Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between General Santos and Makati

For one person, living is cheaper in General Santos: $628 a month against $1,228 in Makati, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in General Santos
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General Santos Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Makati
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Makati Living Index

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General Santos

🇵🇭 Philippines

$628

/mo nomad

Makati

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,228

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $628 in General Santos versus $1,228 in Makati.

General Santos $628
Makati $1,228

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,009 in General Santos versus $2,028 in Makati.

General Santos $1,009
Makati $2,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,391 in General Santos versus $2,828 in Makati.

General Santos $1,391
Makati $2,828

Living in General Santos costs roughly 49% less than in Makati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: General Santos 53% lower, Makati 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 ₱213

$6.22 ₱392

-45.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.40 ₱1,725

$39.57 ₱2,491

-30.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.72 ₱172

$4.88 ₱307

-44.26%

Cappuccino

$2.56 ₱161

$2.55 ₱161

0.39%

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

$0.28 ₱17.41

$1.06 ₱67.0

-73.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ₱15.83

$0.50 ₱31.54

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 ₱99.3

$2.38 ₱150

-33.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 ₱147

$3.21 ₱202

-27.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.90 ₱120

5.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 ₱68.2

$1.29 ₱81.5

-16.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ₱54.7

$1.06 ₱67.0

-17.92%

Eggs

$1.86 ₱117

$2.47 ₱155

-24.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.38 ₱402

$7.29 ₱459

-12.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.77 ₱300

$4.86 ₱306

-1.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 ₱582

$7.03 ₱442

31.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 ₱172

$4.04 ₱254

-32.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 ₱67.2

$1.94 ₱122

-44.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 ₱154

$3.22 ₱203

-23.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ₱74.6

$2.29 ₱144

-48.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 ₱125

$3.48 ₱219

-43.10%

Onion (1kg)

$3.28 ₱207

$3.59 ₱226

-8.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ₱78.2

$1.06 ₱66.8

16.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.60

$1.11 ₱69.7

-38.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 ₱155

$2.69 ₱169

-8.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.76 ₱488

$8.11 ₱511

-4.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 ₱78.5

$1.32 ₱82.9

-5.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ₱106

$1.98 ₱124

-15.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 ₱24.37

$0.90 ₱56.4

-56.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.15 ₱513

$56.8 ₱3,575

-85.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱49.25

$0.67 ₱41.91

16.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.79

$0.21 ₱13.16

19.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 ₱51.4

$1.93 ₱121

-57.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ₱70.7

$1.25 ₱78.8

-10.40%

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

$20.9K ₱1.3M

$21.3K ₱1.3M

-1.83%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$19.6K ₱1.2M

-2.26%

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

$76.6 ₱4,825

$153 ₱9,620

-49.84%

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

$6.53 ₱411

$16.06 ₱1,011

-59.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.67 ₱1,994

$32.37 ₱2,038

-2.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.9 ₱3,456

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.14 ₱890

Cinema Ticket

$4.91 ₱309

$7.22 ₱454

-31.99%

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

$109 ₱6,840

$794 ₱50.0K

-86.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,532 ₱474.2K

$7,321 ₱460.9K

2.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₱3,767

$61.2 ₱3,850

-2.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.67 ₱1,931

$36.86 ₱2,321

-16.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 ₱4,428

$81.5 ₱5,129

-13.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.7 ₱3,823

$103 ₱6,510

-41.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$174 ₱11.0K

$815 ₱51.3K

-78.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$112 ₱7,068

$417 ₱26.3K

-73.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$359 ₱22.6K

$2,274 ₱143.2K

-84.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$238 ₱15.0K

$1,069 ₱67.3K

-77.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,869 ₱369.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,738 ₱235.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$601 ₱37.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.31

7.5

10.80%

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

Last update for General Santos: October 11, 2026

Last update for Makati: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

General Santos

$199 31.7%

Makati

$231 18.8% 16.2% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

General Santos

$115 18.3%

Makati

$201 16.4% 75.2% $86

Accommodation & Living

General Santos

$112 17.9%

Makati

$417 34% 272% $305

Clothing & Footwear

General Santos

$100 15.9%

Makati

$127 10.4% 27.7% $28

Eating Out

General Santos

$81 12.8%

Makati

$120 9.7% 48.3% $39

Getting Around

General Santos

$12 1.9%

Makati

$62 5.1% 429% $50

Sport & Entertainment

General Santos

$9.8 * 1.6%

Makati

$69 5.6% 606% $59

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $174 in General Santos and $815 in Makati. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27.00 in General Santos vs $40.00 in Makati for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $231 per month, with General Santos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 General Santos

🇵🇭 Makati

🕒 Local time

11:10 11:10 AM

Same time as General Santos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

697,315

582,602

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

General Santos Makati 1,040 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

General Santos
Makati

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

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

General Santos wins on cost – living expenses run 96% lower than in Makati. 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 $942 in General Santos and $1,842 in Makati 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: $174 in General Santos versus $815 in Makati. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in General Santos – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $40.00 in Makati. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $628 per month in General Santos versus $1,228 in Makati – a 96% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $628 in General Santos versus $1,228 in Makati, a $1,000 budget is realistic in General Santos but tight or insufficient in Makati. The gap between the two cities makes General Santos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but General Santos delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $628 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 Makati 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 96% less than in Makati. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.