Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between India and the Philippines

Name: Philippines
Address: PH

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $771 in the Philippines, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in the Philippines
Learn more

Philippines Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

🇵🇭 Philippines

$771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in India and in the Philippines

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in India and in the Philippines actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $399 in India versus $771 in the Philippines.

India $399
Philippines $771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $639 in India versus $1,185 in the Philippines.

India $639
Philippines $1,185

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $879 in India versus $1,599 in the Philippines.

India $879
Philippines $1,599

Internal cost variation is higher in the Philippines: monthly costs span $429 to $1,230, compared to $230–$813 in India. City choice carries more weight in the Philippines.

Living in India costs about 48% less than in the Philippines on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: India 71% lower, the Philippines 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 ₹203

$3.86 ₱245

-44.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.46 ₹993

$21.54 ₱1,368

-51.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.80 ₹360

$3.37 ₱214

12.76%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ₹159

$2.18 ₱138

-22.94%

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

$0.38 ₹35.91

$0.70 ₱44.30

-45.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹14.57

$0.36 ₱22.59

-58.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ₹177

$1.23 ₱77.9

52.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₹302

$1.90 ₱120

67.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 ₹59.1

$1.72 ₱109

-63.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ₹47.66

$1.21 ₱77.1

-58.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 ₹60.2

$0.85 ₱54.2

-25.88%

Eggs

$0.96 ₹91.1

$1.92 ₱122

-50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.85 ₹460

$7.17 ₱455

-32.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.84 ₹270

$4.07 ₱258

-30.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.78 ₱430

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₹190

$2.72 ₱173

-26.47%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 ₹61.3

$1.35 ₱85.9

-51.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 ₹92.1

$2.38 ₱151

-59.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 ₹44.21

$1.42 ₱90.3

-66.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 ₹31.81

$2.16 ₱137

-84.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 ₹39.64

$2.52 ₱160

-83.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ₹44.30

$1.34 ₱84.8

-64.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.61

$0.63 ₱39.81

-50.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 ₹482

$2.74 ₱174

85.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.31 ₹693

$6.41 ₱407

14.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₹154

$1.16 ₱73.7

40.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₹262

$1.75 ₱111

57.71%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.11 ₹485

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₹24.80

$0.24 ₱15.26

8.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.58 ₹814

$13.17 ₱837

-34.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ₹94.5

$0.76 ₱47.99

31.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.68

$0.23 ₱14.61

17.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ₹146

$1.91 ₱122

-19.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.09 ₱69.2

-1.83%

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

$11.2K ₹1.1M

$20.6K ₱1.3M

-45.60%

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

$20.1K ₹1.9M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

3.82%

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

$37.08 ₹3,519

$101 ₱6,399

-63.20%

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

$3.58 ₹340

$13.64 ₱866

-73.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.15 ₹678

$26.68 ₱1,695

-73.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.00 ₹1,424

$29.58 ₱1,879

-49.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.17 ₹680

$5.72 ₱363

25.35%

Cinema Ticket

$3.20 ₹303

$5.49 ₱349

-41.71%

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

$58.8 ₹5,580

$140 ₱8,904

-58.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,667 ₹158.2K

$5,614 ₱356.5K

-70.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.03 ₹2,186

$42.27 ₱2,684

-45.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.17 ₹2,294

$23.59 ₱1,498

2.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$41.20 ₹3,910

$67.6 ₱4,290

-39.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.62 ₹2,811

$58.4 ₱3,707

-49.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$146 ₹13.9K

$353 ₱22.4K

-58.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$96.4 ₹9,145

$218 ₱13.9K

-55.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 ₹32.5K

$732 ₱46.5K

-53.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 ₹22.2K

$424 ₱26.9K

-44.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,177 ₹111.7K

$3,393 ₱215.5K

-65.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$633 ₹60.1K

$1,818 ₱115.5K

-65.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$409 ₹38.8K

$307 ₱19.5K

33.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.93

7.2

24.03%

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

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Last update for the Philippines: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

India

$102 25.6%

Philippines

$187 24.3% 83.4% $85

Accommodation & Living

India

$96 24.1%

Philippines

$218 28.3% 127% $122

Eating Out

India

$67 16.7%

Philippines

$81 10.5% 22.2% $15

Clothing & Footwear

India

$53 13.3%

Philippines

$86 11.2% 62.5% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

India

$48 12%

Philippines

$141 18.3% 195% $93

Sport & Entertainment

India

$21 5.4%

Philippines

$41 5.3% 89.7% $19

Getting Around

India

$12 3%

Philippines

$16 2.1% 33.9% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $120 in India, $261 in the Philippines. Capital cities: $277 in Delhi vs $526 in Manila.

National salary averages: $412 in India, $283 in the Philippines. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 118% higher in the Philippines.

Dining out costs 64% more in the Philippines.

Public transport is 63% more expensive in the Philippines.

Salaries are 46% higher in India, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

Good to know

🇮🇳 India

🇵🇭 Philippines

🕒 Local time

09:39 9:39 AM

12:09 12:09 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of India

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,326,093,247

109,035,343

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.54 USD

1,000 INR = 9.4 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 94.9 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.4 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.51 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.18 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

India Philippines 4,760 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

India
Philippines

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

India vs Philippines: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $399 per month in India and $771 in the Philippines, India comes out about 48% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in India: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $261 in the Philippines and $120 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: India wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.