Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manila and Koronadal City

For one person, living is cheaper in Koronadal City: $527 a month against $945 in Manila, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Koronadal City
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Koronadal City Living Index

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Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$945

/mo nomad

Koronadal City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $945 in Manila versus $527 in Koronadal City.

Manila $945
Koronadal City $527

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,572 in Manila versus $797 in Koronadal City.

Manila $1,572
Koronadal City $797

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,199 in Manila versus $1,068 in Koronadal City.

Manila $2,199
Koronadal City $1,068

Living in Manila is roughly 79% more expensive than in Koronadal City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Manila 31% lower, Koronadal City 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.34 ₱341

$4.42 ₱283

20.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.46 ₱1,691

$16.54 ₱1,057

59.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.93 ₱251

$3.31 ₱212

18.73%

Cappuccino

$2.53 ₱162

$2.18 ₱139

16.06%

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

$1.35 ₱86.2

$0.37 ₱23.83

264.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 ₱52.2

$0.33 ₱20.79

148.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 ₱72.8

$1.18 ₱75.6

-3.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₱152

$2.11 ₱135

12.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 ₱122

$1.57 ₱100

21.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ₱92.1

$0.65 ₱41.39

121.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱60.3

$0.91 ₱58.2

3.30%

Eggs

$2.30 ₱147

$1.28 ₱81.7

79.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 ₱473

$6.29 ₱402

17.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱295

$2.86 ₱183

61.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.65 ₱425

$4.67 ₱298

42.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 ₱211

$2.40 ₱154

37.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 ₱115

$0.84 ₱53.9

114.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 ₱192

$1.42 ₱91.0

111.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 ₱112

$1.06 ₱67.5

66.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 ₱142

$1.91 ₱122

16.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 ₱170

$2.61 ₱167

1.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 ₱137

$1.23 ₱78.6

73.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱34.12

$0.68 ₱43.47

-22.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 ₱196

$2.33 ₱149

31.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.57 ₱611

$7.29 ₱466

31.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 ₱83.3

$0.91 ₱57.8

42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₱127

$1.64 ₱105

21.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₱25.83

$0.22 ₱13.98

81.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.75 ₱815

$12.32 ₱787

3.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 ₱45.97

$0.73 ₱46.80

-1.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.72

$0.22 ₱14.02

4.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ₱117

$1.85 ₱118

-0.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ₱81.0

$1.02 ₱65.3

24.51%

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

$20.7K ₱1.3M

$21.4K ₱1.4M

-3.06%

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

$18.7K ₱1.2M

$14.3K ₱916.0K

30.20%

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

$120 ₱7,641

$104 ₱6,667

14.62%

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

$15.69 ₱1,003

$19.09 ₱1,220

-17.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 ₱1,508

$30.65 ₱1,958

-23.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.57 ₱2,720

$21.73 ₱1,388

95.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.65 ₱361

$5.31 ₱339

6.40%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ₱415

$2.77 ₱177

134.66%

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

$599 ₱38.3K

$106 ₱6,748

466.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,818 ₱563.4K

$7,475 ₱477.6K

17.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 ₱3,621

$11.70 ₱747

384.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.40 ₱1,751

$8.79 ₱561

211.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.4 ₱4,878

$46.09 ₱2,945

65.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.5 ₱3,546

$39.65 ₱2,534

39.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 ₱33.6K

$71.5 ₱4,567

636.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₱19.0K

$45.62 ₱2,915

550.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 ₱120.5K

$141 ₱9,031

1234.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$816 ₱52.1K

$93.3 ₱5,963

774.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,968 ₱253.5K

$2,902 ₱185.4K

36.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,366 ₱151.2K

$991 ₱63.3K

138.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$466 ₱29.8K

$124 ₱7,923

275.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.43

6.5

14.31%

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

Last update for Manila: October 24, 2026

Last update for Koronadal City: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manila

$297 31.4%

Koronadal City

$46 8.7% 84.6% $251

Groceries & Markets

Manila

$216 22.9%

Koronadal City

$153 29% 29.5% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manila

$159 16.8%

Koronadal City

$154 29.3% 3% $4.8

Eating Out

Manila

$104 11%

Koronadal City

$84 16% 18.9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Manila

$97 10.3%

Koronadal City

$48 9.1% 50.8% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Manila

$56 5.9%

Koronadal City

$27 5.2% 50.9% $28

Getting Around

Manila

$16 1.7%

Koronadal City

$15 2.9% 7.5% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $526 in Manila and $71 in Koronadal City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manila pays about 3.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $26 in Manila vs $17 in Koronadal City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $216 vs $153 per month, with Koronadal City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Manila

🇵🇭 Koronadal City

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

Same time as Manila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,780,148 Capital

174,942

💱 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

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Between locations

Manila Koronadal City 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Manila
Koronadal 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 Koronadal City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koronadal City wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Manila. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Koronadal City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Manila is about 3.8 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 $71 in Koronadal City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Koronadal City – a meal for two runs $17 versus $26 in Manila. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $945 per month in Manila versus $527 in Koronadal City – Koronadal City is about 44% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $527 in Koronadal City versus $945 in Manila, a $800 budget is realistic in Koronadal City but tight or insufficient in Manila. The gap between the two cities makes Koronadal 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.

Expats usually find Koronadal City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Manila. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.