Cost of Living Comparison Between General Santos and Battambang Cost of Living Comparison Between General Santos and Battambang

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $618 in General Santos versus $666 in Battambang.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,007 in General Santos versus $1,050 in Battambang.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,396 in General Santos versus $1,433 in Battambang.

Living in General Santos costs roughly 7% less than in Battambang, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: General Santos 55% lower, Battambang 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.42 ₱214

$2.43 ៛9,822

40.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.30 ₱1,707

$17.87 ៛72.2K

52.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.76 ₱173

$6.48 ៛26.2K

-57.41%

Cappuccino

$2.61 ₱163

$1.36 ៛5,514

91.91%

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

$0.30 ₱18.85

$0.67 ៛2,726

-55.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ₱15.70

$0.51 ៛2,066

-50.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 ₱99.1

$0.87 ៛3,511

81.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₱147

$2.30 ៛9,298

2.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₱126

$2.19 ៛8,832

-8.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ₱70.9

$1.01 ៛4,091

11.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.88 ₱54.9

$0.98 ៛3,947

-10.20%

Eggs

$1.94 ₱121

$1.68 ៛6,796

15.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.62 ₱414

$15.20 ៛61.4K

-56.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.15 ₱260

$2.39 ៛9,678

73.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.73 ₱546

$9.23 ៛37.3K

-5.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 ₱168

$3.82 ៛15.5K

-29.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 ₱70.0

$1.28 ៛5,182

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱146

$4.26 ៛17.2K

-45.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 ₱75.7

$2.13 ៛8,606

-43.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 ₱130

$1.61 ៛6,488

29.19%

Onion (1kg)

$3.10 ₱194

$1.09 ៛4,424

184.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 ₱74.7

$0.72 ៛2,890

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ₱41.43

$0.71 ៛2,880

-7.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.41 ₱151

$1.92 ៛7,742

25.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.05 ₱503

$11.21 ៛45.3K

-28.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₱78.8

$0.64 ៛2,597

96.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₱99.9

$1.02 ៛4,124

56.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ₱25.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.20 ₱513

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 ₱52.1

$0.91 ៛3,687

-8.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.37

$0.87 ៛3,506

-73.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 ₱52.0

$4.88 ៛19.7K

-82.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₱66.7

$1.20 ៛4,866

-10.83%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$34.8K ៛140.5M

-40.12%

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

$18.7K ₱1.2M

$34.3K ៛138.8M

-45.64%

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

$75.1 ₱4,696

$64.2 ៛259.4K

17.00%

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

$6.50 ₱406

$2.67 ៛10.8K

143.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.86 ₱1,992

$25.06 ៛101.3K

27.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.39 ៛90.5K

Cinema Ticket

$4.73 ₱296

$5.04 ៛20.4K

-6.15%

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

$108 ₱6,772

$91.0 ៛367.7K

19.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,671 ₱479.7K

$3,862 ៛15.6M

98.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 ₱3,896

$20.23 ៛81.8K

208.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.97 ₱1,686

$23.71 ៛95.8K

13.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 ₱4,454

$89.6 ៛362.0K

-20.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.1 ₱3,822

$44.86 ៛181.3K

36.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$178 ₱11.1K

$227 ៛915.7K

-21.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$112 ₱6,973

$151 ៛610.3K

-26.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$367 ₱23.0K

$420 ៛1.7M

-12.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 ₱15.1K

$327 ៛1.3M

-26.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$201 ៛812.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.31

7.25

14.62%

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

Last update for General Santos: September 1, 2026

Last update for Battambang: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $178 in General Santos and $227 in Battambang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27.00 in General Santos vs $18.00 in Battambang. Groceries flip the comparison at $196 vs $228, with General Santos cheaper for home cooking.

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

General Santos vs Battambang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

General Santos wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Battambang. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making General Santos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $927 in General Santos and $999 in Battambang 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: $178 in General Santos versus $227 in Battambang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $108 in General Santos versus $91.0 in Battambang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in General Santos – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $18.00 in Battambang. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $800 a month, though General Santos gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but General Santos delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $618 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes General Santos hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, General Santos and Battambang are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find General Santos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Battambang. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.