Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Makati and San Juan, Philippines

Name: San Juan
Address: San Juan, PH

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $727 a month against $1,230 in Makati, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Makati
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Makati Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Makati

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,230

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$727

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,230 in Makati versus $727 in San Juan.

Makati $1,230
San Juan $727

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,137 in Makati versus $1,099 in San Juan.

Makati $2,137
San Juan $1,099

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,044 in Makati versus $1,471 in San Juan.

Makati $3,044
San Juan $1,471

Living in Makati is roughly 69% more expensive than in San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Makati 10% lower, San Juan 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.40 ₱407

$4.00 ₱255

60.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.45 ₱2,449

$16.19 ₱1,031

137.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 ₱305

$2.80 ₱178

70.71%

Cappuccino

$2.59 ₱165

$2.61 ₱166

-0.77%

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

$1.09 ₱69.7

$0.61 ₱38.76

78.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.29

$0.33 ₱21.30

48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 ₱152

$1.01 ₱64.2

136.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₱202

$1.54 ₱98.2

106.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ₱115

$1.67 ₱106

7.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 ₱80.6

$1.13 ₱72.3

11.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱65.6

$0.91 ₱58.1

13.19%

Eggs

$2.37 ₱151

$1.77 ₱113

33.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.91 ₱440

$4.98 ₱317

38.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.93 ₱314

$3.31 ₱211

48.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.74 ₱429

$6.98 ₱445

-3.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 ₱262

$2.20 ₱140

87.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.40 ₱88.9

35.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.19 ₱203

$2.27 ₱145

40.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 ₱143

$1.00 ₱63.9

125.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.55 ₱226

$1.73 ₱110

105.20%

Onion (1kg)

$3.50 ₱223

$1.69 ₱108

107.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₱67.9

$0.60 ₱38.16

78.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 ₱71.7

$0.89 ₱56.4

26.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.60 ₱165

$2.70 ₱172

-3.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.85 ₱500

$7.51 ₱479

4.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₱82.3

$0.93 ₱59.5

38.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₱123

$1.74 ₱111

10.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₱56.3

$0.25 ₱15.91

252.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.3 ₱3,583

$11.48 ₱731

390.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.65 ₱41.46

$0.75 ₱47.54

-13.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.33

$0.21 ₱13.36

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.87 ₱119

1.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₱81.4

$1.17 ₱74.5

9.40%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$21.0K ₱1.3M

-1.02%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

-1.50%

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

$151 ₱9,639

$136 ₱8,678

11.08%

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

$15.59 ₱993

$14.17 ₱902

10.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.38 ₱1,999

$23.95 ₱1,525

31.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 ₱3,393

$27.03 ₱1,722

97.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.04 ₱894

$5.16 ₱329

172.09%

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 ₱460

$5.01 ₱319

44.11%

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

$776 ₱49.4K

$70.3 ₱4,480

1002.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,391 ₱470.7K

$2,442 ₱155.5K

202.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 ₱3,814

$28.72 ₱1,829

108.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.96 ₱2,354

$19.22 ₱1,224

92.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.0 ₱5,161

$71.0 ₱4,520

14.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 ₱6,426

$55.3 ₱3,521

82.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$829 ₱52.8K

$269 ₱17.1K

208.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$429 ₱27.3K

$170 ₱10.8K

152.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,151 ₱137.0K

$493 ₱31.4K

336.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,308 ₱83.3K

$357 ₱22.7K

266.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,714 ₱363.9K

$2,304 ₱146.8K

147.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,568 ₱227.3K

$1,186 ₱75.5K

200.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$587 ₱37.4K

$235 ₱15.0K

149.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

6.75

11.11%

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

Last update for Makati: October 26, 2026

Last update for San Juan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Makati

$429 34.8%

San Juan

$170 23.4% 60.3% $259

Groceries & Markets

Makati

$227 18.5%

San Juan

$169 23.3% 25.5% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Makati

$198 16.1%

San Juan

$174 24% 12.1% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Makati

$125 10.2%

San Juan

$78 10.8% 37.5% $47

Eating Out

Makati

$121 9.9%

San Juan

$84 11.5% 31.1% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Makati

$68 5.5%

San Juan

$37 5.1% 45.3% $31

Getting Around

Makati

$61 5%

San Juan

$14 2% 76.8% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $829 in Makati and $269 in San Juan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Makati pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Makati vs $16 in San Juan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $227 vs $169 per month, with San Juan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Makati

🇵🇭 San Juan

🕒 Local time

12:08 12:08 PM

Same time as Makati

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

582,602

126,347

💱 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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Makati San Juan 5 km

From you

Makati
San Juan

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 Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Juan wins on cost – living expenses run 41% lower than in Makati. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Juan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Makati is about 2.5 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 $269 in San Juan. 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 $727 in San Juan – San Juan is about 41% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

At $727 in San Juan versus $1,230 in Makati, a $1,200 budget is realistic in San Juan but tight or insufficient in Makati. The gap between the two cities makes San Juan 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 San Juan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Makati. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.