Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manila and Cagayan de Oro City

For one person, living is cheaper in Cagayan de Oro City: $771 a month against $948 in Manila, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Manila
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Manila Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Cagayan de Oro City
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Cagayan de Oro City Living Index

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Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$948

/mo nomad

Cagayan de Oro City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manila and in Cagayan de Oro 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 Cagayan de Oro City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $948 in Manila versus $771 in Cagayan de Oro City.

Manila $948
Cagayan de Oro City $771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,508 in Manila versus $1,141 in Cagayan de Oro City.

Manila $1,508
Cagayan de Oro City $1,141

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,068 in Manila versus $1,511 in Cagayan de Oro City.

Manila $2,068
Cagayan de Oro City $1,511

Living in Manila is roughly 23% more expensive than in Cagayan de Oro City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Manila 30% lower, Cagayan de Oro City 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.46 ₱344

$3.68 ₱231

48.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.93 ₱1,695

$12.80 ₱806

110.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.90 ₱246

$3.05 ₱192

27.87%

Cappuccino

$2.62 ₱165

$2.33 ₱147

12.45%

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

$1.36 ₱85.5

$0.76 ₱47.91

78.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₱52.3

$0.64 ₱39.98

29.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ₱76.9

$1.38 ₱86.9

-11.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 ₱146

$1.98 ₱124

17.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 ₱123

$1.48 ₱93.4

32.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 ₱89.1

$0.89 ₱56.2

59.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 ₱65.4

$0.92 ₱58.0

13.04%

Eggs

$2.23 ₱140

$2.17 ₱137

2.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 ₱485

$8.67 ₱546

-11.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.91 ₱309

$3.29 ₱207

49.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.12 ₱448

$5.76 ₱363

23.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ₱204

$2.05 ₱129

57.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.08 ₱68.3

77.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 ₱184

$2.38 ₱150

23.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 ₱113

$1.14 ₱71.9

57.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$1.92 ₱121

20.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 ₱172

$2.53 ₱159

7.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 ₱133

$0.76 ₱47.87

178.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₱37.25

$0.48 ₱30.30

22.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 ₱200

$3.02 ₱190

5.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 ₱618

$3.97 ₱250

147.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₱84.1

$1.22 ₱77.0

9.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.93 ₱122

3.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ₱29.47

$0.41 ₱25.99

14.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.56 ₱791

$9.84 ₱620

27.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₱46.07

$0.63 ₱39.57

15.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.20

$0.21 ₱13.18

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 ₱118

$1.94 ₱122

-3.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₱80.6

$1.08 ₱67.8

18.52%

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

$21.4K ₱1.3M

$21.1K ₱1.3M

1.04%

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

$19.3K ₱1.2M

$18.9K ₱1.2M

2.16%

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

$124 ₱7,822

$137 ₱8,600

-9.05%

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

$15.73 ₱990

$22.77 ₱1,433

-30.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.40 ₱1,536

$30.51 ₱1,921

-20.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.31 ₱2,727

$20.70 ₱1,303

109.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.79 ₱365

$2.87 ₱181

101.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 ₱425

$4.55 ₱286

48.57%

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

$630 ₱39.7K

$66.4 ₱4,181

848.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,004 ₱566.9K

$2,257 ₱142.1K

298.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 ₱3,668

$31.71 ₱1,997

83.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.34 ₱1,721

$13.08 ₱824

109.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 ₱4,758

$52.4 ₱3,300

44.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.6 ₱3,564

$39.65 ₱2,496

42.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$536 ₱33.8K

$377 ₱23.8K

42.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$284 ₱17.9K

$229 ₱14.4K

24.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,874 ₱118.0K

$693 ₱43.7K

170.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 ₱41.2K

$452 ₱28.5K

44.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,438 ₱279.4K

$1,604 ₱101.0K

176.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,530 ₱159.3K

$951 ₱59.9K

166.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$467 ₱29.4K

$302 ₱19.0K

54.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.43

6.75

10.07%

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

Last update for Manila: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cagayan de Oro City: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manila

$284 29.9%

Cagayan de Oro City

$229 29.6% 19.5% $55

Groceries & Markets

Manila

$222 23.5%

Cagayan de Oro City

$165 21.4% 25.6% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manila

$164 17.3%

Cagayan de Oro City

$190 24.6% 15.5% $26

Eating Out

Manila

$106 11.2%

Cagayan de Oro City

$83 10.8% 22% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Manila

$98 10.3%

Cagayan de Oro City

$62 8% 37.2% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Manila

$57 6%

Cagayan de Oro City

$30 3.9% 47.6% $27

Getting Around

Manila

$16 1.7%

Cagayan de Oro City

$13 1.7% 18.8% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $536 in Manila and $377 in Cagayan de Oro City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manila pays 54% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $27.00 in Manila vs $13.00 in Cagayan de Oro City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $165 per month, with Cagayan de Oro City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Manila

🇵🇭 Cagayan de Oro City

🕒 Local time

04:14 4:14 AM

Same time as Manila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,780,148 Capital

728,402

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Manila Cagayan de Oro City 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Manila
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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 Cagayan de Oro City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manila and Cagayan de Oro City differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($948 vs $771 including rent). Cagayan de Oro City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 54% higher in Manila, 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: $536 in Manila versus $377 in Cagayan de Oro City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Manila. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cagayan de Oro City – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $27.00 in Manila. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $771 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $948 in Manila, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cagayan de Oro City but tight or insufficient in Manila. The gap between the two cities makes Cagayan de Oro 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, Manila and Cagayan de Oro City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cagayan de Oro City 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.