Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mandaue and Johor Bahru

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandaue: $820 a month against $1,080 in Johor Bahru, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Mandaue
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Mandaue Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Johor Bahru
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Johor Bahru Living Index

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Mandaue

🇵🇭 Philippines

$820

/mo nomad

Johor Bahru

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,080

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mandaue and in Johor Bahru

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mandaue and in Johor Bahru actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $820 in Mandaue versus $1,080 in Johor Bahru.

Mandaue $820
Johor Bahru $1,080

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,198 in Mandaue versus $1,611 in Johor Bahru.

Mandaue $1,198
Johor Bahru $1,611

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,575 in Mandaue versus $2,141 in Johor Bahru.

Mandaue $1,575
Johor Bahru $2,141

Living in Mandaue costs roughly 24% less than in Johor Bahru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mandaue 40% lower, Johor Bahru 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.97 ₱254

$3.57 MYR 14.53

11.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.32 ₱1,493

$18.54 MYR 75.5

25.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.94 ₱252

$5.03 MYR 20.49

-21.67%

Cappuccino

$2.49 ₱160

$3.00 MYR 12.21

-17.00%

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

$0.68 ₱43.30

$0.85 MYR 3.45

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ₱29.44

$0.56 MYR 2.30

-17.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.74 ₱111

$4.54 MYR 18.50

-61.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ₱137

$6.27 MYR 25.53

-65.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 ₱117

$1.70 MYR 6.92

7.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ₱74.7

$1.05 MYR 4.28

11.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱62.3

$1.42 MYR 5.77

-31.69%

Eggs

$1.92 ₱123

$1.73 MYR 7.04

10.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.72 ₱622

$18.23 MYR 74.3

-46.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.51 ₱289

$4.57 MYR 18.62

-1.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.27 ₱465

$10.51 MYR 42.80

-30.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 ₱208

$3.28 MYR 13.38

-0.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 ₱83.4

$1.74 MYR 7.09

-25.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱149

$3.91 MYR 15.94

-40.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 ₱96.4

$1.64 MYR 6.68

-7.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.37 ₱152

$1.41 MYR 5.73

68.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 ₱118

$1.65 MYR 6.71

11.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱70.5

$1.37 MYR 5.56

-19.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ₱38.24

$0.56 MYR 2.26

7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.33 ₱149

$4.19 MYR 17.06

-44.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ₱399

$14.20 MYR 57.9

-56.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₱80.4

$2.92 MYR 11.91

-56.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ₱106

$3.03 MYR 12.33

-45.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.66

$0.70 MYR 2.83

-67.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.58 ₱869

$12.36 MYR 50.4

9.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₱48.23

$0.94 MYR 3.84

-20.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.10

$0.75 MYR 3.07

-70.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 ₱121

$9.95 MYR 40.54

-81.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ₱86.4

$0.83 MYR 3.37

62.65%

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

$21.3K ₱1.4M

$43.9K MYR 178.7K

-51.36%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$35.7K MYR 145.6K

-47.09%

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

$96.8 ₱6,193

$52.7 MYR 215

83.73%

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

$15.75 ₱1,008

$11.01 MYR 44.86

43.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.65 ₱1,770

$28.28 MYR 115

-2.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.29 ₱2,002

$41.28 MYR 168

-24.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.53 ₱290

$5.80 MYR 23.61

-21.90%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱349

$4.81 MYR 19.61

13.51%

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

$131 ₱8,410

$239 MYR 975

-45.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,875 ₱504.0K

$4,518 MYR 18.4K

74.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.04 ₱2,051

$54.6 MYR 222

-41.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.82 ₱1,204

$16.53 MYR 67.3

13.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.8 ₱4,788

$81.3 MYR 331

-7.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.1 ₱3,656

$98.3 MYR 400

-41.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 ₱27.3K

$523 MYR 2,132

-18.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$248 ₱15.9K

$416 MYR 1,693

-40.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$730 ₱46.7K

$983 MYR 4,004

-25.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 ₱22.3K

$707 MYR 2,881

-50.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,283 ₱146.1K

$2,002 MYR 8,154

14.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,272 ₱81.4K

$1,214 MYR 4,944

4.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$231 ₱14.8K

$1,076 MYR 4,382

-78.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

4.06

77.34%

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

Last update for Mandaue: October 24, 2026

Last update for Johor Bahru: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mandaue

$248 30.2%

Johor Bahru

$416 38.5% 67.6% $168

Groceries & Markets

Mandaue

$200 24.4%

Johor Bahru

$269 24.9% 34% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mandaue

$140 17.1%

Johor Bahru

$92 8.5% 34.4% $48

Eating Out

Mandaue

$91 11.1%

Johor Bahru

$120 11.2% 32.4% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Mandaue

$82 10%

Johor Bahru

$113 10.4% 37.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Mandaue

$42 5.1%

Johor Bahru

$51 4.7% 20.6% $8.7

Getting Around

Mandaue

$16 2%

Johor Bahru

$20 1.8% 21.5% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $426 in Mandaue and $523 in Johor Bahru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Johor Bahru pays about 4.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Mandaue vs $19 in Johor Bahru. Groceries flip the comparison at $200 vs $269, with Mandaue cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Mandaue

🇲🇾 Johor Bahru

🕒 Local time

15:11 3:11 PM

Same time as Mandaue

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

364,116

858,118

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.24 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mandaue Johor Bahru 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mandaue
Johor Bahru

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

Mandaue vs Johor Bahru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $820 in Mandaue and $1,080 in Johor Bahru, so Mandaue is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 78% lower in Mandaue. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $426 in Mandaue versus $523 in Johor Bahru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Johor Bahru – a meal for two runs $19 versus $23 in Mandaue. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $820 per month in Mandaue versus $1,080 in Johor Bahru – Mandaue is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Mandaue is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Mandaue is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Johor Bahru, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Mandaue and Johor Bahru are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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