Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cotabato City and Baguio

For one person, living costs are similar in Cotabato City and in Baguio: $738 and $737 a month, rent and utilities included.

36

Cost of Living Index in Cotabato City
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Cotabato City Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
Learn more

Baguio Living Index

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Cotabato City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$738

/mo nomad

Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $738 in Cotabato City versus $737 in Baguio.

Cotabato City $738
Baguio $737

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,139 in Cotabato City versus $1,148 in Baguio.

Cotabato City $1,139
Baguio $1,148

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,539 in Cotabato City versus $1,558 in Baguio.

Cotabato City $1,539
Baguio $1,558

Monthly costs are close between Cotabato City and Baguio; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.81 ₱307

$3.92 ₱251

22.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.14 ₱1,031

$16.66 ₱1,064

-3.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.97 ₱254

$2.73 ₱174

45.42%

Cappuccino

$2.17 ₱139

$1.80 ₱115

20.56%

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

$1.06 ₱67.6

$0.55 ₱35.21

92.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₱39.75

$0.33 ₱21.28

87.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 ₱73.1

$0.99 ₱63.6

15.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ₱133

$1.54 ₱98.2

35.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₱128

$1.59 ₱101

26.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 ₱68.8

$1.14 ₱73.1

-5.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 ₱48.19

$0.97 ₱61.7

-22.68%

Eggs

$1.90 ₱121

$1.99 ₱127

-4.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.44 ₱411

$5.11 ₱326

26.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 ₱293

$3.27 ₱209

40.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.44 ₱603

$7.63 ₱487

23.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 ₱176

$2.19 ₱140

26.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 ₱70.0

$1.55 ₱99.3

-29.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 ₱153

$2.26 ₱144

6.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ₱74.7

$1.02 ₱65.1

14.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 ₱126

$1.73 ₱110

13.87%

Onion (1kg)

$3.30 ₱211

$1.69 ₱108

95.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ₱78.9

$0.65 ₱41.24

90.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ₱42.15

$0.51 ₱32.75

29.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.40 ₱154

$2.94 ₱188

-18.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 ₱513

$8.50 ₱543

-5.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱80.9

$0.95 ₱60.5

33.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₱105

$2.05 ₱131

-20.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.98

$0.22 ₱14.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.32 ₱723

$12.90 ₱825

-12.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₱48.30

$0.81 ₱51.9

-6.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.97

$0.24 ₱15.39

-8.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₱118

$1.90 ₱121

-2.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₱70.2

$1.19 ₱76.2

-7.56%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$21.3K ₱1.4M

-2.07%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

-0.09%

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

$108 ₱6,875

$136 ₱8,684

-20.83%

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

$18.43 ₱1,178

$17.08 ₱1,091

7.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.97 ₱1,978

$23.01 ₱1,470

34.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.96 ₱1,978

$20.76 ₱1,326

49.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.25 ₱335

$5.23 ₱334

0.38%

Cinema Ticket

$4.73 ₱302

$5.03 ₱322

-5.96%

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

$105 ₱6,684

$132 ₱8,465

-21.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,282 ₱465.3K

$10.6K ₱674.1K

-30.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.48 ₱2,075

$28.91 ₱1,847

12.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.49 ₱1,246

$19.53 ₱1,248

-0.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.5 ₱4,438

$71.5 ₱4,568

-2.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.5 ₱3,862

$54.9 ₱3,507

10.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$224 ₱14.3K

$393 ₱25.1K

-43.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$153 ₱9,753

$192 ₱12.3K

-20.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$447 ₱28.6K

$819 ₱52.3K

-45.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ₱21.3K

$463 ₱29.6K

-27.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,692 ₱172.0K

$3,156 ₱201.6K

-14.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,003 ₱64.1K

$1,526 ₱97.5K

-34.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$179 ₱11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.31

6.75

23.11%

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

Last update for Cotabato City: October 26, 2026

Last update for Baguio: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cotabato City

$199 26.9%

Baguio

$171 23.2% 13.9% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cotabato City

$157 21.3%

Baguio

$176 23.9% 12.1% $19

Accommodation & Living

Cotabato City

$153 20.7%

Baguio

$192 26.1% 25.9% $40

Eating Out

Cotabato City

$93 12.6%

Baguio

$73 9.9% 21.9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Cotabato City

$82 11.1%

Baguio

$79 10.7% 3.9% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Cotabato City

$40 5.5%

Baguio

$31 4.2% 23.7% $9.6

Getting Around

Cotabato City

$14 1.9%

Baguio

$16 2.1% 12.5% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $224 in Cotabato City and $393 in Baguio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $16 in Cotabato City vs $17 in Baguio. Groceries flip the comparison at $199 vs $171, with Baguio cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cotabato City

🇵🇭 Baguio

🕒 Local time

06:07 6:07 AM

Same time as Cotabato City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

325,079

366,358

💱 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

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cotabato City Baguio 1,100 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cotabato 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

Cotabato City vs Baguio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $1,107 in Cotabato City and $1,106 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $224 in Cotabato City versus $393 in Baguio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cotabato City runs roughly 12% less than in Baguio. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Cotabato City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.