Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Davao and Manila

For one person, living is cheaper in Davao: $839 a month against $945 in Manila, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Davao
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Davao Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Manila
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Manila Living Index

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Davao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$839

/mo nomad

Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$945

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $839 in Davao versus $945 in Manila.

Davao $839
Manila $945

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,275 in Davao versus $1,572 in Manila.

Davao $1,275
Manila $1,572

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,712 in Davao versus $2,199 in Manila.

Davao $1,712
Manila $2,199

Living in Davao costs roughly 11% less than in Manila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Davao 38% lower, Manila 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.71 ₱299

$5.34 ₱339

-11.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.33 ₱1,672

$26.46 ₱1,680

-0.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.83 ₱243

$3.93 ₱250

-2.54%

Cappuccino

$2.53 ₱161

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

$1.06 ₱67.3

$1.35 ₱85.7

-21.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₱39.64

$0.82 ₱51.9

-24.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ₱97.0

$1.14 ₱72.4

34.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₱151

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 ₱125

$1.91 ₱121

2.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 ₱68.0

$1.44 ₱91.5

-25.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ₱57.9

$0.94 ₱59.9

-3.19%

Eggs

$1.84 ₱117

$2.30 ₱146

-20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.41 ₱407

$7.41 ₱470

-13.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 ₱292

$4.61 ₱293

-0.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.97 ₱570

$6.65 ₱422

34.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 ₱170

$3.29 ₱209

-18.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 ₱67.3

$1.80 ₱114

-41.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 ₱154

$3.00 ₱191

-19.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ₱72.3

$1.76 ₱112

-35.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 ₱126

$2.22 ₱141

-10.36%

Onion (1kg)

$3.35 ₱213

$2.66 ₱169

25.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ₱78.6

$2.14 ₱136

-42.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₱45.03

$0.53 ₱33.91

33.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 ₱156

$3.06 ₱195

-19.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 ₱507

$9.57 ₱608

-16.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱80.5

$1.30 ₱82.8

-2.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₱100

$1.99 ₱126

-20.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ₱13.33

$0.40 ₱25.67

-47.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.16 ₱836

$12.75 ₱810

3.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.4

$0.72 ₱45.69

12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.32

$0.23 ₱14.63

4.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 ₱116

$1.84 ₱117

-0.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ₱77.2

$1.27 ₱80.5

-3.94%

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

$21.3K ₱1.4M

$20.7K ₱1.3M

3.02%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$18.7K ₱1.2M

2.03%

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

$105 ₱6,661

$120 ₱7,595

-12.28%

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

$19.14 ₱1,215

$15.69 ₱996

21.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.17 ₱1,916

$23.60 ₱1,499

27.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.37 ₱2,183

$42.57 ₱2,703

-19.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.44 ₱218

$5.65 ₱359

-39.12%

Cinema Ticket

$4.75 ₱302

$6.50 ₱413

-26.92%

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

$104 ₱6,623

$599 ₱38.0K

-82.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,536 ₱478.6K

$8,818 ₱560.0K

-14.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.0 ₱3,877

$56.7 ₱3,599

7.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.74 ₱1,952

$27.40 ₱1,740

12.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.7 ₱4,425

$76.4 ₱4,848

-8.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.1 ₱3,816

$55.5 ₱3,525

8.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$350 ₱22.2K

$526 ₱33.4K

-33.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$229 ₱14.6K

$297 ₱18.8K

-22.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 ₱45.9K

$1,887 ₱119.8K

-61.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 ₱25.6K

$816 ₱51.8K

-50.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,584 ₱100.6K

$3,968 ₱252.0K

-60.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,364 ₱86.6K

$2,366 ₱150.3K

-42.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$207 ₱13.1K

$466 ₱29.6K

-55.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.31

7.43

11.84%

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

Last update for Davao: October 26, 2026

Last update for Manila: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Davao

$229 27.3%

Manila

$297 31.4% 29.5% $68

Groceries & Markets

Davao

$197 23.5%

Manila

$216 22.9% 9.7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Davao

$154 18.4%

Manila

$159 16.8% 3% $4.7

Clothing & Footwear

Davao

$100 11.9%

Manila

$97 10.3% 2.5% $2.5

Eating Out

Davao

$99 11.8%

Manila

$104 11% 5.5% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Davao

$44 5.2%

Manila

$56 5.9% 26.7% $12

Getting Around

Davao

$16 1.9%

Manila

$16 1.7% 1.4% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $350 in Davao and $526 in Manila. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manila pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $26 in Davao vs $26 in Manila for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $216 per month, with Davao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Davao

🇵🇭 Manila

🕒 Local time

20:52 8:52 PM

Same time as Davao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,632,991

1,780,148 Capital

💱 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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Between locations

Davao Manila 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Davao
Manila

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

Davao vs Manila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Davao is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 56% lower in Davao. 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: $350 in Davao versus $526 in Manila. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $104 in Davao versus $599 in Manila. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Manila runs roughly 3% less than in Davao. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

For families, Davao is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Manila, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Davao and Manila are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Davao wins on affordability, Manila on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.