Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Makati and Dumaguete

For one person, living is cheaper in Dumaguete: $790 a month against $1,230 in Makati, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Dumaguete
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Dumaguete Living Index

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Makati

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,230

/mo nomad

Dumaguete

🇵🇭 Philippines

$790

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Makati and in Dumaguete

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,230 in Makati versus $790 in Dumaguete.

Makati $1,230
Dumaguete $790

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,137 in Makati versus $1,195 in Dumaguete.

Makati $2,137
Dumaguete $1,195

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,044 in Makati versus $1,600 in Dumaguete.

Makati $3,044
Dumaguete $1,600

Living in Makati is roughly 56% more expensive than in Dumaguete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Makati 10% lower, Dumaguete 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.40 ₱406

$3.82 ₱242

67.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.45 ₱2,442

$15.47 ₱982

148.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 ₱304

$4.23 ₱268

13.00%

Cappuccino

$2.59 ₱165

$2.22 ₱141

16.67%

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

$1.09 ₱69.5

$0.72 ₱45.42

51.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.20

$0.43 ₱27.00

13.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 ₱152

$1.37 ₱86.9

74.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₱202

$1.83 ₱116

73.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ₱115

$1.66 ₱105

8.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 ₱80.3

$1.31 ₱83.3

-3.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱65.5

$0.92 ₱58.6

11.96%

Eggs

$2.37 ₱150

$1.79 ₱113

32.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.91 ₱439

$8.57 ₱544

-19.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.93 ₱313

$4.40 ₱279

12.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.74 ₱428

$6.86 ₱436

-1.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 ₱261

$1.54 ₱97.6

167.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.27 ₱80.8

49.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.19 ₱202

$3.44 ₱218

-7.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 ₱143

$1.28 ₱81.0

75.78%

Potato (1kg)

$3.55 ₱225

$2.52 ₱160

40.87%

Onion (1kg)

$3.50 ₱222

$1.58 ₱100

121.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₱67.7

$0.81 ₱51.7

32.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 ₱71.5

$0.57 ₱36.14

98.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.60 ₱165

$2.32 ₱148

12.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.85 ₱499

$8.45 ₱537

-7.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₱82.1

$1.14 ₱72.3

13.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₱123

$1.27 ₱80.7

51.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₱56.1

$0.30 ₱18.99

193.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.3 ₱3,573

$11.33 ₱720

396.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.65 ₱41.34

$0.69 ₱43.72

-5.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.29

$0.15 ₱9.38

40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱121

$2.13 ₱135

-10.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₱81.1

$1.09 ₱69.3

17.43%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$20.2K ₱1.3M

2.83%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

-0.88%

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

$151 ₱9,611

$66.5 ₱4,220

127.75%

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

$15.59 ₱990

$9.65 ₱613

61.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.38 ₱1,993

$26.12 ₱1,659

20.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 ₱3,383

$31.13 ₱1,977

71.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.04 ₱892

$3.83 ₱243

266.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 ₱458

$7.19 ₱457

0.42%

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

$776 ₱49.3K

$56.4 ₱3,585

1274.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,391 ₱469.4K

$1,650 ₱104.8K

347.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 ₱3,803

$93.0 ₱5,908

-35.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.96 ₱2,347

$31.24 ₱1,984

18.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.0 ₱5,146

$100 ₱6,372

-19.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 ₱6,407

$111 ₱7,020

-8.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$829 ₱52.6K

$233 ₱14.8K

255.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$429 ₱27.2K

$202 ₱12.9K

111.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,151 ₱136.6K

$416 ₱26.4K

416.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,308 ₱83.1K

$344 ₱21.9K

280.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,714 ₱362.9K

$3,045 ₱193.4K

87.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,568 ₱226.6K

$674 ₱42.8K

429.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$587 ₱37.3K

$278 ₱17.6K

111.33%

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 Dumaguete: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Makati

$429 34.8%

Dumaguete

$202 25.6% 52.8% $226

Groceries & Markets

Makati

$227 18.5%

Dumaguete

$190 24.1% 16.3% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Makati

$198 16.1%

Dumaguete

$102 12.9% 48.5% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Makati

$125 10.2%

Dumaguete

$151 19.1% 20.2% $25

Eating Out

Makati

$121 9.9%

Dumaguete

$85 10.8% 30% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Makati

$68 5.5%

Dumaguete

$46 5.8% 32.8% $22

Getting Around

Makati

$61 5%

Dumaguete

$14 1.8% 77.3% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $829 in Makati and $233 in Dumaguete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Makati pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Makati vs $15 in Dumaguete for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $227 vs $190 per month, with Dumaguete cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Makati

🇵🇭 Dumaguete

🕒 Local time

02:25 2:25 AM

Same time as Makati

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

582,602

134,103

💱 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 Dumaguete 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Makati
Dumaguete

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 Dumaguete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,230 in Makati and $790 in Dumaguete, so Dumaguete is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Makati is about 2.1 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 $233 in Dumaguete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,230 per month in Makati versus $790 in Dumaguete – Dumaguete is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Dumaguete runs roughly 80% less than in Makati. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $790 in Dumaguete versus $1,230 in Makati, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Dumaguete but tight or insufficient in Makati. The gap between the two cities makes Dumaguete the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Dumaguete 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, Makati and Dumaguete are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Dumaguete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Makati. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.