Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baguio and Tacloban

For one person, living is cheaper in Baguio: $737 a month against $771 in Tacloban, rent and utilities included – about $410 less a year. The total is higher in Tacloban despite lower rent and utilities.

36

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
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Baguio Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Tacloban
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Tacloban Living Index

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Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$737

/mo nomad

Tacloban

🇵🇭 Philippines

$771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Baguio and in Tacloban

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $737 in Baguio versus $771 in Tacloban.

Baguio $737
Tacloban $771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,148 in Baguio versus $1,152 in Tacloban.

Baguio $1,148
Tacloban $1,152

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,558 in Baguio versus $1,532 in Tacloban.

Baguio $1,558
Tacloban $1,532

Living in Baguio costs roughly 4% less than in Tacloban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baguio 46% lower, Tacloban 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 ₱251

$4.00 ₱255

-2.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.66 ₱1,064

$15.55 ₱994

7.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.73 ₱174

$2.33 ₱149

17.17%

Cappuccino

$1.80 ₱115

$2.31 ₱148

-22.08%

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

$0.55 ₱35.21

$0.68 ₱43.57

-19.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.28

$0.36 ₱23.22

-8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ₱63.6

$1.59 ₱102

-37.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₱98.2

$2.17 ₱138

-29.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ₱101

$1.91 ₱122

-16.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ₱73.1

$1.11 ₱70.6

2.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.7

$0.80 ₱51.2

21.25%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$1.89 ₱121

5.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.11 ₱326

$10.05 ₱642

-49.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.27 ₱209

$4.11 ₱262

-20.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.63 ₱487

$7.18 ₱459

6.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 ₱140

$3.18 ₱203

-31.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ₱99.3

$1.08 ₱68.8

43.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 ₱144

$2.28 ₱146

-0.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ₱65.1

$1.46 ₱93.3

-30.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 ₱110

$2.30 ₱147

-24.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 ₱108

$1.85 ₱118

-8.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₱41.24

$1.09 ₱69.7

-40.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.75

$0.60 ₱38.26

-15.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 ₱188

$1.86 ₱119

58.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.50 ₱543

$6.30 ₱402

34.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₱60.5

$1.07 ₱68.4

-11.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱131

$1.72 ₱110

19.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱14.05

$0.20 ₱12.82

10.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.90 ₱825

$12.30 ₱786

4.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.9

$0.78 ₱49.88

3.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.39

$0.22 ₱14.07

9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.86 ₱119

2.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ₱76.2

$1.04 ₱66.2

14.42%

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

$21.3K ₱1.4M

$21.2K ₱1.4M

0.05%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

-0.27%

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

$136 ₱8,684

$117 ₱7,485

16.01%

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

$17.08 ₱1,091

$15.64 ₱999

9.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.01 ₱1,470

$28.34 ₱1,811

-18.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.76 ₱1,326

$31.68 ₱2,024

-34.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.23 ₱334

$5.30 ₱339

-1.32%

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 ₱322

$5.36 ₱342

-6.16%

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

$132 ₱8,465

$131 ₱8,357

1.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱674.1K

$7,929 ₱506.6K

33.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.91 ₱1,847

$32.33 ₱2,066

-10.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.53 ₱1,248

$19.29 ₱1,233

1.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₱4,568

$76.5 ₱4,889

-6.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.9 ₱3,507

$56.0 ₱3,577

-1.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 ₱25.1K

$254 ₱16.2K

54.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ₱12.3K

$191 ₱12.2K

0.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 ₱52.3K

$498 ₱31.8K

64.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 ₱29.6K

$348 ₱22.2K

33.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,156 ₱201.6K

$2,586 ₱165.2K

22.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,526 ₱97.5K

$1,114 ₱71.1K

37.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$179 ₱11.4K

$340 ₱21.7K

-47.34%

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 Tacloban: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baguio

$192 26.1%

Tacloban

$191 24.8% 0.4% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baguio

$176 23.9%

Tacloban

$161 20.9% 8.4% $15

Groceries & Markets

Baguio

$171 23.2%

Tacloban

$195 25.3% 14.2% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Baguio

$79 10.7%

Tacloban

$83 10.7% 5.3% $4.2

Eating Out

Baguio

$73 9.9%

Tacloban

$83 10.8% 14.4% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Baguio

$31 4.2%

Tacloban

$42 5.5% 37.5% $12

Getting Around

Baguio

$16 2.1%

Tacloban

$15 1.9% 5.2% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $393 in Baguio and $254 in Tacloban. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tacloban pays 90% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $17 in Baguio vs $16 in Tacloban. Groceries flip the comparison at $171 vs $195, with Baguio cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Baguio

🇵🇭 Tacloban

🕒 Local time

06:11 6:11 AM

Same time as Baguio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

366,358

242,089

💱 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 Tacloban 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Baguio
Tacloban

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 Tacloban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baguio wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Tacloban. 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 47% 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 $254 in Tacloban. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $737 per month in Baguio versus $771 in Tacloban – Baguio is about 4% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Tacloban runs roughly 5% less than in Baguio. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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.

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