Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cauayan City and Makati

For one person, living is cheaper in Cauayan City: $713 a month against $1,230 in Makati, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Cauayan City
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Cauayan City Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Makati
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Makati Living Index

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Cauayan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$713

/mo nomad

Makati

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,230

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cauayan City 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 Cauayan City and in Makati actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $713 per month in Cauayan City vs $1,230 in Makati, rent included.

Cauayan City $713
Makati $1,230

A couple spends around $1,058 per month in Cauayan City vs $2,137 in Makati, rent included.

Cauayan City $1,058
Makati $2,137

A family of three spends $1,403 per month in Cauayan City vs $3,044 in Makati, rent included.

Cauayan City $1,403
Makati $3,044

Cauayan City is about 42% cheaper than Makati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cauayan City and Makati are more affordable than the global median – Cauayan City 48% lower, Makati 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.90 ₱249

$6.40 ₱409

-39.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.18 ₱1,034

$38.45 ₱2,457

-57.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.74 ₱175

$4.78 ₱306

-42.68%

Cappuccino

$1.73 ₱110

$2.59 ₱166

-33.20%

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

$0.60 ₱38.16

$1.09 ₱69.9

-44.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₱21.43

$0.49 ₱31.39

-30.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ₱59.9

$2.39 ₱153

-60.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ₱97.2

$3.18 ₱203

-52.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₱105

$1.80 ₱115

-8.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ₱72.8

$1.26 ₱80.8

-9.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱65.0

$1.03 ₱65.9

-0.97%

Eggs

$2.00 ₱128

$2.37 ₱151

-15.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.05 ₱323

$6.91 ₱441

-26.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ₱211

$4.93 ₱315

-33.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.76 ₱496

$6.74 ₱431

15.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ₱144

$4.12 ₱263

-45.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ₱96.0

$1.90 ₱122

-21.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ₱145

$3.19 ₱204

-28.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ₱65.0

$2.25 ₱144

-54.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 ₱104

$3.55 ₱227

-54.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 ₱107

$3.50 ₱223

-52.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ₱39.39

$1.07 ₱68.1

-42.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.60

$1.13 ₱71.9

-54.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.87 ₱184

$2.60 ₱166

10.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.55 ₱546

$7.85 ₱502

8.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱61.1

$1.29 ₱82.6

-25.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₱124

$1.93 ₱124

0.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₱12.77

$0.88 ₱56.4

-77.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.13 ₱711

$56.3 ₱3,595

-80.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱49.03

$0.65 ₱41.59

18.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.37

$0.21 ₱13.38

14.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱124

$1.90 ₱122

2.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ₱57.7

$1.28 ₱81.6

-29.69%

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

$21.2K ₱1.4M

$20.8K ₱1.3M

2.01%

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

$18.6K ₱1.2M

$18.9K ₱1.2M

-1.37%

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

$136 ₱8,664

$151 ₱9,669

-10.39%

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

$10.22 ₱653

$15.59 ₱996

-34.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.48 ₱1,436

$31.38 ₱2,005

-28.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.76 ₱1,966

$53.3 ₱3,403

-42.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.94 ₱316

$14.04 ₱897

-64.81%

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 ₱318

$7.22 ₱461

-31.02%

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

$130 ₱8,337

$776 ₱49.6K

-83.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₱685.9K

$7,391 ₱472.2K

45.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.90 ₱1,846

$59.9 ₱3,826

-51.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.42 ₱1,241

$36.96 ₱2,361

-47.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.4 ₱3,474

$81.0 ₱5,177

-32.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.1 ₱3,458

$101 ₱6,446

-46.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$226 ₱14.4K

$829 ₱53.0K

-72.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 ₱11.2K

$429 ₱27.4K

-58.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$460 ₱29.4K

$2,151 ₱137.4K

-78.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 ₱20.9K

$1,308 ₱83.6K

-74.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,599 ₱166.1K

$5,714 ₱365.1K

-54.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,133 ₱72.4K

$3,568 ₱228.0K

-68.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$587 ₱37.5K

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 Cauayan City: October 26, 2026

Last update for Makati: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cauayan City

$176 24.7%

Makati

$429 34.8% 144% $253

Groceries & Markets

Cauayan City

$172 24.1%

Makati

$227 18.5% 32.3% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cauayan City

$168 23.6%

Makati

$198 16.1% 17.8% $30

Eating Out

Cauayan City

$72 10%

Makati

$121 9.9% 69.5% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Cauayan City

$71 9.9%

Makati

$125 10.2% 77.8% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Cauayan City

$41 5.7%

Makati

$68 5.5% 66.2% $27

Getting Around

Cauayan City

$14 2%

Makati

$61 5% 342% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $226 in Cauayan City versus $829 in Makati. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Cauayan City versus $38 in Makati. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $172 vs $227 – making Cauayan City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cauayan City

🇵🇭 Makati

🕒 Local time

06:57 6:57 AM

Same time as Cauayan City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,616

582,602

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Cauayan City Makati 280 km

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Cauayan City
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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

Cauayan City vs Makati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $713 in Cauayan City, $1,230 in Makati – Cauayan City comes out roughly 42% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,069 per month in Cauayan City and $1,845 in Makati. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cauayan City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $226 there versus $829 in Makati.

Kindergarten costs $130 per month in Cauayan City and $776 in Makati. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Makati, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Cauayan City, where all-in costs run around $713, than in Makati at $1,230. In Cauayan City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Makati it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Cauayan City is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 42% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.