Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cainta and Dongguan

For one person, living is cheaper in Cainta: $746 a month against $819 in Dongguan, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. The total is higher in Dongguan despite lower rent and utilities.

34

Cost of Living Index in Cainta
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Cainta Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Dongguan
Learn more

Dongguan Living Index

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Cainta

🇵🇭 Philippines

$746

/mo nomad

Dongguan

🇨🇳 China

$819

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cainta and in Dongguan

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

A single person spends $746 per month in Cainta vs $819 in Dongguan, rent included.

Cainta $746
Dongguan $819

A couple spends around $1,129 per month in Cainta vs $1,295 in Dongguan, rent included.

Cainta $1,129
Dongguan $1,295

A family of three spends $1,512 per month in Cainta vs $1,771 in Dongguan, rent included.

Cainta $1,512
Dongguan $1,771

Cainta is about 9% cheaper than Dongguan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cainta and Dongguan are more affordable than the global median – Cainta 45% lower, Dongguan 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.02 ₱256

$2.59 ¥17.18

55.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.47 ₱1,050

$22.53 ¥150

-26.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.80 ₱179

$5.16 ¥34.27

-45.74%

Cappuccino

$2.39 ₱152

$2.62 ¥17.40

-8.78%

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

$1.16 ₱73.7

$0.47 ¥3.13

146.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱20.99

$0.31 ¥2.08

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.15 ₱73.1

$0.92 ¥6.09

25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₱151

$2.17 ¥14.43

9.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₱106

$1.58 ¥10.50

5.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 ₱69.9

$1.65 ¥10.96

-33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱65.2

$0.97 ¥6.45

5.15%

Eggs

$2.26 ₱144

$1.63 ¥10.81

38.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.14 ₱327

$20.74 ¥138

-75.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ₱217

$3.33 ¥22.15

2.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.84 ₱436

$14.39 ¥95.6

-52.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 ₱139

$2.30 ¥15.31

-5.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 ₱97.4

$1.56 ¥10.38

-1.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ₱151

$1.97 ¥13.11

20.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱67.2

$1.47 ¥9.75

-27.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 ₱105

$1.08 ¥7.19

52.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 ₱108

$1.30 ¥8.66

30.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ₱39.28

$0.55 ¥3.69

12.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱32.88

$0.59 ¥3.94

-11.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 ₱182

$4.62 ¥30.72

-38.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.86 ₱564

$11.92 ¥79.2

-25.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₱57.3

$0.84 ¥5.58

7.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₱126

$1.82 ¥12.07

8.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.84

$0.38 ¥2.53

-31.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.33 ₱850

$22.32 ¥148

-40.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₱48.69

$1.18 ¥7.83

-35.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.35

$0.41 ¥2.75

-48.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 ₱121

$4.57 ¥30.37

-58.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ₱74.9

$1.28 ¥8.50

-7.81%

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

$21.2K ₱1.4M

$19.3K ¥128.1K

10.04%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$17.8K ¥118.4K

6.78%

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

$121 ₱7,712

$64.4 ¥428

87.86%

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

$15.42 ₱983

$9.29 ¥61.7

65.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.88 ₱1,458

$12.81 ¥85.1

78.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.22 ₱2,181

$53.2 ¥353

-35.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.26 ₱335

$16.60 ¥110

-68.31%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 ₱317

$7.57 ¥50.3

-34.35%

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

$130 ₱8,280

$542 ¥3,600

-76.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,851 ₱564.0K

$24.2K ¥160.7K

-63.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.48 ₱1,814

$45.78 ¥304

-37.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.35 ₱1,233

$39.35 ¥261

-50.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.4 ₱4,549

$72.7 ¥483

-1.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ₱3,521

$39.69 ¥264

39.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$244 ₱15.5K

$378 ¥2,510

-35.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 ₱12.1K

$220 ¥1,465

-13.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$534 ₱34.0K

$686 ¥4,561

-22.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$383 ₱24.4K

$424 ¥2,821

-9.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,606 ₱166.0K

$5,794 ¥38.5K

-55.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,070 ₱68.2K

$3,168 ¥21.1K

-66.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$428 ₱27.2K

$859 ¥5,709

-50.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

3.35

101.49%

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

Last update for Cainta: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dongguan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cainta

$190 25.5%

Dongguan

$220 26.9% 15.8% $30

Groceries & Markets

Cainta

$172 23%

Dongguan

$248 30.3% 44.4% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cainta

$159 21.4%

Dongguan

$87 10.6% 45.7% $73

Eating Out

Cainta

$86 11.5%

Dongguan

$80 9.7% 7% $6

Clothing & Footwear

Cainta

$79 10.5%

Dongguan

$89 10.9% 13.2% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Cainta

$44 5.9%

Dongguan

$68 8.3% 54.6% $24

Getting Around

Cainta

$16 2.2%

Dongguan

$27 3.3% 67.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $244 in Cainta versus $378 in Dongguan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Dongguan are about 2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Cainta versus $23 in Dongguan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $172 vs $248 – making Cainta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cainta

🇨🇳 Dongguan

🕒 Local time

08:48 8:48 AM

Same time as Cainta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,128

8,254,100

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 63.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.15 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cainta Dongguan 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Cainta
Dongguan

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

Cainta vs Dongguan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dongguan is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,119 per month in Cainta and $1,228 in Dongguan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cainta, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $244 there versus $378 in Dongguan.

Public transport costs about 40% less in Cainta. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $130 per month in Cainta and $542 in Dongguan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $746 in Cainta and $819 in Dongguan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Cainta – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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