Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baguio and General Santos

For one person, living is cheaper in General Santos: $628 a month against $757 in Baguio, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Baguio outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

37

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
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Baguio Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in General Santos
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General Santos Living Index

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Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$757

/mo nomad

General Santos

🇵🇭 Philippines

$628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Baguio and in General Santos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $757 in Baguio versus $628 in General Santos.

Baguio $757
General Santos $628

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,171 in Baguio versus $1,009 in General Santos.

Baguio $1,171
General Santos $1,009

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,585 in Baguio versus $1,391 in General Santos.

Baguio $1,585
General Santos $1,391

Living in Baguio is roughly 20% more expensive than in General Santos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baguio 44% lower, General Santos 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.04 ₱255

$3.38 ₱213

19.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.77 ₱1,056

$27.40 ₱1,725

-38.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.85 ₱180

$2.72 ₱172

4.78%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₱117

$2.56 ₱161

-27.34%

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

$0.59 ₱37.34

$0.28 ₱17.41

110.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₱19.17

$0.25 ₱15.83

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 ₱61.3

$1.58 ₱99.3

-38.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ₱98.9

$2.34 ₱147

-32.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₱106

$2.00 ₱126

-15.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 ₱70.7

$1.08 ₱68.2

3.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ₱60.5

$0.87 ₱54.7

10.34%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$1.86 ₱117

9.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.22 ₱329

$6.38 ₱402

-18.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ₱210

$4.77 ₱300

-29.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.04 ₱506

$9.25 ₱582

-13.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ₱145

$2.74 ₱172

-15.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₱100

$1.07 ₱67.2

48.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 ₱148

$2.45 ₱154

-4.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 ₱67.7

$1.19 ₱74.6

-9.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 ₱107

$1.98 ₱125

-14.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 ₱111

$3.28 ₱207

-46.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ₱38.85

$1.24 ₱78.2

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.33

$0.68 ₱42.60

-26.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.87 ₱181

$2.46 ₱155

16.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.00 ₱567

$7.76 ₱488

15.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₱57.8

$1.25 ₱78.5

-26.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₱127

$1.68 ₱106

20.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.84

$0.39 ₱24.37

-35.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.90 ₱812

$8.15 ₱513

58.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.34

$0.78 ₱49.25

-1.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.44

$0.25 ₱15.79

-8.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ₱121

$0.82 ₱51.4

135.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ₱78.7

$1.12 ₱70.7

11.61%

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

$21.5K ₱1.4M

$20.9K ₱1.3M

2.91%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

-0.63%

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

$138 ₱8,682

$76.6 ₱4,825

79.92%

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

$17.71 ₱1,115

$6.53 ₱411

171.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.76 ₱1,496

$31.67 ₱1,994

-24.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.05 ₱1,325

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.19 ₱327

Cinema Ticket

$5.30 ₱334

$4.91 ₱309

7.94%

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

$135 ₱8,486

$109 ₱6,840

24.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₱673.8K

$7,532 ₱474.2K

42.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.76 ₱1,811

$59.8 ₱3,767

-51.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.76 ₱1,244

$30.67 ₱1,931

-35.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.1 ₱4,479

$70.3 ₱4,428

1.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.4 ₱3,551

$60.7 ₱3,823

-7.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 ₱25.8K

$174 ₱11.0K

134.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$200 ₱12.6K

$112 ₱7,068

77.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 ₱52.6K

$359 ₱22.6K

132.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 ₱29.3K

$238 ₱15.0K

95.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,647 ₱166.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$930 ₱58.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$182 ₱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 12, 2026

Last update for General Santos: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baguio

$200 26.4%

General Santos

$112 17.9% 43.7% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baguio

$179 23.7%

General Santos

$115 18.3% 36% $65

Groceries & Markets

Baguio

$176 23.3%

General Santos

$199 31.7% 13.1% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Baguio

$79 10.5%

General Santos

$100 15.9% 25.8% $20

Eating Out

Baguio

$75 9.9%

General Santos

$81 12.8% 7.7% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Baguio

$32 4.2%

General Santos

$9.8 * 1.6% 69% $22

Getting Around

Baguio

$16 2.1%

General Santos

$12 1.9% 25.8% $4.1

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 $409 in Baguio and $174 in General Santos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $17.00 in Baguio vs $27.00 in General Santos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $176 vs $199 per month, with Baguio cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Baguio

🇵🇭 General Santos

🕒 Local time

16:03 4:03 PM

Same time as Baguio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

366,358

697,315

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Baguio General Santos 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Baguio
General Santos

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 General Santos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

General Santos wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Baguio. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making General Santos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,135 in Baguio and $942 in General Santos 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: $409 in Baguio versus $174 in General Santos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $757 per month in Baguio versus $628 in General Santos – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in General Santos runs roughly 58% less than in Baguio. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though General Santos 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.

Safety-wise, Baguio and General Santos are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find General Santos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Baguio. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.