Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lipa and Baguio

For one person, living is cheaper in Lipa: $596 a month against $737 in Baguio, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Lipa
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Lipa Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
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Baguio Living Index

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Lipa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$596

/mo nomad

Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lipa and in Baguio

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $596 in Lipa versus $737 in Baguio.

Lipa $596
Baguio $737

Estimated couple costs with rent: $924 in Lipa versus $1,148 in Baguio.

Lipa $924
Baguio $1,148

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,252 in Lipa versus $1,558 in Baguio.

Lipa $1,252
Baguio $1,558

Living in Lipa costs roughly 19% less than in Baguio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lipa 56% lower, Baguio 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.12 ₱199

$3.92 ₱250

-20.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.87 ₱1,011

$16.66 ₱1,062

-4.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.78 ₱177

$2.73 ₱174

1.83%

Cappuccino

$1.83 ₱117

$1.80 ₱115

1.67%

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

$0.42 ₱26.59

$0.55 ₱35.11

-23.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.53

$0.33 ₱21.22

-6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ₱65.2

$0.99 ₱63.4

3.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ₱96.8

$1.54 ₱97.9

-1.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ₱96.5

$1.59 ₱101

-5.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 ₱70.1

$1.14 ₱72.9

-3.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 ₱52.6

$0.97 ₱61.5

-14.43%

Eggs

$1.72 ₱109

$1.99 ₱127

-13.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.13 ₱327

$5.11 ₱326

0.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.26 ₱208

$3.27 ₱209

-0.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.81 ₱498

$7.63 ₱486

2.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 ₱145

$2.19 ₱140

4.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₱99.8

$1.55 ₱99.1

1.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 ₱145

$2.26 ₱144

0.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.01 ₱64.3

$1.02 ₱64.9

-0.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 ₱106

$1.73 ₱110

-3.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 ₱109

$1.69 ₱108

0.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ₱38.38

$0.65 ₱41.13

-7.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.12

$0.51 ₱32.66

-3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.91 ₱186

$2.94 ₱187

-1.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.39 ₱535

$8.50 ₱542

-1.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ₱56.9

$0.95 ₱60.3

-6.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₱124

$2.05 ₱131

-5.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ₱17.24

$0.22 ₱14.02

22.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.80 ₱306

$12.90 ₱822

-62.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₱43.30

$0.81 ₱51.7

-16.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.33

$0.24 ₱15.35

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 ₱119

$1.90 ₱121

-1.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₱70.0

$1.19 ₱76.0

-7.56%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$21.3K ₱1.4M

-2.12%

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

$15.4K ₱983.0K

$18.8K ₱1.2M

-17.87%

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

$135 ₱8,608

$136 ₱8,660

-0.60%

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

$17.10 ₱1,089

$17.08 ₱1,088

0.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.80 ₱1,453

$23.01 ₱1,466

-0.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.49 ₱2,006

$20.76 ₱1,323

51.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.83 ₱244

$5.23 ₱333

-26.77%

Cinema Ticket

$5.06 ₱323

$5.03 ₱321

0.60%

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

$132 ₱8,379

$132 ₱8,442

-0.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱676.2K

$10.6K ₱672.3K

0.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.79 ₱1,834

$28.91 ₱1,842

-0.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.29 ₱1,229

$19.53 ₱1,244

-1.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.7 ₱4,567

$71.5 ₱4,556

0.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.7 ₱3,546

$54.9 ₱3,497

1.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$79.1 ₱5,041

$393 ₱25.1K

-79.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$58.6 ₱3,731

$192 ₱12.2K

-69.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$241 ₱15.4K

$819 ₱52.2K

-70.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$177 ₱11.3K

$463 ₱29.5K

-61.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,156 ₱201.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,526 ₱97.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$222 ₱14.1K

$179 ₱11.4K

23.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

-11.11%

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

Last update for Lipa: October 25, 2026

Last update for Baguio: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lipa

$175 29.3%

Baguio

$176 23.9% 0.6% $1

Groceries & Markets

Lipa

$168 28.2%

Baguio

$171 23.2% 1.8% $3

Clothing & Footwear

Lipa

$79 13.2%

Baguio

$79 10.7% 0.3% $0.3

Eating Out

Lipa

$66 11.1%

Baguio

$73 9.9% 9.7% $6.4

Accommodation & Living

Lipa

$59 9.8%

Baguio

$192 26.1% 228% $134

Sport & Entertainment

Lipa

$42 7%

Baguio

$31 4.2% 25.9% $11

Getting Around

Lipa

$7.8 1.3%

Baguio

$16 2.1% 103% $8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $79 in Lipa and $393 in Baguio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lipa pays 24% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $16 in Lipa vs $17 in Baguio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $168 vs $171 per month, with Lipa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Lipa

🇵🇭 Baguio

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

Same time as Lipa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

332,386

366,358

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lipa Baguio 280 km

From you

Lipa
Baguio

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

Lipa vs Baguio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lipa wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Baguio. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lipa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 24% higher in Lipa, 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: $79 in Lipa versus $393 in Baguio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lipa runs roughly 63% less than in Baguio. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $596 per month in Lipa versus $737 in Baguio – Lipa is about 19% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Lipa gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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