Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulacan and Makati

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulacan: $638 a month against $1,228 in Makati, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Bulacan
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Bulacan Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Makati
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Makati Living Index

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Bulacan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$638

/mo nomad

Makati

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,228

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bulacan and in Makati

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

A single person spends $638 per month in Bulacan vs $1,228 in Makati, rent included.

Bulacan $638
Makati $1,228

A couple spends around $927 per month in Bulacan vs $2,028 in Makati, rent included.

Bulacan $927
Makati $2,028

A family of three spends $1,215 per month in Bulacan vs $2,828 in Makati, rent included.

Bulacan $1,215
Makati $2,828

Bulacan is about 48% cheaper than Makati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bulacan and Makati are more affordable than the global median – Bulacan 53% lower, Makati 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.00 ₱126

$6.22 ₱392

-67.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.88 ₱1,000

$39.57 ₱2,491

-59.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.71 ₱171

$4.88 ₱307

-44.47%

Cappuccino

$1.79 ₱112

$2.55 ₱161

-29.80%

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

$0.44 ₱27.72

$1.06 ₱67.0

-58.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ₱16.39

$0.50 ₱31.54

-48.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.93 ₱58.4

$2.38 ₱150

-60.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₱101

$3.21 ₱202

-50.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ₱102

$1.90 ₱120

-15.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ₱73.1

$1.29 ₱81.5

-10.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ₱60.1

$1.06 ₱67.0

-10.38%

Eggs

$1.79 ₱113

$2.47 ₱155

-27.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.80 ₱176

$7.29 ₱459

-61.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ₱217

$4.86 ₱306

-29.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.03 ₱380

$7.03 ₱442

-14.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 ₱130

$4.04 ₱254

-49.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₱98.2

$1.94 ₱122

-19.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$3.22 ₱203

-38.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.04 ₱65.4

$2.29 ₱144

-54.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 ₱101

$3.48 ₱219

-53.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 ₱109

$3.59 ₱226

-51.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ₱39.14

$1.06 ₱66.8

-41.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.07

$1.11 ₱69.7

-55.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 ₱191

$2.69 ₱169

13.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.53 ₱222

$8.11 ₱511

-56.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ₱56.3

$1.32 ₱82.9

-32.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ₱98.1

$1.98 ₱124

-21.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 ₱11.81

$0.90 ₱56.4

-78.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.68 ₱421

$56.8 ₱3,575

-88.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 ₱43.19

$0.67 ₱41.91

2.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.15 ₱9.67

$0.21 ₱13.16

-28.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 ₱118

$1.93 ₱121

-3.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ₱66.7

$1.25 ₱78.8

-15.20%

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

$21.7K ₱1.4M

$21.3K ₱1.3M

1.96%

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

$16.4K ₱1.0M

$19.6K ₱1.2M

-16.25%

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

$112 ₱7,031

$153 ₱9,620

-26.92%

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

$17.26 ₱1,087

$16.06 ₱1,011

7.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.39 ₱1,472

$32.37 ₱2,038

-27.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.17 ₱2,340

$54.9 ₱3,456

-32.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$0.78 ₱49.15

$14.14 ₱890

-94.48%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 ₱320

$7.22 ₱454

-29.50%

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

$96.7 ₱6,088

$794 ₱50.0K

-87.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$941 ₱59.3K

$7,321 ₱460.9K

-87.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.48 ₱1,793

$61.2 ₱3,850

-53.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.39 ₱1,221

$36.86 ₱2,321

-47.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 ₱4,756

$81.5 ₱5,129

-7.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.5 ₱3,493

$103 ₱6,510

-46.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$237 ₱14.9K

$815 ₱51.3K

-70.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$146 ₱9,223

$417 ₱26.3K

-64.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$385 ₱24.2K

$2,274 ₱143.2K

-83.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$215 ₱13.5K

$1,069 ₱67.3K

-79.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,879 ₱118.3K

$5,869 ₱369.5K

-67.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,458 ₱91.8K

$3,738 ₱235.4K

-61.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$290 ₱18.2K

$601 ₱37.9K

-51.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.5

-10.00%

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

Last update for Bulacan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Makati: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bulacan

$152 23.9%

Makati

$201 16.4% 32.1% $49

Groceries & Markets

Bulacan

$147 23%

Makati

$231 18.8% 57.8% $85

Accommodation & Living

Bulacan

$146 23%

Makati

$417 34% 185% $271

Clothing & Footwear

Bulacan

$81 12.6%

Makati

$127 10.4% 58.1% $47

Eating Out

Bulacan

$56 8.8%

Makati

$120 9.7% 113% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Bulacan

$47 7.4%

Makati

$69 5.6% 46.4% $22

Getting Around

Bulacan

$8.9 1.4%

Makati

$62 5.1% 599% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $237 in Bulacan versus $815 in Makati. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 108% higher in Makati, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16.00 in Bulacan versus $40.00 in Makati. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $147 vs $231 – making Bulacan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Bulacan

🇵🇭 Makati

🕒 Local time

15:59 3:59 PM

Same time as Bulacan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,700,000

582,602

💱 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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Bulacan Makati 30 km

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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

Bulacan vs Makati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Makati costs about 92% more than Bulacan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $958 per month in Bulacan and $1,842 in Makati. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bulacan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $638 in Bulacan and $1,228 in Makati. That's a gap of about 92%.

Public transport costs about 750% less in Bulacan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bulacan, where all-in costs run around $638, than in Makati at $1,228. In Bulacan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Makati it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bulacan costs $638 versus $1,228 in Makati. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bulacan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Makati makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.