Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cauayan City and Baguio

For one person, living is cheaper in Cauayan City: $708 a month against $734 in Baguio, rent and utilities included – about $310 less a year. The total is higher in Baguio despite lower rent and utilities.

Cauayan City, Philippines
Baguio, Philippines
Cauayan City
🇵🇭 Philippines
$708
/mo nomad
Baguio
🇵🇭 Philippines
$734
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cauayan City and in Baguio

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $708 in Cauayan City versus $734 in Baguio.

  • Cauayan City $708
  • Baguio $734

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,074 in Cauayan City versus $1,206 in Baguio.

  • Cauayan City $1,074
  • Baguio $1,206

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,440 in Cauayan City versus $1,677 in Baguio.

  • Cauayan City $1,440
  • Baguio $1,677

Living in Cauayan City costs roughly 4% less than in Baguio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cauayan City 48% lower, Baguio 46% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cauayan City
Baguio
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.97 ₱252
$3.10 ₱197
28.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$16.34 ₱1,039
$23.95 ₱1,523
-31.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.77 ₱176
$2.71 ₱173
2.21%
Cappuccino
$1.82 ₱116
$1.69 ₱108
7.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.55 ₱35.05
$0.67 ₱42.70
-17.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ₱21.13
$0.39 ₱24.55
-15.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.00 ₱63.8
$1.14 ₱72.4
-12.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.55 ₱98.4
$1.91 ₱122
-18.85%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cauayan City
Baguio
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.63 ₱104
$1.78 ₱113
-8.43%
White Bread (500g)
$1.15 ₱73.1
$0.88 ₱55.8
30.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.93 ₱59.4
$0.97 ₱61.4
-4.12%
Eggs
$2.04 ₱130
$1.83 ₱117
11.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.67 ₱297
$4.75 ₱302
-1.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.34 ₱212
$3.22 ₱205
3.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.90 ₱502
$7.01 ₱446
12.70%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 ₱143
$2.58 ₱164
-12.40%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 ₱98.8
$2.13 ₱135
-27.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.38 ₱151
$2.79 ₱177
-14.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.05 ₱66.8
$0.92 ₱58.2
14.13%
Potato (1kg)
$1.65 ₱105
$1.39 ₱88.4
18.71%
Onion (1kg)
$1.69 ₱107
$1.37 ₱87.0
23.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.87 ₱55.5
$0.65 ₱41.46
33.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ₱33.35
$0.35 ₱22.27
48.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.98 ₱189
$2.81 ₱179
6.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.57 ₱545
$6.99 ₱444
22.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.90 ₱57.4
$0.77 ₱48.92
16.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.95 ₱124
$2.98 ₱190
-34.56%
🚌 Getting Around
Cauayan City
Baguio
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.24 ₱15.34
$0.25 ₱16.00
-4.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.29 ₱781
$14.49 ₱921
-15.18%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.76 ₱48.62
$1.00 ₱63.8
-24.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.22 ₱13.94
$0.22 ₱14.00
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.94 ₱123
$1.86 ₱118
4.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.91 ₱58.0
$1.30 ₱82.8
-30.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ₱1.3M
$20.8K ₱1.3M
1.70%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.6K ₱1.2M
$19.0K ₱1.2M
-2.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cauayan City
Baguio
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$136 ₱8,669
$94.4 ₱6,003
44.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.33 ₱657
$16.64 ₱1,058
-37.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.72 ₱1,444
$30.88 ₱1,963
-26.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cauayan City
Baguio
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.67 ₱1,950
$27.58 ₱1,754
11.20%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.33 ₱339
$7.74 ₱492
-31.14%
Cinema Ticket
$4.97 ₱316
$4.72 ₱300
5.30%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cauayan City
Baguio
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$131 ₱8,297
$1,019 ₱64.8K
-87.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.6K ₱671.7K
$5,258 ₱334.3K
100.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cauayan City
Baguio
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$28.11 ₱1,787
$49.98 ₱3,178
-43.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.23 ₱1,223
$37.84 ₱2,406
-49.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$53.9 ₱3,427
$71.8 ₱4,567
-24.96%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$55.8 ₱3,547
$79.8 ₱5,072
-30.06%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cauayan City
Baguio
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$247 ₱15.7K
$387 ₱24.6K
-36.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$166 ₱10.5K
$195 ₱12.4K
-15.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$479 ₱30.5K
$1,031 ₱65.6K
-53.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$353 ₱22.4K
$513 ₱32.6K
-31.22%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,605 ₱165.6K
$4,025 ₱255.9K
-35.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,114 ₱70.8K
$1,526 ₱97.0K
-27.02%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cauayan City
Baguio
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$180 ₱11.4K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.75
7
-3.57%

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

Last update for Cauayan City: November 2, 2026

Last update for Baguio: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Cauayan City
$173
Baguio
$168 2.9% $5.1
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cauayan City
$169
Baguio
$142 16.2% $27
Accommodation & Living
Cauayan City
$166
Baguio
$195 17.7% $29
Eating Out
Cauayan City
$74
Baguio
$67 9% $6.6
Clothing & Footwear
Cauayan City
$71
Baguio
$108 52.5% $37
Sport & Entertainment
Cauayan City
$41
Baguio
$37 8.9% $3.6
Getting Around
Cauayan City
$15
Baguio
$18 16.5% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $247 in Cauayan City and $387 in Baguio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $16 in Cauayan City vs $24 in Baguio. Groceries flip the comparison at $173 vs $168, with Baguio cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cauayan City
🇵🇭 Baguio
🕒 Local time
00:23 12:23 AM
00:23 12:23 AM
Same time as Cauayan City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,616
366,358
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.28 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cauayan City Baguio 140 km
From you
  • Cauayan City
  • Baguio

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
Cauayan City vs Baguio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Cauayan City or Baguio?
Cauayan City wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Baguio. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cauayan City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Cauayan City and in Baguio?
You’d need roughly $1,062 in Cauayan City and $1,102 in Baguio to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Cauayan City compared to Baguio?
Rent for a central apartment: $247 in Cauayan City versus $387 in Baguio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Cauayan City compared to Baguio?
All in, you’ll spend $708 per month in Cauayan City versus $734 in Baguio – Cauayan City is about 4% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How expensive is transport in Cauayan City compared to Baguio?
A monthly transit pass in Cauayan City runs roughly 15% less than in Baguio. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Can you live on $1,200/month in Cauayan City or in Baguio?
Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Cauayan City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Cauayan City or Baguio?
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.

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