Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Makati and General Santos

For one person, living is cheaper in General Santos: $628 a month against $1,228 in Makati, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Makati
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Makati Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in General Santos
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General Santos Living Index

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Makati

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,228

/mo nomad

General Santos

🇵🇭 Philippines

$628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Makati and in General Santos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,228 in Makati versus $628 in General Santos.

Makati $1,228
General Santos $628

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,028 in Makati versus $1,009 in General Santos.

Makati $2,028
General Santos $1,009

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,828 in Makati versus $1,391 in General Santos.

Makati $2,828
General Santos $1,391

Living in Makati is roughly 96% more expensive than in General Santos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Makati 9% lower, General Santos 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.22 ₱392

$3.38 ₱213

84.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.57 ₱2,491

$27.40 ₱1,725

44.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.88 ₱307

$2.72 ₱172

79.41%

Cappuccino

$2.55 ₱161

$2.56 ₱161

-0.39%

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

$1.06 ₱67.0

$0.28 ₱17.41

278.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.54

$0.25 ₱15.83

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.38 ₱150

$1.58 ₱99.3

50.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 ₱202

$2.34 ₱147

37.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱120

$2.00 ₱126

-5.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 ₱81.5

$1.08 ₱68.2

19.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ₱67.0

$0.87 ₱54.7

21.84%

Eggs

$2.47 ₱155

$1.86 ₱117

32.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 ₱459

$6.38 ₱402

14.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.86 ₱306

$4.77 ₱300

1.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.03 ₱442

$9.25 ₱582

-24.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 ₱254

$2.74 ₱172

47.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$1.07 ₱67.2

81.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.22 ₱203

$2.45 ₱154

31.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 ₱144

$1.19 ₱74.6

92.44%

Potato (1kg)

$3.48 ₱219

$1.98 ₱125

75.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.59 ₱226

$3.28 ₱207

9.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ₱66.8

$1.24 ₱78.2

-14.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₱69.7

$0.68 ₱42.60

63.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 ₱169

$2.46 ₱155

9.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.11 ₱511

$7.76 ₱488

4.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 ₱82.9

$1.25 ₱78.5

5.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₱124

$1.68 ₱106

17.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 ₱56.4

$0.39 ₱24.37

130.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.8 ₱3,575

$8.15 ₱513

596.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.67 ₱41.91

$0.78 ₱49.25

-14.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.16

$0.25 ₱15.79

-16.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ₱121

$0.82 ₱51.4

135.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ₱78.8

$1.12 ₱70.7

11.61%

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

$21.3K ₱1.3M

$20.9K ₱1.3M

1.86%

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

$19.6K ₱1.2M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

2.31%

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

$153 ₱9,620

$76.6 ₱4,825

99.37%

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

$16.06 ₱1,011

$6.53 ₱411

145.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.37 ₱2,038

$31.67 ₱1,994

2.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.9 ₱3,456

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.14 ₱890

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 ₱454

$4.91 ₱309

47.05%

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

$794 ₱50.0K

$109 ₱6,840

631.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,321 ₱460.9K

$7,532 ₱474.2K

-2.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.2 ₱3,850

$59.8 ₱3,767

2.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.86 ₱2,321

$30.67 ₱1,931

20.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.5 ₱5,129

$70.3 ₱4,428

15.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 ₱6,510

$60.7 ₱3,823

70.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$815 ₱51.3K

$174 ₱11.0K

367.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$417 ₱26.3K

$112 ₱7,068

271.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,274 ₱143.2K

$359 ₱22.6K

533.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,069 ₱67.3K

$238 ₱15.0K

348.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,869 ₱369.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,738 ₱235.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$601 ₱37.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

8.31

-9.75%

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

Last update for Makati: October 12, 2026

Last update for General Santos: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Makati

$417 34%

General Santos

$112 17.9% 73.1% $305

Groceries & Markets

Makati

$231 18.8%

General Santos

$199 31.7% 14% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Makati

$201 16.4%

General Santos

$115 18.3% 42.9% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Makati

$127 10.4%

General Santos

$100 15.9% 21.7% $28

Eating Out

Makati

$120 9.7%

General Santos

$81 12.8% 32.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Makati

$69 5.6%

General Santos

$9.8 * 1.6% 85.8% $59

Getting Around

Makati

$62 5.1%

General Santos

$12 1.9% 81.1% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $815 in Makati and $174 in General Santos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Makati vs $27.00 in General Santos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $199 per month, with General Santos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Makati

🇵🇭 General Santos

🕒 Local time

16:03 4:03 PM

Same time as Makati

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

582,602

697,315

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Makati General Santos 1,040 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Makati
General Santos

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 General Santos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

General Santos wins on cost – living expenses run 96% lower than in Makati. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making General Santos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,842 in Makati and $942 in General Santos to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $815 in Makati versus $174 in General Santos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in General Santos – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $40.00 in Makati. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,228 per month in Makati versus $628 in General Santos – a 96% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $628 in General Santos versus $1,228 in Makati, a $1,000 budget is realistic in General Santos but tight or insufficient in Makati. The gap between the two cities makes General Santos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but General Santos delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $628 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes General Santos hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Makati and General Santos are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find General Santos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in Makati. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.