Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manila and Albay

For one person, living is cheaper in Albay: $729 a month against $943 in Manila, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Manila
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Manila Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Albay
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Albay Living Index

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Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$943

/mo nomad

Albay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$729

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manila and in Albay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $943 in Manila versus $729 in Albay.

Manila $943
Albay $729

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,505 in Manila versus $1,108 in Albay.

Manila $1,505
Albay $1,108

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,067 in Manila versus $1,487 in Albay.

Manila $2,067
Albay $1,487

Living in Manila is roughly 29% more expensive than in Albay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Manila 30% lower, Albay 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.54 ₱354

$3.78 ₱242

46.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.42 ₱1,753

$16.81 ₱1,074

63.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.96 ₱253

$2.82 ₱180

40.43%

Cappuccino

$2.47 ₱158

$2.19 ₱140

12.79%

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

$1.38 ₱88.3

$0.63 ₱40.22

119.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₱53.0

$0.33 ₱21.13

151.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ₱74.8

$1.12 ₱71.7

4.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 ₱149

$1.99 ₱127

17.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ₱120

$1.61 ₱103

16.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱91.2

$1.12 ₱71.8

27.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱62.3

$0.96 ₱61.4

1.04%

Eggs

$2.29 ₱146

$1.88 ₱120

21.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.53 ₱481

$5.70 ₱365

32.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.75 ₱303

$4.21 ₱269

12.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.77 ₱433

$6.95 ₱445

-2.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.35 ₱214

$2.33 ₱149

43.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₱118

$1.56 ₱99.7

17.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 ₱193

$2.42 ₱155

24.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 ₱117

$1.17 ₱75.1

56.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 ₱143

$1.93 ₱123

15.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 ₱166

$1.96 ₱125

32.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 ₱134

$0.98 ₱62.4

114.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₱37.80

$0.54 ₱34.46

9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 ₱200

$2.90 ₱186

7.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.49 ₱607

$7.69 ₱491

23.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱84.0

$0.96 ₱61.4

36.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₱128

$1.95 ₱125

3.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₱29.67

$0.24 ₱15.19

91.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.78 ₱817

$11.21 ₱717

14.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱49.14

$0.74 ₱47.17

4.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.73

$0.23 ₱14.72

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₱118

$1.93 ₱124

-4.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ₱82.2

$1.24 ₱79.1

4.03%

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

$21.6K ₱1.4M

$21.2K ₱1.4M

1.80%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$18.9K ₱1.2M

2.81%

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

$125 ₱7,972

$124 ₱7,929

0.52%

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

$15.84 ₱1,013

$15.06 ₱963

5.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.01 ₱1,535

$24.69 ₱1,578

-2.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 ₱2,675

$32.74 ₱2,093

27.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.89 ₱377

$4.58 ₱293

28.60%

Cinema Ticket

$6.62 ₱423

$5.24 ₱335

26.34%

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

$612 ₱39.2K

$131 ₱8,392

366.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,736 ₱558.5K

$7,896 ₱504.8K

10.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 ₱3,711

$33.24 ₱2,125

74.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.80 ₱1,777

$19.61 ₱1,254

41.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 ₱4,914

$70.4 ₱4,500

9.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.5 ₱3,611

$56.3 ₱3,596

0.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$538 ₱34.4K

$261 ₱16.7K

105.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$285 ₱18.2K

$170 ₱10.9K

67.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,933 ₱123.6K

$512 ₱32.7K

277.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$662 ₱42.3K

$351 ₱22.5K

88.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,397 ₱281.1K

$2,446 ₱156.4K

79.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,461 ₱157.3K

$974 ₱62.3K

152.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$478 ₱30.5K

$162 ₱10.3K

195.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.43

6.79

9.43%

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

Last update for Manila: October 17, 2026

Last update for Albay: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manila

$285 30.2%

Albay

$170 23.3% 40.3% $115

Groceries & Markets

Manila

$219 23.2%

Albay

$178 24.5% 18.4% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manila

$165 17.4%

Albay

$164 22.5% 0.5% $0.8

Eating Out

Manila

$105 11.2%

Albay

$78 10.8% 25.5% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Manila

$99 10.5%

Albay

$81 11.1% 18.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Manila

$55 5.8%

Albay

$43 5.9% 21.5% $12

Getting Around

Manila

$17 1.8%

Albay

$14 1.9% 15.2% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $538 in Manila and $261 in Albay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manila pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $27 in Manila vs $17 in Albay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $219 vs $178 per month, with Albay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Manila

🇵🇭 Albay

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

Same time as Manila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,780,148 Capital

179,481

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.39 EUR

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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From you

Manila
Albay

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

Manila vs Albay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manila and Albay differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($943 vs $729 including rent). Albay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Manila is about 3 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: $538 in Manila versus $261 in Albay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Manila. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Albay – a meal for two runs $17 versus $27 in Manila. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Albay gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Albay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Manila. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.