Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangalore and Manila

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangalore: $535 a month against $931 in Manila, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Bangalore
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Bangalore Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Manila
Learn more

Manila Living Index

Jump to prices

Bangalore

🇮🇳 India

$535

/mo nomad

Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$931

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bangalore and in Manila

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bangalore and in Manila actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $535 in Bangalore versus $931 in Manila.

Bangalore $535
Manila $931

Estimated couple costs with rent: $927 in Bangalore versus $1,519 in Manila.

Bangalore $927
Manila $1,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,318 in Bangalore versus $2,106 in Manila.

Bangalore $1,318
Manila $2,106

Living in Bangalore costs roughly 42% less than in Manila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bangalore 60% lower, Manila 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.04 ₹294

$5.61 ₱352

-45.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.83 ₹1,725

$27.39 ₱1,718

-34.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 ₹463

$3.95 ₱248

21.01%

Cappuccino

$2.24 ₹217

$2.56 ₱161

-12.50%

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

$0.39 ₹37.49

$1.42 ₱89.1

-72.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 ₹13.64

$0.81 ₱50.9

-82.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 ₹226

$1.17 ₱73.2

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 ₹379

$2.36 ₱148

65.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.61 ₹58.6

$1.94 ₱122

-68.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 ₹55.2

$1.40 ₱88.0

-59.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ₹77.9

$1.02 ₱64.2

-20.59%

Eggs

$1.12 ₹109

$2.29 ₱144

-51.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.93 ₹574

$7.86 ₱493

-24.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.85 ₹373

$4.89 ₱307

-21.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.77 ₱425

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 ₹269

$3.38 ₱212

-17.75%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 ₹72.2

$1.85 ₱116

-59.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₹118

$2.96 ₱186

-58.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.40 ₹39.19

$1.79 ₱112

-77.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 ₹36.40

$2.24 ₱140

-83.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 ₹34.72

$2.69 ₱168

-86.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 ₹40.31

$2.20 ₱138

-80.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₹31.21

$0.59 ₱37.25

-45.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 ₹446

$3.13 ₱196

47.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 ₹872

$9.42 ₱591

-4.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₹180

$1.33 ₱83.3

39.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 ₹283

$2.00 ₱125

46.00%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.35 ₹614

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 ₹48.89

$0.47 ₱29.46

8.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.71 ₹1,520

$12.58 ₱789

24.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 ₹97.8

$0.78 ₱48.77

29.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 ₹29.43

$0.23 ₱14.43

30.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 ₹203

$1.94 ₱122

8.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ₹104

$1.33 ₱83.5

-18.80%

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

$12.6K ₹1.2M

$21.3K ₱1.3M

-41.09%

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

$19.1K ₹1.8M

$19.7K ₱1.2M

-3.20%

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

$30.32 ₹2,934

$121 ₱7,614

-75.02%

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

$4.11 ₹398

$16.04 ₱1,006

-74.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.23 ₹990

$24.25 ₱1,521

-57.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.61 ₹1,801

$43.44 ₱2,724

-57.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.95 ₹576

$5.90 ₱370

0.85%

Cinema Ticket

$4.60 ₹446

$6.63 ₱416

-30.62%

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

$104 ₹10.1K

$613 ₱38.4K

-83.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,176 ₹307.3K

$8,953 ₱561.6K

-64.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.29 ₹3,125

$58.2 ₱3,647

-44.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.85 ₹2,889

$27.18 ₱1,704

9.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.3 ₹5,160

$77.5 ₱4,862

-31.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.66 ₹3,838

$57.0 ₱3,574

-30.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₹29.9K

$534 ₱33.5K

-42.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$175 ₹16.9K

$287 ₱18.0K

-39.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₹76.3K

$1,916 ₱120.2K

-58.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$481 ₹46.6K

$677 ₱42.5K

-28.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,889 ₹182.8K

$4,439 ₱278.4K

-57.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,067 ₹103.3K

$2,556 ₱160.3K

-58.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$919 ₹89.0K

$485 ₱30.4K

89.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

7.43

14.40%

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

Last update for Bangalore: October 4, 2026

Last update for Manila: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bangalore

$175 32%

Manila

$287 30.2% 64.1% $112

Groceries & Markets

Bangalore

$122 22.4%

Manila

$221 23.3% 80.8% $99

Eating Out

Bangalore

$87 15.9%

Manila

$107 11.3% 22.7% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Bangalore

$70 12.8%

Manila

$99 10.4% 41.7% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangalore

$45 8.2%

Manila

$162 17% 262% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Bangalore

$28 5.1%

Manila

$57 6% 104% $29

Getting Around

Bangalore

$20 3.7%

Manila

$16 1.7% 19.1% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $309 in Bangalore and $534 in Manila. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bangalore pays 89% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $18.00 in Bangalore vs $27.00 in Manila for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $122 vs $221 per month, with Bangalore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Bangalore

🇵🇭 Manila

🕒 Local time

14:02 2:02 PM

16:32 4:32 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bangalore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,495,492

1,780,148 Capital

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bangalore Manila 4,680 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bangalore
Manila

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

Bangalore vs Manila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangalore wins on cost – living expenses run 74% lower than in Manila. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bangalore the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 89% higher in Bangalore, 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: $309 in Bangalore versus $534 in Manila. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bangalore runs roughly 25% less than in Manila. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $104 in Bangalore versus $613 in Manila. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $535 in Bangalore versus $931 in Manila, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bangalore but tight or insufficient in Manila. The gap between the two cities makes Bangalore the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bangalore delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $535 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bangalore hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bangalore and Manila 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 Bangalore gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Manila. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.