Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Makati and Bayawan City

For one person, living is cheaper in Bayawan City: $742 a month against $1,230 in Makati, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Bayawan City
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Bayawan City Living Index

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Makati

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,230

/mo nomad

Bayawan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Makati and in Bayawan City

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 Bayawan City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,230 in Makati versus $742 in Bayawan City.

Makati $1,230
Bayawan City $742

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,137 in Makati versus $1,154 in Bayawan City.

Makati $2,137
Bayawan City $1,154

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,044 in Makati versus $1,566 in Bayawan City.

Makati $3,044
Bayawan City $1,566

Living in Makati is roughly 66% more expensive than in Bayawan City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Makati 10% lower, Bayawan City 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.40 ₱409

$4.00 ₱256

60.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.45 ₱2,460

$23.86 ₱1,527

61.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 ₱306

$3.85 ₱246

24.16%

Cappuccino

$2.59 ₱166

$2.50 ₱160

3.60%

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

$1.09 ₱70.0

$0.67 ₱42.92

62.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.44

$0.46 ₱29.54

6.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 ₱153

$1.69 ₱108

41.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₱203

$2.14 ₱137

48.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ₱115

$1.68 ₱107

7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 ₱80.9

$1.10 ₱70.2

14.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱66.0

$0.66 ₱41.95

56.06%

Eggs

$2.37 ₱152

$2.00 ₱128

18.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.91 ₱442

$9.65 ₱617

-28.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.93 ₱316

$4.47 ₱286

10.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.74 ₱431

$7.58 ₱485

-11.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 ₱263

$3.20 ₱205

28.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 ₱122

$1.32 ₱84.4

43.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.19 ₱204

$2.32 ₱148

37.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 ₱144

$1.44 ₱91.9

56.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.55 ₱227

$2.41 ₱154

47.30%

Onion (1kg)

$3.50 ₱224

$1.95 ₱125

79.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₱68.2

$1.10 ₱70.4

-2.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 ₱72.0

$0.63 ₱40.63

79.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.60 ₱166

$2.90 ₱186

-10.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.85 ₱503

$4.71 ₱301

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₱82.7

$0.81 ₱51.9

59.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₱124

$1.72 ₱110

12.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₱56.5

$0.22 ₱14.03

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.3 ₱3,600

$13.28 ₱850

323.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.65 ₱41.66

$0.79 ₱50.5

-17.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.40

$0.20 ₱12.79

5.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱122

$1.89 ₱121

0.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₱81.7

$1.11 ₱71.0

15.32%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$21.2K ₱1.4M

-2.03%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$18.7K ₱1.2M

0.70%

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

$151 ₱9,685

$121 ₱7,733

25.25%

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

$15.59 ₱997

$15.30 ₱979

1.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.38 ₱2,008

$27.60 ₱1,766

13.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 ₱3,409

$27.62 ₱1,768

92.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.04 ₱899

$5.26 ₱336

166.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 ₱462

$1.52 ₱97.0

375.00%

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

$776 ₱49.6K

$128 ₱8,176

507.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,391 ₱473.0K

$7,767 ₱497.1K

-4.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 ₱3,832

$32.67 ₱2,091

83.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.96 ₱2,365

$19.05 ₱1,219

94.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.0 ₱5,185

$74.5 ₱4,766

8.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 ₱6,456

$57.7 ₱3,695

74.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$829 ₱53.1K

$216 ₱13.8K

283.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$429 ₱27.4K

$166 ₱10.6K

158.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,151 ₱137.6K

$473 ₱30.2K

354.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,308 ₱83.7K

$348 ₱22.2K

276.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,714 ₱365.7K

$2,998 ₱191.8K

90.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,568 ₱228.4K

$1,023 ₱65.5K

248.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$587 ₱37.6K

$111 ₱7,103

428.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

7.2

4.17%

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

Last update for Makati: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bayawan City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Makati

$429 34.8%

Bayawan City

$166 22.3% 61.3% $263

Groceries & Markets

Makati

$227 18.5%

Bayawan City

$193 26% 15.2% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Makati

$198 16.1%

Bayawan City

$164 22.1% 17.4% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Makati

$125 10.2%

Bayawan City

$83 11.2% 34% $43

Eating Out

Makati

$121 9.9%

Bayawan City

$91 12.2% 25.2% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Makati

$68 5.5%

Bayawan City

$31 4.1% 54.7% $37

Getting Around

Makati

$61 5%

Bayawan City

$16 2.2% 74.1% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $829 in Makati and $216 in Bayawan City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Makati pays about 5.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Makati vs $24 in Bayawan City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $227 vs $193 per month, with Bayawan City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Makati

🇵🇭 Bayawan City

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

Same time as Makati

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

582,602

122,747

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Makati Bayawan City 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Makati
Bayawan City

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 Bayawan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,230 in Makati and $742 in Bayawan City, so Bayawan City is about 40% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Makati is about 5.3 times higher, 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: $829 in Makati versus $216 in Bayawan City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Makati. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bayawan City – a meal for two runs $24 versus $38 in Makati. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $742 in Bayawan City versus $1,230 in Makati, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bayawan City but tight or insufficient in Makati. The gap between the two cities makes Bayawan City 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.

Expats usually find Bayawan City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Makati. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.