Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cagayan de Oro City and Manila

For one person, living is cheaper in Cagayan de Oro City: $771 a month against $948 in Manila, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Cagayan de Oro City
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Cagayan de Oro City Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Manila
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Manila Living Index

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Cagayan de Oro City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$771

/mo nomad

Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$948

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $771 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $948 in Manila.

Cagayan de Oro City $771
Manila $948

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,141 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $1,508 in Manila.

Cagayan de Oro City $1,141
Manila $1,508

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,511 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $2,068 in Manila.

Cagayan de Oro City $1,511
Manila $2,068

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Cagayan de Oro City 43% lower, Manila 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.68 ₱231

$5.46 ₱344

-32.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.80 ₱806

$26.93 ₱1,695

-52.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.05 ₱192

$3.90 ₱246

-21.79%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ₱147

$2.62 ₱165

-11.07%

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

$0.76 ₱47.91

$1.36 ₱85.5

-44.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 ₱39.98

$0.83 ₱52.3

-22.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.38 ₱86.9

$1.22 ₱76.9

13.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₱124

$2.32 ₱146

-14.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ₱93.4

$1.96 ₱123

-24.49%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₱56.2

$1.42 ₱89.1

-37.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ₱58.0

$1.04 ₱65.4

-11.54%

Eggs

$2.17 ₱137

$2.23 ₱140

-2.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 ₱546

$7.70 ₱485

12.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ₱207

$4.91 ₱309

-32.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.76 ₱363

$7.12 ₱448

-19.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 ₱129

$3.23 ₱204

-36.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 ₱68.3

$1.92 ₱121

-43.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ₱150

$2.93 ₱184

-18.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ₱71.9

$1.79 ₱113

-36.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 ₱121

$2.32 ₱146

-17.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 ₱159

$2.73 ₱172

-7.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ₱47.87

$2.12 ₱133

-64.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₱30.30

$0.59 ₱37.25

-18.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 ₱190

$3.18 ₱200

-5.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.97 ₱250

$9.81 ₱618

-59.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 ₱77.0

$1.34 ₱84.1

-8.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₱122

$2.00 ₱126

-3.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ₱25.99

$0.47 ₱29.47

-12.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.84 ₱620

$12.56 ₱791

-21.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 ₱39.57

$0.73 ₱46.07

-13.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.18

$0.21 ₱13.20

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱122

$1.87 ₱118

3.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ₱67.8

$1.28 ₱80.6

-15.62%

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

$21.1K ₱1.3M

$21.4K ₱1.3M

-1.03%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

-2.12%

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

$137 ₱8,600

$124 ₱7,822

9.95%

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

$22.77 ₱1,433

$15.73 ₱990

44.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.51 ₱1,921

$24.40 ₱1,536

25.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.70 ₱1,303

$43.31 ₱2,727

-52.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.87 ₱181

$5.79 ₱365

-50.43%

Cinema Ticket

$4.55 ₱286

$6.76 ₱425

-32.69%

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

$66.4 ₱4,181

$630 ₱39.7K

-89.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,257 ₱142.1K

$9,004 ₱566.9K

-74.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.71 ₱1,997

$58.3 ₱3,668

-45.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.08 ₱824

$27.34 ₱1,721

-52.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.4 ₱3,300

$75.6 ₱4,758

-30.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.65 ₱2,496

$56.6 ₱3,564

-29.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ₱23.8K

$536 ₱33.8K

-29.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$229 ₱14.4K

$284 ₱17.9K

-19.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$693 ₱43.7K

$1,874 ₱118.0K

-62.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$452 ₱28.5K

$654 ₱41.2K

-30.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,604 ₱101.0K

$4,438 ₱279.4K

-63.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$951 ₱59.9K

$2,530 ₱159.3K

-62.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$302 ₱19.0K

$467 ₱29.4K

-35.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.43

-9.15%

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

Last update for Cagayan de Oro City: October 13, 2026

Last update for Manila: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cagayan de Oro City

$229 29.6%

Manila

$284 29.9% 24.2% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cagayan de Oro City

$190 24.6%

Manila

$164 17.3% 13.4% $26

Groceries & Markets

Cagayan de Oro City

$165 21.4%

Manila

$222 23.5% 34.5% $57

Eating Out

Cagayan de Oro City

$83 10.8%

Manila

$106 11.2% 28.2% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Cagayan de Oro City

$62 8%

Manila

$98 10.3% 59.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Cagayan de Oro City

$30 3.9%

Manila

$57 6% 90.8% $27

Getting Around

Cagayan de Oro City

$13 1.7%

Manila

$16 1.7% 23.1% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $377 in Cagayan de Oro City and $536 in Manila. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manila pays 54% 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: $13.00 in Cagayan de Oro City vs $27.00 in Manila for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $165 vs $222 per month, with Cagayan de Oro City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cagayan de Oro City

🇵🇭 Manila

🕒 Local time

01:35 1:35 AM

Same time as Cagayan de Oro City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

728,402

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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Cagayan de Oro City Manila 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Cagayan de Oro City
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cagayan de Oro City vs Manila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cagayan de Oro City and Manila differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($771 vs $948 including rent). Cagayan de Oro City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 54% 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: $377 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $536 in Manila. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Manila. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cagayan de Oro City – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $27.00 in Manila. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $771 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $948 in Manila, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cagayan de Oro City but tight or insufficient in Manila. The gap between the two cities makes Cagayan de Oro City 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, Cagayan de Oro City 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 Cagayan de Oro City 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.