Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baguio and Tagbilaran City

For one person, living is cheaper in Tagbilaran City: $620 a month against $748 in Baguio, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 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 Tagbilaran City
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Tagbilaran City Living Index

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Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$748

/mo nomad

Tagbilaran City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Baguio and in Tagbilaran City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $748 in Baguio versus $620 in Tagbilaran City.

Baguio $748
Tagbilaran City $620

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,157 in Baguio versus $1,005 in Tagbilaran City.

Baguio $1,157
Tagbilaran City $1,005

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,566 in Baguio versus $1,390 in Tagbilaran City.

Baguio $1,566
Tagbilaran City $1,390

Living in Baguio is roughly 21% more expensive than in Tagbilaran City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baguio 45% lower, Tagbilaran City 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 ₱244

$2.93 ₱185

32.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.81 ₱1,058

$17.16 ₱1,081

-2.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.83 ₱178

$2.91 ₱183

-2.75%

Cappuccino

$1.77 ₱111

$2.48 ₱156

-28.63%

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

$0.57 ₱35.76

$0.99 ₱62.6

-42.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.29

$0.42 ₱26.32

-26.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.98 ₱61.5

$0.77 ₱48.77

27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₱102

$2.25 ₱142

-28.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ₱106

$1.49 ₱94.0

12.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 ₱69.3

$1.01 ₱63.8

8.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.8

$0.98 ₱61.9

3.06%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱125

$1.72 ₱108

15.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.94 ₱311

$9.68 ₱610

-48.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.49 ₱220

$4.56 ₱287

-23.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.73 ₱487

$7.70 ₱485

0.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 ₱140

$2.90 ₱183

-23.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ₱100

$1.31 ₱82.3

22.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ₱150

$2.36 ₱149

0.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 ₱65.1

$1.52 ₱95.8

-32.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 ₱110

$2.32 ₱146

-25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 ₱109

$1.90 ₱120

-8.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₱38.71

$0.70 ₱43.81

-12.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.80

$0.50 ₱31.38

-2.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.91 ₱183

$2.37 ₱149

22.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.57 ₱540

$6.33 ₱399

35.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₱58.2

$0.92 ₱58.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₱127

$1.04 ₱65.7

93.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.39

$0.47 ₱29.42

-51.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.79 ₱806

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₱47.69

$0.79 ₱49.99

-3.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.82

$0.22 ₱13.87

13.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ₱122

$4.38 ₱276

-55.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ₱74.8

$1.03 ₱65.1

15.53%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$21.5K ₱1.4M

-1.34%

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

$19.5K ₱1.2M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

1.61%

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

$141 ₱8,908

$78.0 ₱4,911

81.40%

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

$17.70 ₱1,114

$14.28 ₱899

23.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.50 ₱1,479

$25.32 ₱1,594

-7.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.59 ₱1,359

$10.92 ₱687

97.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.31 ₱334

$3.22 ₱203

64.91%

Cinema Ticket

$5.22 ₱329

$3.60 ₱227

45.00%

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

$130 ₱8,180

$280 ₱17.6K

-53.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K ₱682.6K

$7,908 ₱497.9K

37.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.85 ₱1,816

$36.94 ₱2,326

-21.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.38 ₱1,220

$17.89 ₱1,126

8.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ₱4,551

$65.0 ₱4,094

11.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.9 ₱3,458

$58.2 ₱3,665

-5.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$398 ₱25.0K

$190 ₱12.0K

108.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ₱12.1K

$135 ₱8,524

42.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$838 ₱52.7K

$482 ₱30.3K

73.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₱28.6K

$350 ₱22.0K

29.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,660 ₱167.5K

$805 ₱50.7K

230.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$925 ₱58.2K

$476 ₱30.0K

94.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 ₱11.5K

$171 ₱10.8K

6.94%

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 18, 2026

Last update for Tagbilaran City: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baguio

$192 25.7%

Tagbilaran City

$135 21.8% 29.6% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baguio

$183 24.4%

Tagbilaran City

$118 19% 35.6% $65

Groceries & Markets

Baguio

$173 23.2%

Tagbilaran City

$189 30.5% 9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Baguio

$79 10.6%

Tagbilaran City

$80 12.9% 1.5% $1.2

Eating Out

Baguio

$72 9.7%

Tagbilaran City

$76 12.3% 4.9% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Baguio

$32 4.3%

Tagbilaran City

$18 2.9% 43.4% $14

Getting Around

Baguio

$16 2.1%

Tagbilaran City

$3.8 * 0.6% 76.1% $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 $398 in Baguio and $190 in Tagbilaran City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Baguio pays 7% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $17.00 in Baguio vs $17.00 in Tagbilaran City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $173 vs $189 per month, with Baguio cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Baguio

🇵🇭 Tagbilaran City

🕒 Local time

17:33 5:33 PM

Same time as Baguio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

366,358

86,411

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Baguio Tagbilaran City 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Baguio
Tagbilaran City

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 Tagbilaran City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tagbilaran City wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Baguio. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Tagbilaran City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Baguio, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $398 in Baguio versus $190 in Tagbilaran City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Baguio pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $748 per month in Baguio versus $620 in Tagbilaran City – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Tagbilaran City 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 Tagbilaran City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Tagbilaran City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Baguio. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.