Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Makati and Santa Cruz, Laguna

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz, Laguna: $616 a month against $1,230 in Makati, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz, Laguna
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Santa Cruz, Laguna Living Index

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Makati

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,230

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇵🇭 Philippines

$616

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Makati and in Santa Cruz, Laguna

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 Santa Cruz, Laguna actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,230 in Makati versus $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Makati $1,230
Santa Cruz, Laguna $616

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,137 in Makati versus $911 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Makati $2,137
Santa Cruz, Laguna $911

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,044 in Makati versus $1,206 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Makati $3,044
Santa Cruz, Laguna $1,206

Living in Makati is roughly 100% more expensive than in Santa Cruz, Laguna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Makati 10% lower, Santa Cruz, Laguna 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.40 ₱409

$1.55 ₱98.8

312.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.45 ₱2,457

$7.73 ₱494

397.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 ₱306

$2.79 ₱178

71.33%

Cappuccino

$2.59 ₱166

$1.76 ₱113

47.16%

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

$1.09 ₱69.9

$0.37 ₱23.90

194.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.39

$0.24 ₱15.42

104.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 ₱153

$1.01 ₱64.7

136.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₱203

$0.90 ₱57.2

253.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ₱115

$1.54 ₱98.4

16.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 ₱80.8

$1.15 ₱73.3

9.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱65.9

$0.91 ₱57.9

13.19%

Eggs

$2.37 ₱151

$1.52 ₱97.0

55.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.91 ₱441

$4.82 ₱308

43.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.93 ₱315

$3.29 ₱210

49.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.74 ₱431

$7.20 ₱460

-6.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 ₱263

$1.37 ₱87.7

200.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 ₱122

$0.49 ₱31.52

287.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.19 ₱204

$1.43 ₱91.7

123.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 ₱144

$1.06 ₱67.7

112.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.55 ₱227

$1.67 ₱107

112.57%

Onion (1kg)

$3.50 ₱223

$1.68 ₱107

108.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₱68.1

$0.61 ₱39.25

75.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 ₱71.9

$0.52 ₱33.12

117.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.60 ₱166

$2.93 ₱187

-11.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.85 ₱502

$8.49 ₱543

-7.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₱82.6

$0.96 ₱61.4

34.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₱124

$2.06 ₱131

-6.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₱56.4

$0.21 ₱13.11

319.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.3 ₱3,595

$11.50 ₱735

389.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.65 ₱41.59

$0.76 ₱48.74

-14.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.38

$0.22 ₱14.00

-4.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱122

$1.93 ₱124

-1.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₱81.6

$1.20 ₱76.5

6.67%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$20.7K ₱1.3M

0.48%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

-0.34%

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

$151 ₱9,669

$82.8 ₱5,290

82.80%

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

$15.59 ₱996

$17.51 ₱1,118

-10.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.38 ₱2,005

$22.58 ₱1,443

38.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 ₱3,403

$27.30 ₱1,744

95.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.04 ₱897

$4.47 ₱285

214.09%

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 ₱461

$5.03 ₱321

43.54%

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

$776 ₱49.6K

$128 ₱8,194

504.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,391 ₱472.2K

$10.6K ₱677.6K

-30.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 ₱3,826

$28.32 ₱1,809

111.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.96 ₱2,361

$19.21 ₱1,227

92.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.0 ₱5,177

$69.6 ₱4,447

16.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 ₱6,446

$53.7 ₱3,431

87.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$829 ₱53.0K

$219 ₱14.0K

279.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$429 ₱27.4K

$160 ₱10.2K

167.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,151 ₱137.4K

$480 ₱30.7K

347.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,308 ₱83.6K

$298 ₱19.1K

338.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,714 ₱365.1K

$2,453 ₱156.7K

132.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,568 ₱228.0K

$1,079 ₱68.9K

230.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$587 ₱37.5K

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 Santa Cruz, Laguna: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Makati

$429 34.8%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$160 26% 62.6% $268

Groceries & Markets

Makati

$227 18.5%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$153 24.8% 32.7% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Makati

$198 16.1%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$123 20% 38% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Makati

$125 10.2%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$77 12.5% 38.7% $49

Eating Out

Makati

$121 9.9%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$51 8.3% 57.8% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Makati

$68 5.5%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$37 6.1% 44.8% $30

Getting Around

Makati

$61 5%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$14 2.3% 76.9% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $829 in Makati and $219 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38 in Makati vs $8 in Santa Cruz, Laguna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $227 vs $153 per month, with Santa Cruz, Laguna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Makati

🇵🇭 Santa Cruz, Laguna

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

Same time as Makati

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

582,602

123,574

💱 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

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Makati Santa Cruz, Laguna 52 km

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Makati
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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 Santa Cruz, Laguna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Cruz, Laguna wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Makati. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Santa Cruz, Laguna the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,845 in Makati and $923 in Santa Cruz, Laguna 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: $829 in Makati versus $219 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. 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 $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna – Santa Cruz, Laguna is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

At $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $1,230 in Makati, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz, Laguna but tight or insufficient in Makati. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz, Laguna 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 Santa Cruz, Laguna gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Makati. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.