

07:46 7:46 AM

Same time as Baguio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

366,358

325,079

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Baguio Cotabato City 1,100 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Baguio
Cotabato City

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 Cotabato City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $1,106 in Baguio and $1,107 in Cotabato City 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: $393 in Baguio versus $224 in Cotabato City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cotabato City runs roughly 12% less than in Baguio. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Cotabato City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.