Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Makati and Tagbilaran City

For one person, living is cheaper in Tagbilaran City: $622 a month against $1,230 in Makati, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Tagbilaran City
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Tagbilaran City Living Index

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Makati

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,230

/mo nomad

Tagbilaran City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$622

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Makati and in Tagbilaran City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,230 in Makati versus $622 in Tagbilaran City.

Makati $1,230
Tagbilaran City $622

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,137 in Makati versus $1,004 in Tagbilaran City.

Makati $2,137
Tagbilaran City $1,004

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,044 in Makati versus $1,385 in Tagbilaran City.

Makati $3,044
Tagbilaran City $1,385

Living in Makati is roughly 98% more expensive than in Tagbilaran City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Makati 10% lower, Tagbilaran City 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.40 ₱409

$3.81 ₱243

67.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.45 ₱2,457

$17.14 ₱1,095

124.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 ₱306

$2.86 ₱182

67.13%

Cappuccino

$2.59 ₱166

$2.45 ₱157

5.71%

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

$1.09 ₱69.9

$0.92 ₱59.0

18.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.39

$0.42 ₱26.58

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 ₱153

$0.76 ₱48.55

214.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₱203

$2.25 ₱144

41.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ₱115

$1.51 ₱96.8

19.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 ₱80.8

$1.01 ₱64.4

24.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱65.9

$0.94 ₱59.8

9.57%

Eggs

$2.37 ₱151

$1.75 ₱112

35.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.91 ₱441

$9.46 ₱605

-26.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.93 ₱315

$4.51 ₱288

9.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.74 ₱431

$7.36 ₱470

-8.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 ₱263

$2.78 ₱178

48.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 ₱122

$1.27 ₱81.0

49.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.19 ₱204

$2.33 ₱149

36.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 ₱144

$1.50 ₱96.2

50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.55 ₱227

$2.28 ₱146

55.70%

Onion (1kg)

$3.50 ₱223

$1.87 ₱120

87.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₱68.1

$0.68 ₱43.76

57.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 ₱71.9

$0.49 ₱31.30

130.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.60 ₱166

$2.37 ₱151

9.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.85 ₱502

$6.32 ₱404

24.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₱82.6

$0.89 ₱56.6

44.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₱124

$0.99 ₱63.3

94.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₱56.4

$0.45 ₱28.96

95.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.3 ₱3,595

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.65 ₱41.59

$0.79 ₱50.4

-17.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.38

$0.22 ₱14.08

-4.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱122

$4.48 ₱286

-57.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₱81.6

$1.02 ₱65.0

25.49%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$21.2K ₱1.4M

-1.69%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

-1.40%

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

$151 ₱9,669

$78.6 ₱5,020

92.59%

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

$15.59 ₱996

$15.57 ₱995

0.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.38 ₱2,005

$25.33 ₱1,618

23.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 ₱3,403

$11.15 ₱713

377.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.04 ₱897

$3.18 ₱203

341.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 ₱461

$3.43 ₱219

110.50%

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

$776 ₱49.6K

$275 ₱17.6K

181.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,391 ₱472.2K

$7,835 ₱500.6K

-5.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 ₱3,826

$37.31 ₱2,384

60.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.96 ₱2,361

$17.87 ₱1,142

106.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.0 ₱5,177

$63.0 ₱4,023

28.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 ₱6,446

$56.7 ₱3,625

77.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$829 ₱53.0K

$191 ₱12.2K

333.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$429 ₱27.4K

$135 ₱8,605

218.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,151 ₱137.4K

$476 ₱30.4K

352.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,308 ₱83.6K

$340 ₱21.7K

285.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,714 ₱365.1K

$781 ₱49.9K

631.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,568 ₱228.0K

$473 ₱30.2K

654.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$587 ₱37.5K

$171 ₱10.9K

244.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

7.2

4.17%

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

Last update for Makati: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tagbilaran City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Makati

$429 34.8%

Tagbilaran City

$135 21.7% 68.6% $294

Groceries & Markets

Makati

$227 18.5%

Tagbilaran City

$186 29.8% 18.4% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Makati

$198 16.1%

Tagbilaran City

$119 19.2% 39.8% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Makati

$125 10.2%

Tagbilaran City

$79 12.7% 37.3% $47

Eating Out

Makati

$121 9.9%

Tagbilaran City

$82 13.2% 32.3% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Makati

$68 5.5%

Tagbilaran City

$18 2.9% 73.4% $50

Getting Around

Makati

$61 5%

Tagbilaran City

$3.7 * 0.6% 94% $58

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 $829 in Makati and $191 in Tagbilaran City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Makati pays about 3.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Makati vs $17 in Tagbilaran City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $227 vs $186 per month, with Tagbilaran City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Makati

🇵🇭 Tagbilaran City

🕒 Local time

13:28 1:28 PM

Same time as Makati

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

582,602

86,411

💱 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 Tagbilaran City 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Makati
Tagbilaran City

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 Tagbilaran City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tagbilaran City wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Makati. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tagbilaran City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Makati is about 3.4 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 $191 in Tagbilaran City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Makati. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,230 per month in Makati versus $622 in Tagbilaran City – Tagbilaran City is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $622 in Tagbilaran City versus $1,230 in Makati, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Tagbilaran City but tight or insufficient in Makati. The gap between the two cities makes Tagbilaran City 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.

Safety-wise, Makati and Tagbilaran City are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Tagbilaran City wins on affordability, Makati on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.