Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baguio and Marikina

For one person, living is cheaper in Marikina: $689 a month against $737 in Baguio, rent and utilities included – about $580 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Baguio outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

36

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
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Baguio Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Marikina
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Marikina Living Index

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Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$737

/mo nomad

Marikina

🇵🇭 Philippines

$689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Baguio and in Marikina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $737 in Baguio versus $689 in Marikina.

Baguio $737
Marikina $689

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,148 in Baguio versus $1,068 in Marikina.

Baguio $1,148
Marikina $1,068

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,558 in Baguio versus $1,447 in Marikina.

Baguio $1,558
Marikina $1,447

Living in Baguio is roughly 7% more expensive than in Marikina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baguio 46% lower, Marikina 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 ₱250

$3.94 ₱251

-0.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.66 ₱1,062

$31.68 ₱2,019

-47.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.73 ₱174

$3.21 ₱205

-14.95%

Cappuccino

$1.80 ₱115

$2.18 ₱139

-17.43%

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

$0.55 ₱35.11

$0.59 ₱37.91

-6.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.22

$0.31 ₱19.59

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ₱63.4

$1.03 ₱65.4

-3.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₱97.9

$2.42 ₱154

-36.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ₱101

$1.80 ₱115

-11.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ₱72.9

$1.26 ₱80.0

-9.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.5

$1.00 ₱63.6

-3.00%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$2.00 ₱127

-0.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.11 ₱326

$6.91 ₱440

-26.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.27 ₱209

$4.15 ₱264

-21.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.63 ₱486

$6.74 ₱429

13.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 ₱140

$2.32 ₱148

-5.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ₱99.1

$2.00 ₱127

-22.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 ₱144

$2.38 ₱152

-5.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.9

$2.30 ₱147

-55.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 ₱110

$2.38 ₱152

-27.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 ₱108

$3.53 ₱225

-52.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₱41.13

$1.06 ₱67.3

-38.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.66

$0.68 ₱43.09

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 ₱187

$2.83 ₱180

3.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.50 ₱542

$8.56 ₱545

-0.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₱60.3

$0.95 ₱60.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱131

$1.96 ₱125

4.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱14.02

$0.48 ₱30.69

-54.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.90 ₱822

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.7

$0.68 ₱43.44

19.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.35

$0.21 ₱13.35

14.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱121

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ₱76.0

$1.18 ₱75.5

0.85%

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

$21.3K ₱1.4M

$20.8K ₱1.3M

2.33%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$18.7K ₱1.2M

0.24%

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

$136 ₱8,660

$135 ₱8,620

0.47%

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

$17.08 ₱1,088

$15.48 ₱987

10.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.01 ₱1,466

$27.51 ₱1,753

-16.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.76 ₱1,323

$36.07 ₱2,298

-42.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.23 ₱333

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 ₱321

$6.83 ₱435

-26.35%

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

$132 ₱8,442

$131 ₱8,367

0.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱672.3K

$7,188 ₱458.0K

46.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.91 ₱1,842

$58.3 ₱3,713

-50.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.53 ₱1,244

$27.72 ₱1,766

-29.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₱4,556

$73.3 ₱4,672

-2.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.9 ₱3,497

$55.3 ₱3,524

-0.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 ₱25.1K

$177 ₱11.3K

121.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ₱12.2K

$78.7 ₱5,017

144.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 ₱52.2K

$318 ₱20.2K

157.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 ₱29.5K

$138 ₱8,793

235.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,156 ₱201.1K

$1,099 ₱70.0K

187.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,526 ₱97.2K

$467 ₱29.8K

226.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$179 ₱11.4K

$384 ₱24.4K

-53.33%

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 Marikina: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baguio

$192 26.1%

Marikina

$79 11.4% 59% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baguio

$176 23.9%

Marikina

$178 25.9% 1.3% $2.3

Groceries & Markets

Baguio

$171 23.2%

Marikina

$201 29.2% 17.5% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Baguio

$79 10.7%

Marikina

$97 14% 22.8% $18

Eating Out

Baguio

$73 9.9%

Marikina

$81 11.7% 11.2% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Baguio

$31 4.2%

Marikina

$50 7.2% 61.3% $19

Getting Around

Baguio

$16 2.1%

Marikina

$3.7 * 0.5% 76.8% $12

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 $177 in Marikina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Marikina pays about 2.1 times 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 $32 in Marikina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $201 per month, with Baguio cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Baguio

🇵🇭 Marikina

🕒 Local time

06:15 6:15 AM

Same time as Baguio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

366,358

456,059

💱 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 Marikina 210 km

From you

Baguio
Marikina

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 Marikina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Marikina wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Baguio. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Marikina the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 53% 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 $177 in Marikina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Baguio pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $737 per month in Baguio versus $689 in Marikina – Marikina is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Marikina gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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