Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Makati and San Fernando, Philippines

Name: San Fernando
Address: San Fernando, PH

For one person, living is cheaper in San Fernando: $807 a month against $1,174 in Makati, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Makati
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Makati Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in San Fernando
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San Fernando Living Index

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Makati

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,174

/mo nomad

San Fernando

🇵🇭 Philippines

$807

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Makati and in San Fernando

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,174 in Makati versus $807 in San Fernando.

Makati $1,174
San Fernando $807

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,962 in Makati versus $1,271 in San Fernando.

Makati $1,962
San Fernando $1,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,750 in Makati versus $1,735 in San Fernando.

Makati $2,750
San Fernando $1,735

Living in Makati is roughly 45% more expensive than in San Fernando, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Makati 13% lower, San Fernando 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.72 ₱300

$3.07 ₱195

53.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.37 ₱1,676

$23.84 ₱1,516

10.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.01 ₱255

$2.82 ₱179

42.20%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ₱156

$1.71 ₱109

43.86%

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

$1.05 ₱66.9

$0.64 ₱40.43

64.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₱37.55

$0.38 ₱24.23

55.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.16 ₱73.8

$1.09 ₱69.3

6.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₱153

$1.95 ₱124

23.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ₱118

$1.76 ₱112

5.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 ₱71.4

$0.87 ₱55.0

28.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₱62.6

$0.96 ₱61.1

3.13%

Eggs

$2.20 ₱140

$1.90 ₱121

15.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 ₱478

$4.60 ₱293

63.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.63 ₱294

$3.31 ₱210

39.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.01 ₱446

$7.04 ₱448

-0.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ₱205

$2.58 ₱164

25.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 ₱121

$2.06 ₱131

-7.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 ₱175

$2.75 ₱175

0.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.88 ₱56.2

$0.92 ₱58.2

-4.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 ₱84.5

$1.38 ₱88.0

-3.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ₱87.6

$1.32 ₱83.8

4.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 ₱119

$0.65 ₱41.09

187.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₱37.03

$0.35 ₱22.37

65.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 ₱193

$2.71 ₱172

11.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.67 ₱615

$6.96 ₱442

38.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 ₱79.7

$0.75 ₱47.73

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₱128

$2.95 ₱187

-31.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 ₱48.51

$0.25 ₱15.80

204.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.7 ₱3,668

$13.59 ₱864

324.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₱47.80

$1.00 ₱63.7

-25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.71

$0.20 ₱12.70

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 ₱124

$1.94 ₱123

1.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ₱79.8

$1.27 ₱80.7

-1.57%

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

$20.9K ₱1.3M

$21.0K ₱1.3M

-0.47%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

-0.60%

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

$111 ₱7,047

$96.3 ₱6,121

15.13%

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

$16.82 ₱1,070

$17.18 ₱1,092

-2.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.00 ₱1,526

$30.29 ₱1,926

-20.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.6 ₱3,599

$31.66 ₱2,013

78.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.14 ₱899

$15.57 ₱990

-9.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.31 ₱401

$4.66 ₱296

35.41%

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

$619 ₱39.4K

$267 ₱17.0K

131.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 ₱332.6K

$13.5K ₱855.9K

-61.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 ₱3,523

$49.06 ₱3,119

12.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.32 ₱1,991

$37.73 ₱2,399

-16.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.0 ₱4,451

$71.4 ₱4,542

-2.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.8 ₱3,678

$78.4 ₱4,982

-26.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$820 ₱52.1K

$402 ₱25.6K

103.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 ₱31.4K

$266 ₱16.9K

86.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 ₱158.2K

$724 ₱46.0K

243.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 ₱82.3K

$560 ₱35.6K

131.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,608 ₱356.5K

$4,249 ₱270.2K

31.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,558 ₱226.2K

$2,385 ₱151.6K

49.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ₱33.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Makati: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Fernando: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Makati

$495 42.1%

San Fernando

$266 32.9% 46.3% $229

Groceries & Markets

Makati

$203 17.3%

San Fernando

$167 20.7% 17.7% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Makati

$152 12.9%

San Fernando

$144 17.8% 5.2% $7.9

Eating Out

Makati

$97 8.2%

San Fernando

$67 8.3% 30.6% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Makati

$97 8.2%

San Fernando

$106 13.2% 10.3% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Makati

$69 5.9%

San Fernando

$41 5.1% 40.8% $28

Getting Around

Makati

$62 5.3%

San Fernando

$17 2.1% 73.5% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $820 in Makati and $402 in San Fernando. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $26 in Makati vs $24 in San Fernando for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $203 vs $167 per month, with San Fernando cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Makati

🇵🇭 San Fernando

🕒 Local time

07:55 7:55 AM

Same time as Makati

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

582,602

354,666

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Makati San Fernando 63 km

From you

Makati
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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 San Fernando: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Fernando wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Makati. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Fernando the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,761 in Makati and $1,211 in San Fernando 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: $820 in Makati versus $402 in San Fernando. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,174 per month in Makati versus $807 in San Fernando – San Fernando is about 31% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in San Fernando runs roughly 76% less than in Makati. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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 San Fernando gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Makati. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.