Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baguio and Lapu-Lapu

For one person, living is cheaper in Baguio: $737 a month against $843 in Lapu-Lapu, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lapu-Lapu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

36

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
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Baguio Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Lapu-Lapu
Learn more

Lapu-Lapu Living Index

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Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$737

/mo nomad

Lapu-Lapu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Baguio and in Lapu-Lapu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $737 in Baguio versus $843 in Lapu-Lapu.

Baguio $737
Lapu-Lapu $843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,148 in Baguio versus $1,191 in Lapu-Lapu.

Baguio $1,148
Lapu-Lapu $1,191

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

Baguio $1,558
Lapu-Lapu $1,539

Living in Baguio costs roughly 13% less than in Lapu-Lapu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baguio 46% lower, Lapu-Lapu 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 ₱250

$4.00 ₱255

-2.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.66 ₱1,061

$15.58 ₱992

6.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.73 ₱174

$4.00 ₱255

-31.75%

Cappuccino

$1.80 ₱114

$2.50 ₱159

-28.00%

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

$0.55 ₱35.10

$0.56 ₱35.74

-1.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.21

$0.37 ₱23.62

-10.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ₱63.4

$1.24 ₱78.8

-20.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₱97.9

$2.16 ₱137

-28.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ₱101

$1.71 ₱109

-7.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ₱72.9

$1.32 ₱83.9

-13.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.5

$1.01 ₱64.5

-3.96%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$1.94 ₱123

2.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.11 ₱325

$5.43 ₱346

-5.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.27 ₱208

$4.28 ₱273

-23.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.63 ₱486

$7.46 ₱475

2.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 ₱139

$3.18 ₱202

-31.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ₱99.0

$1.37 ₱87.1

13.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 ₱144

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.9

$1.51 ₱96.0

-32.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 ₱110

$2.28 ₱145

-24.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 ₱108

$1.93 ₱123

-12.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₱41.11

$1.10 ₱70.0

-40.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.64

$0.59 ₱37.61

-13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 ₱187

$1.54 ₱98.4

90.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.50 ₱541

$3.81 ₱243

123.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₱60.3

$1.03 ₱65.8

-7.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱131

$1.49 ₱95.0

37.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱14.01

$0.22 ₱13.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.90 ₱822

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.7

$0.73 ₱46.68

10.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.35

$0.22 ₱14.02

9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱121

$3.77 ₱240

-49.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ₱76.0

$1.28 ₱81.6

-7.03%

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

$21.3K ₱1.4M

$20.6K ₱1.3M

3.39%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

-0.88%

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

$136 ₱8,657

$120 ₱7,662

12.97%

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

$17.08 ₱1,088

$15.46 ₱985

10.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.01 ₱1,465

$28.32 ₱1,804

-18.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.76 ₱1,322

$12.73 ₱811

63.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.23 ₱333

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 ₱321

$5.44 ₱347

-7.54%

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

$132 ₱8,438

$101 ₱6,418

31.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱672.0K

$7,765 ₱494.5K

35.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.91 ₱1,841

$46.97 ₱2,992

-38.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.53 ₱1,244

$24.71 ₱1,574

-20.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₱4,554

$23.03 ₱1,467

210.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.9 ₱3,496

$57.6 ₱3,671

-4.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 ₱25.1K

$441 ₱28.1K

-10.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ₱12.2K

$315 ₱20.1K

-39.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 ₱52.2K

$1,204 ₱76.7K

-32.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 ₱29.5K

$472 ₱30.0K

-1.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,156 ₱201.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,526 ₱97.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$179 ₱11.4K

$230 ₱14.7K

-22.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.2

-6.25%

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

Last update for Baguio: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lapu-Lapu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baguio

$192 26.1%

Lapu-Lapu

$315 37.4% 64% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baguio

$176 23.9%

Lapu-Lapu

$164 19.5% 6.8% $12

Groceries & Markets

Baguio

$171 23.2%

Lapu-Lapu

$181 21.4% 5.6% $9.5

Clothing & Footwear

Baguio

$79 10.7%

Lapu-Lapu

$69 8.1% 12.9% $10

Eating Out

Baguio

$73 9.9%

Lapu-Lapu

$88 10.5% 21.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Baguio

$31 4.2%

Lapu-Lapu

$24 2.8% 23.4% $7.2

Getting Around

Baguio

$16 2.1%

Lapu-Lapu

$2.7 * 0.3% 82.8% $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 $441 in Lapu-Lapu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lapu-Lapu pays 29% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $17 in Baguio vs $16 in Lapu-Lapu. Groceries flip the comparison at $171 vs $181, with Baguio cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Baguio

🇵🇭 Lapu-Lapu

🕒 Local time

08:33 8:33 AM

Same time as Baguio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

366,358

497,604

💱 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 Lapu-Lapu 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Baguio
Lapu-Lapu

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 Lapu-Lapu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baguio wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Lapu-Lapu. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Baguio the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 22% 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 $441 in Lapu-Lapu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Lapu-Lapu. 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 $843 in Lapu-Lapu – Baguio is about 13% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Lapu-Lapu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Baguio wins on affordability, Lapu-Lapu on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.