Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baguio and San Pablo

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pablo: $622 a month against $737 in Baguio, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 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
30

Cost of Living Index in San Pablo
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San Pablo Living Index

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Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$737

/mo nomad

San Pablo

🇵🇭 Philippines

$622

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Baguio and in San Pablo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $737 in Baguio versus $622 in San Pablo.

Baguio $737
San Pablo $622

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,148 in Baguio versus $900 in San Pablo.

Baguio $1,148
San Pablo $900

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,558 in Baguio versus $1,178 in San Pablo.

Baguio $1,558
San Pablo $1,178

Living in Baguio is roughly 19% more expensive than in San Pablo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baguio 46% lower, San Pablo 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 ₱251

$3.93 ₱251

-0.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.66 ₱1,064

$16.44 ₱1,050

1.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.73 ₱174

$2.72 ₱174

0.37%

Cappuccino

$1.80 ₱115

$1.82 ₱116

-1.10%

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

$0.55 ₱35.21

$0.38 ₱24.05

44.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.28

$0.22 ₱13.80

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ₱63.6

$0.95 ₱60.8

4.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₱98.2

$1.60 ₱102

-3.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ₱101

$1.65 ₱106

-3.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ₱73.1

$1.10 ₱70.4

3.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.7

$0.96 ₱61.5

1.04%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$1.97 ₱126

1.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.11 ₱326

$5.15 ₱329

-0.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.27 ₱209

$3.40 ₱217

-3.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.63 ₱487

$7.35 ₱470

3.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 ₱140

$2.26 ₱144

-3.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ₱99.3

$1.42 ₱90.7

9.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 ₱144

$1.58 ₱101

43.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ₱65.1

$1.01 ₱64.4

0.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 ₱110

$1.54 ₱98.3

12.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 ₱108

$1.70 ₱109

-0.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₱41.24

$0.61 ₱38.84

6.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.75

$0.48 ₱30.92

6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 ₱188

$2.74 ₱175

7.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.50 ₱543

$6.29 ₱402

35.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₱60.5

$0.90 ₱57.7

5.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱131

$1.95 ₱125

5.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱14.05

$0.24 ₱15.40

-8.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.90 ₱825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.9

$0.75 ₱47.97

8.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.39

$0.22 ₱14.03

9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.86 ₱119

2.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ₱76.2

$1.18 ₱75.4

0.85%

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

$21.3K ₱1.4M

$20.9K ₱1.3M

1.64%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

-1.70%

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

$136 ₱8,684

$137 ₱8,783

-1.13%

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

$17.08 ₱1,091

$11.65 ₱744

46.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.01 ₱1,470

$23.40 ₱1,495

-1.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.76 ₱1,326

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.23 ₱334

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 ₱322

$4.95 ₱317

1.62%

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

$132 ₱8,465

$130 ₱8,275

2.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱674.1K

$10.9K ₱693.3K

-2.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.91 ₱1,847

$28.47 ₱1,819

1.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.53 ₱1,248

$18.79 ₱1,201

3.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₱4,568

$69.8 ₱4,462

2.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.9 ₱3,507

$55.3 ₱3,534

-0.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 ₱25.1K

$140 ₱8,921

181.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ₱12.3K

$125 ₱7,980

53.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 ₱52.3K

$202 ₱12.9K

305.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 ₱29.6K

$187 ₱11.9K

147.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,156 ₱201.6K

$924 ₱59.0K

241.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,526 ₱97.5K

$789 ₱50.4K

93.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$179 ₱11.4K

$278 ₱17.8K

-35.58%

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 San Pablo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baguio

$192 26.1%

San Pablo

$125 20.1% 35% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baguio

$176 23.9%

San Pablo

$173 27.8% 2% $3.5

Groceries & Markets

Baguio

$171 23.2%

San Pablo

$162 26.1% 5.3% $9

Clothing & Footwear

Baguio

$79 10.7%

San Pablo

$78 12.5% 1.4% $1.1

Eating Out

Baguio

$73 9.9%

San Pablo

$72 11.6% 1.3% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Baguio

$31 4.2%

San Pablo

$9.9 * 1.6% 67.9% $21

Getting Around

Baguio

$16 2.1%

San Pablo

$2.8 * 0.5% 82.2% $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 $140 in San Pablo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Pablo pays 55% 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 $16 in San Pablo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $162 per month, with San Pablo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Baguio

🇵🇭 San Pablo

🕒 Local time

04:33 4:33 AM

Same time as Baguio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

366,358

266,068

💱 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 San Pablo 270 km

From you

Baguio
San Pablo

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 San Pablo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Pablo wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Baguio. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Pablo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 36% 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 $140 in San Pablo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Baguio. 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 $622 in San Pablo – San Pablo is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though San Pablo 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 San Pablo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.