Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boracay and Manila

For one person, living is cheaper in Boracay: $772 a month against $948 in Manila, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Boracay
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Boracay Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Manila
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Manila Living Index

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Boracay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$772

/mo nomad

Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$948

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Boracay 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 Boracay and in Manila actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $772 in Boracay versus $948 in Manila.

Boracay $772
Manila $948

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,313 in Boracay versus $1,508 in Manila.

Boracay $1,313
Manila $1,508

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,854 in Boracay versus $2,068 in Manila.

Boracay $1,854
Manila $2,068

Living in Boracay costs roughly 19% less than in Manila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Boracay 43% lower, Manila 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.73 ₱361

$5.46 ₱344

4.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.15 ₱1,207

$26.93 ₱1,696

-28.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.94 ₱374

$3.90 ₱246

52.31%

Cappuccino

$2.37 ₱149

$2.62 ₱165

-9.54%

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

$0.70 ₱43.80

$1.36 ₱85.6

-48.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ₱14.44

$0.83 ₱52.3

-72.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$1.22 ₱76.9

-4.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₱121

$2.32 ₱146

-17.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.95 ₱186

$1.96 ₱123

50.51%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 ₱61.9

$1.42 ₱89.2

-30.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ₱56.4

$1.04 ₱65.5

-14.42%

Eggs

$1.93 ₱122

$2.23 ₱140

-13.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.13 ₱323

$7.70 ₱485

-33.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.78 ₱301

$4.91 ₱309

-2.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.28 ₱459

$7.12 ₱448

2.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 ₱158

$3.23 ₱204

-22.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₱100

$1.92 ₱121

-17.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 ₱139

$2.93 ₱185

-24.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 ₱68.0

$1.79 ₱113

-39.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 ₱133

$2.32 ₱146

-9.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 ₱127

$2.73 ₱172

-26.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ₱62.5

$2.12 ₱133

-53.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₱35.86

$0.59 ₱37.27

-3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 ₱144

$3.18 ₱200

-28.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.76 ₱489

$9.81 ₱618

-20.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱60.6

$1.34 ₱84.2

-28.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.00 ₱126

-12.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.10

$0.47 ₱29.49

-48.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.23 ₱707

$12.56 ₱791

-10.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 ₱41.54

$0.73 ₱46.09

-9.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.19

$0.21 ₱13.20

9.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱122

$1.87 ₱118

3.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₱69.7

$1.28 ₱80.7

-13.28%

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

$23.7K ₱1.5M

$21.4K ₱1.3M

10.74%

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

$22.0K ₱1.4M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

14.13%

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

$111 ₱6,982

$124 ₱7,826

-10.79%

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

$14.23 ₱896

$15.73 ₱991

-9.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.84 ₱2,132

$24.40 ₱1,537

38.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.95 ₱1,887

$43.31 ₱2,728

-30.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.12 ₱323

$5.79 ₱365

-11.57%

Cinema Ticket

$5.26 ₱331

$6.76 ₱426

-22.19%

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

$136 ₱8,595

$630 ₱39.7K

-78.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,041 ₱506.5K

$9,004 ₱567.2K

-10.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.09 ₱2,273

$58.3 ₱3,670

-38.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.21 ₱1,210

$27.34 ₱1,722

-29.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 ₱4,775

$75.6 ₱4,760

0.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.1 ₱3,725

$56.6 ₱3,566

4.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$268 ₱16.9K

$536 ₱33.8K

-50.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$174 ₱11.0K

$284 ₱17.9K

-38.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$523 ₱32.9K

$1,874 ₱118.0K

-72.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$614 ₱38.7K

$654 ₱41.2K

-6.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,441 ₱153.7K

$4,438 ₱279.6K

-45.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$979 ₱61.7K

$2,530 ₱159.3K

-61.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$229 ₱14.4K

$467 ₱29.4K

-50.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

7.43

-8.61%

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

Last update for Boracay: October 12, 2026

Last update for Manila: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Boracay

$193 25%

Manila

$222 23.5% 15.1% $29

Accommodation & Living

Boracay

$174 22.5%

Manila

$284 29.9% 63.1% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boracay

$159 20.6%

Manila

$164 17.3% 3.4% $5.5

Eating Out

Boracay

$105 13.7%

Manila

$106 11.2% 0.8% $0.9

Clothing & Footwear

Boracay

$86 11.1%

Manila

$98 10.3% 14.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Boracay

$40 5.3%

Manila

$57 6% 40.4% $16

Getting Around

Boracay

$14 1.8%

Manila

$16 1.7% 16% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $268 in Boracay and $536 in Manila. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manila pays 104% 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: $19.00 in Boracay vs $27.00 in Manila for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $222 per month, with Boracay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Boracay

🇵🇭 Manila

🕒 Local time

21:46 9:46 PM

Same time as Boracay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,296

1,780,148 Capital

💱 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

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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

Boracay vs Manila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Boracay and Manila differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($772 vs $948 including rent). Boracay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 104% lower in Manila. 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: $268 in Boracay versus $536 in Manila. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Manila. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Boracay – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $27.00 in Manila. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $772 in Boracay versus $948 in Manila, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Boracay but tight or insufficient in Manila. The gap between the two cities makes Boracay the clear choice for anyone on this 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.

Safety-wise, Boracay 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 Boracay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Manila. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.