Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baguio and Pasay

For one person, living is cheaper in Baguio: $737 a month against $898 in Pasay, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Pasay
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Pasay Living Index

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Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$737

/mo nomad

Pasay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$898

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Baguio and in Pasay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $737 in Baguio versus $898 in Pasay.

Baguio $737
Pasay $898

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,148 in Baguio versus $1,224 in Pasay.

Baguio $1,148
Pasay $1,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,558 in Baguio versus $1,551 in Pasay.

Baguio $1,558
Pasay $1,551

Living in Baguio costs roughly 18% less than in Pasay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baguio 46% lower, Pasay 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 ₱250

$4.39 ₱280

-10.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.66 ₱1,061

$18.79 ₱1,197

-11.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.73 ₱174

$2.79 ₱178

-2.15%

Cappuccino

$1.80 ₱114

$2.12 ₱135

-15.09%

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

$0.55 ₱35.10

$0.59 ₱37.35

-6.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.21

$0.33 ₱21.23

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ₱63.4

$1.15 ₱73.4

-13.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₱97.9

$1.54 ₱98.0

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ₱101

$1.63 ₱104

-2.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ₱72.9

$1.16 ₱74.0

-1.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.5

$1.02 ₱65.1

-4.90%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$1.83 ₱116

8.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.11 ₱325

$4.97 ₱316

2.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.27 ₱208

$4.23 ₱270

-22.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.63 ₱486

$6.83 ₱435

11.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 ₱139

$2.19 ₱140

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ₱99.0

$1.56 ₱99.5

-0.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 ₱144

$2.34 ₱149

-3.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.9

$1.11 ₱70.5

-8.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 ₱110

$2.33 ₱148

-25.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 ₱108

$3.27 ₱208

-48.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₱41.11

$1.23 ₱78.1

-47.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.64

$0.85 ₱54.2

-40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 ₱187

$2.96 ₱188

-0.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.50 ₱541

$7.56 ₱482

12.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₱60.3

$0.88 ₱56.1

7.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱131

$1.73 ₱110

18.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱14.01

$0.20 ₱12.46

10.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.90 ₱822

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.7

$0.80 ₱51.2

1.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.35

$0.21 ₱13.36

14.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.89 ₱120

0.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ₱76.0

$1.23 ₱78.4

-3.25%

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

$21.3K ₱1.4M

$20.6K ₱1.3M

3.16%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

-2.36%

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

$136 ₱8,657

$139 ₱8,862

-2.33%

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

$17.08 ₱1,088

$14.40 ₱917

18.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.01 ₱1,465

$24.03 ₱1,530

-4.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.76 ₱1,322

$47.26 ₱3,010

-56.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.23 ₱333

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 ₱321

$4.99 ₱318

0.80%

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

$132 ₱8,438

$70.6 ₱4,497

87.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱672.0K

$2,430 ₱154.8K

334.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.91 ₱1,841

$34.90 ₱2,223

-17.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.53 ₱1,244

$19.11 ₱1,217

2.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₱4,554

$70.2 ₱4,473

1.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.9 ₱3,496

$62.5 ₱3,983

-12.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 ₱25.1K

$427 ₱27.2K

-7.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ₱12.2K

$312 ₱19.9K

-38.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 ₱52.2K

$828 ₱52.7K

-1.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 ₱29.5K

$366 ₱23.3K

26.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,156 ₱201.0K

$1,864 ₱118.8K

69.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,526 ₱97.2K

$567 ₱36.1K

169.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$179 ₱11.4K

$512 ₱32.6K

-65.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

-3.57%

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

Last update for Baguio: October 25, 2026

Last update for Pasay: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baguio

$192 26.1%

Pasay

$312 34.8% 62.5% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baguio

$176 23.9%

Pasay

$178 19.8% 0.9% $1.6

Groceries & Markets

Baguio

$171 23.2%

Pasay

$183 20.4% 6.7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Baguio

$79 10.7%

Pasay

$84 9.4% 6.8% $5.4

Eating Out

Baguio

$73 9.9%

Pasay

$81 9.1% 11.9% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Baguio

$31 4.2%

Pasay

$57 6.4% 85.7% $26

Getting Around

Baguio

$16 2.1%

Pasay

$2.6 * 0.3% 83.4% $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 $427 in Pasay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pasay pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $17 in Baguio vs $19 in Pasay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $183 per month, with Baguio cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Baguio

🇵🇭 Pasay

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

Same time as Baguio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

366,358

416,522

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Baguio Pasay 210 km

From you

Baguio
Pasay

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 Pasay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baguio wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Pasay. 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 65% 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 $427 in Pasay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Pasay. 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 $898 in Pasay – Baguio is about 18% 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 Pasay are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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