Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Makati and Batangas

For one person, living is cheaper in Batangas: $610 a month against $1,230 in Makati, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Makati
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Makati Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Batangas
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Batangas Living Index

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Makati

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,230

/mo nomad

Batangas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$610

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Makati and in Batangas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,230 in Makati versus $610 in Batangas.

Makati $1,230
Batangas $610

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,137 in Makati versus $887 in Batangas.

Makati $2,137
Batangas $887

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,044 in Makati versus $1,165 in Batangas.

Makati $3,044
Batangas $1,165

Living in Makati is roughly 102% more expensive than in Batangas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Makati 10% lower, Batangas 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.40 ₱408

$2.14 ₱136

199.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.45 ₱2,450

$19.00 ₱1,210

102.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 ₱305

$2.63 ₱168

81.75%

Cappuccino

$2.59 ₱165

$2.06 ₱131

25.73%

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

$1.09 ₱69.7

$0.37 ₱23.82

194.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.30

$0.28 ₱17.93

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 ₱152

$1.05 ₱66.8

127.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₱202

$1.40 ₱88.9

127.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ₱115

$1.71 ₱109

5.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 ₱80.6

$1.16 ₱73.9

8.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱65.7

$0.77 ₱49.23

33.77%

Eggs

$2.37 ₱151

$1.61 ₱103

47.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.91 ₱440

$5.49 ₱350

25.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.93 ₱314

$4.09 ₱261

20.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.74 ₱430

$6.99 ₱445

-3.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 ₱262

$2.29 ₱146

79.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.35 ₱85.8

40.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.19 ₱203

$2.41 ₱153

32.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 ₱143

$1.16 ₱73.8

93.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.55 ₱226

$2.20 ₱140

61.36%

Onion (1kg)

$3.50 ₱223

$3.24 ₱207

8.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₱67.9

$1.29 ₱81.9

-17.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 ₱71.7

$0.89 ₱56.5

26.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.60 ₱165

$2.52 ₱161

3.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.85 ₱500

$7.55 ₱481

3.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₱82.3

$1.27 ₱81.2

1.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₱123

$1.72 ₱110

12.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₱56.3

$0.63 ₱39.97

39.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.3 ₱3,585

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.65 ₱41.48

$0.76 ₱48.48

-14.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.34

$0.21 ₱13.33

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱121

$2.48 ₱158

-23.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₱81.4

$1.01 ₱64.1

26.73%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$20.9K ₱1.3M

-0.46%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

-0.27%

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

$151 ₱9,643

$161 ₱10.3K

-6.28%

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

$15.59 ₱993

$14.33 ₱913

8.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.38 ₱1,999

$23.93 ₱1,525

31.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 ₱3,394

$18.53 ₱1,180

187.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.04 ₱895

$12.48 ₱795

12.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 ₱460

$5.63 ₱359

28.24%

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

$776 ₱49.4K

$71.9 ₱4,579

979.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,391 ₱471.0K

$1,239 ₱78.9K

496.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 ₱3,816

$15.94 ₱1,016

275.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.96 ₱2,355

$22.67 ₱1,445

63.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.0 ₱5,163

$53.8 ₱3,431

50.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 ₱6,429

$39.82 ₱2,538

153.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$829 ₱52.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$429 ₱27.3K

$71.1 ₱4,532

502.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,151 ₱137.0K

$156 ₱9,968

1274.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,308 ₱83.4K

$93.3 ₱5,945

1302.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,714 ₱364.1K

$2,500 ₱159.3K

128.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,568 ₱227.4K

$1,573 ₱100.2K

126.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$587 ₱37.4K

$185 ₱11.8K

217.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

7.14%

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

Last update for Makati: October 26, 2026

Last update for Batangas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Makati

$429 34.8%

Batangas

$71 11.7% 83.4% $357

Groceries & Markets

Makati

$227 18.5%

Batangas

$185 30.3% 18.7% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Makati

$198 16.1%

Batangas

$200 32.8% 0.7% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Makati

$125 10.2%

Batangas

$60 9.8% 52.6% $66

Eating Out

Makati

$121 9.9%

Batangas

$60 9.9% 50.2% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Makati

$68 5.5%

Batangas

$30 4.9% 56% $38

Getting Around

Makati

$61 5%

Batangas

$4.3 * 0.7% 93% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

Makati pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Makati vs $19 in Batangas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $227 vs $185 per month, with Batangas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Makati

🇵🇭 Batangas

🕒 Local time

00:26 12:26 AM

Same time as Makati

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

582,602

329,874

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Makati Batangas 89 km

From you

Makati
Batangas

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

Makati vs Batangas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,230 in Makati and $610 in Batangas, so Batangas is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Makati is about 3.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Makati. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,230 per month in Makati versus $610 in Batangas – Batangas is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $610 in Batangas versus $1,230 in Makati, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Batangas but tight or insufficient in Makati. The gap between the two cities makes Batangas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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

It comes down to priorities – Batangas wins on affordability, Makati on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.