Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manila and Bayawan City

For one person, living is cheaper in Bayawan City: $742 a month against $945 in Manila, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Manila
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Manila Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Bayawan City
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Bayawan City Living Index

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Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$945

/mo nomad

Bayawan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manila and in Bayawan City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $945 in Manila versus $742 in Bayawan City.

Manila $945
Bayawan City $742

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,572 in Manila versus $1,154 in Bayawan City.

Manila $1,572
Bayawan City $1,154

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,199 in Manila versus $1,566 in Bayawan City.

Manila $2,199
Bayawan City $1,566

Living in Manila is roughly 27% more expensive than in Bayawan City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Manila 31% lower, Bayawan City 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.34 ₱341

$4.00 ₱255

33.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.46 ₱1,689

$23.86 ₱1,523

10.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.93 ₱251

$3.85 ₱246

2.08%

Cappuccino

$2.53 ₱162

$2.50 ₱160

1.20%

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

$1.35 ₱86.2

$0.67 ₱42.83

101.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 ₱52.2

$0.46 ₱29.47

78.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 ₱72.8

$1.69 ₱108

-32.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₱152

$2.14 ₱137

11.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 ₱122

$1.68 ₱107

13.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ₱92.0

$1.10 ₱70.1

30.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱60.3

$0.66 ₱41.86

42.42%

Eggs

$2.30 ₱147

$2.00 ₱128

15.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 ₱473

$9.65 ₱616

-23.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱295

$4.47 ₱285

3.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.65 ₱424

$7.58 ₱484

-12.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 ₱210

$3.20 ₱204

2.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 ₱115

$1.32 ₱84.2

36.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 ₱192

$2.32 ₱148

29.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 ₱112

$1.44 ₱91.7

22.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 ₱142

$2.41 ₱154

-7.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 ₱170

$1.95 ₱125

36.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 ₱137

$1.10 ₱70.3

94.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱34.10

$0.63 ₱40.54

-15.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 ₱196

$2.90 ₱185

5.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.57 ₱611

$4.71 ₱300

103.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 ₱83.2

$0.81 ₱51.8

60.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₱127

$1.72 ₱110

15.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₱25.81

$0.22 ₱14.00

81.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.75 ₱814

$13.28 ₱848

-3.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 ₱45.94

$0.79 ₱50.4

-8.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.71

$0.20 ₱12.76

15.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ₱117

$1.89 ₱121

-2.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ₱81.0

$1.11 ₱70.8

14.41%

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

$20.7K ₱1.3M

$21.2K ₱1.4M

-2.45%

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

$18.7K ₱1.2M

-0.37%

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

$120 ₱7,635

$121 ₱7,715

-1.03%

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

$15.69 ₱1,002

$15.30 ₱977

2.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 ₱1,507

$27.60 ₱1,762

-14.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.57 ₱2,718

$27.62 ₱1,764

54.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.65 ₱361

$5.26 ₱336

7.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ₱415

$1.52 ₱96.8

327.63%

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

$599 ₱38.2K

$128 ₱8,157

368.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,818 ₱563.0K

$7,767 ₱495.9K

13.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 ₱3,618

$32.67 ₱2,086

73.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.40 ₱1,749

$19.05 ₱1,217

43.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.4 ₱4,874

$74.5 ₱4,755

2.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.5 ₱3,544

$57.7 ₱3,686

-3.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 ₱33.6K

$216 ₱13.8K

143.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₱18.9K

$166 ₱10.6K

79.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 ₱120.5K

$473 ₱30.2K

299.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$816 ₱52.1K

$348 ₱22.2K

134.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,968 ₱253.3K

$2,998 ₱191.4K

32.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,366 ₱151.1K

$1,023 ₱65.3K

131.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$466 ₱29.8K

$111 ₱7,087

319.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.43

7.2

3.19%

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

Last update for Manila: October 24, 2026

Last update for Bayawan City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manila

$297 31.4%

Bayawan City

$166 22.3% 44.2% $131

Groceries & Markets

Manila

$216 22.9%

Bayawan City

$193 26% 10.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manila

$159 16.8%

Bayawan City

$164 22.1% 3.1% $4.8

Eating Out

Manila

$104 11%

Bayawan City

$91 12.2% 12.7% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Manila

$97 10.3%

Bayawan City

$83 11.2% 14.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Manila

$56 5.9%

Bayawan City

$31 4.1% 44.8% $25

Getting Around

Manila

$16 1.7%

Bayawan City

$16 2.2% 1.8% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $526 in Manila and $216 in Bayawan City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manila pays about 4.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $26 in Manila vs $24 in Bayawan City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $216 vs $193 per month, with Bayawan City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Manila

🇵🇭 Bayawan City

🕒 Local time

09:16 9:16 AM

Same time as Manila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,780,148 Capital

122,747

💱 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

Manila Bayawan City 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Manila
Bayawan 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

Manila vs Bayawan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $945 in Manila and $742 in Bayawan City, so Bayawan City is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Manila is about 4.2 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: $526 in Manila versus $216 in Bayawan City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Manila. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bayawan City – a meal for two runs $24 versus $26 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 Bayawan City 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.

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