Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between George and Makati

For one person, living is cheaper in George: $1,105 a month against $1,228 in Makati, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in George
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George Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Makati
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Makati Living Index

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George

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

Makati

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,228

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,105 in George versus $1,228 in Makati.

George $1,105
Makati $1,228

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,834 in George versus $2,028 in Makati.

George $1,834
Makati $2,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,563 in George versus $2,828 in Makati.

George $2,563
Makati $2,828

Living in George costs roughly 10% less than in Makati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: George 18% lower, Makati 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.87 R 179

$6.22 ₱392

74.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.26 R 680

$39.57 ₱2,491

4.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.81 R 79.3

$4.88 ₱307

-1.43%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R 34.66

$2.55 ₱161

-17.65%

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

$1.06 R 17.47

$1.06 ₱67.0

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 R 12.63

$0.50 ₱31.54

54.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 R 44.76

$2.38 ₱150

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 R 52.8

$3.21 ₱202

-0.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R 18.55

$1.90 ₱120

-40.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 R 17.20

$1.29 ₱81.5

-19.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.63

$1.06 ₱67.0

34.91%

Eggs

$2.80 R 46.05

$2.47 ₱155

13.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.36 R 138

$7.29 ₱459

14.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.45 R 89.8

$4.86 ₱306

12.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.66 R 110

$7.03 ₱442

-5.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.49

$4.04 ₱254

-60.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.19

$1.94 ₱122

-24.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.33

$3.22 ₱203

-52.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.44

$2.29 ₱144

-24.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 R 26.89

$3.48 ₱219

-53.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 R 23.41

$3.59 ₱226

-60.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R 20.53

$1.06 ₱66.8

17.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 R 15.99

$1.11 ₱69.7

-12.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 R 52.4

$2.69 ₱169

18.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.72 R 77.8

$8.11 ₱511

-41.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R 20.09

$1.32 ₱82.9

-7.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 R 28.48

$1.98 ₱124

-12.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.37

$0.90 ₱56.4

71.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.77 R 457

$56.8 ₱3,575

-51.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 R 9.50

$0.67 ₱41.91

-13.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 R 7.67

$0.21 ₱13.16

123.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 R 138

$1.93 ₱121

334.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 R 20.03

$1.25 ₱78.8

-2.40%

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

$29.7K R 488.9K

$21.3K ₱1.3M

39.59%

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

$29.4K R 483.7K

$19.6K ₱1.2M

50.08%

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

$121 R 1,995

$153 ₱9,620

-20.77%

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

$17.44 R 287

$16.06 ₱1,011

8.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.19 R 745

$32.37 ₱2,038

39.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.75 R 490

$54.9 ₱3,456

-45.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.64 R 175

$14.14 ₱890

-24.75%

Cinema Ticket

$6.08 R 100

$7.22 ₱454

-15.79%

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

$137 R 2,263

$794 ₱50.0K

-82.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,187 R 85.5K

$7,321 ₱460.9K

-29.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 R 1,177

$61.2 ₱3,850

16.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.94 R 625

$36.86 ₱2,321

2.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,845

$81.5 ₱5,129

37.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 R 1,413

$103 ₱6,510

-17.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$422 R 6,956

$815 ₱51.3K

-48.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 R 6,010

$417 ₱26.3K

-12.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 R 12.7K

$2,274 ₱143.2K

-66.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$929 R 15.3K

$1,069 ₱67.3K

-13.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$871 R 14.4K

$5,869 ₱369.5K

-85.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$652 R 10.7K

$3,738 ₱235.4K

-82.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,364 R 22.5K

$601 ₱37.9K

126.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.92

7.5

45.60%

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

Last update for George: October 13, 2026

Last update for Makati: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

George

$365 33%

Makati

$417 34% 14.4% $53

Groceries & Markets

George

$186 16.8%

Makati

$231 18.8% 24.4% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

George

$184 16.6%

Makati

$201 16.4% 9.5% $18

Eating Out

George

$154 13.9%

Makati

$120 9.7% 22.3% $34

Clothing & Footwear

George

$138 12.5%

Makati

$127 10.4% 7.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

George

$42 3.8%

Makati

$69 5.6% 65.4% $27

Getting Around

George

$37 3.3%

Makati

$62 5.1% 68.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $422 in George and $815 in Makati. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

George pays 127% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $41.00 in George vs $40.00 in Makati. Groceries flip the comparison at $186 vs $231, with George cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 George

🇵🇭 Makati

🕒 Local time

06:32 6:32 AM

12:32 12:32 PM

6 h ahead of George

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,580

582,602

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

George Makati 11,680 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

George
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

George vs Makati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

George is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 127% higher in George, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $422 in George versus $815 in Makati. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in George – a meal for two runs $41.00 versus $40.00 in Makati. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,105 per month in George versus $1,228 in Makati – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,105 in George versus $1,228 in Makati, a $1,500 budget is realistic in George but tight or insufficient in Makati. The gap between the two cities makes George the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, George 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 George gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Makati. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.