Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manila and San Juan, Philippines

Name: San Juan
Address: San Juan, PH

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $727 a month against $945 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 San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$945

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$727

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manila and in San Juan

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 San Juan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $945 per month in Manila vs $727 in San Juan, rent included.

Manila $945
San Juan $727

A couple spends around $1,572 per month in Manila vs $1,099 in San Juan, rent included.

Manila $1,572
San Juan $1,099

A family of three spends $2,199 per month in Manila vs $1,471 in San Juan, rent included.

Manila $2,199
San Juan $1,471

Manila costs about 30% more than San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Manila and San Juan are more affordable than the global median – Manila 31% lower, San Juan 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.34 ₱340

$4.00 ₱255

33.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.46 ₱1,685

$16.19 ₱1,031

63.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.93 ₱251

$2.80 ₱178

40.36%

Cappuccino

$2.53 ₱161

$2.61 ₱166

-3.07%

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

$1.35 ₱86.0

$0.61 ₱38.76

121.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 ₱52.1

$0.33 ₱21.30

148.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 ₱72.6

$1.01 ₱64.2

12.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₱152

$1.54 ₱98.2

54.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 ₱121

$1.67 ₱106

14.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ₱91.8

$1.13 ₱72.3

27.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱60.1

$0.91 ₱58.1

3.30%

Eggs

$2.30 ₱147

$1.77 ₱113

29.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 ₱472

$4.98 ₱317

48.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱294

$3.31 ₱211

39.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.65 ₱423

$6.98 ₱445

-4.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 ₱210

$2.20 ₱140

49.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 ₱114

$1.40 ₱88.9

28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 ₱191

$2.27 ₱145

32.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 ₱112

$1.00 ₱63.9

76.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 ₱141

$1.73 ₱110

28.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 ₱169

$1.69 ₱108

57.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 ₱136

$0.60 ₱38.16

256.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱34.01

$0.89 ₱56.4

-40.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 ₱195

$2.70 ₱172

13.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.57 ₱609

$7.51 ₱479

27.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 ₱83.0

$0.93 ₱59.5

39.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₱127

$1.74 ₱111

14.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₱25.75

$0.25 ₱15.91

60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.75 ₱812

$11.48 ₱731

11.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 ₱45.82

$0.75 ₱47.54

-4.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.67

$0.21 ₱13.36

9.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ₱117

$1.87 ₱119

-1.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ₱80.8

$1.17 ₱74.5

8.55%

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

$20.7K ₱1.3M

$21.0K ₱1.3M

-1.45%

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

$18.7K ₱1.2M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

-2.54%

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

$120 ₱7,617

$136 ₱8,678

-12.23%

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

$15.69 ₱999

$14.17 ₱902

10.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 ₱1,503

$23.95 ₱1,525

-1.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.57 ₱2,711

$27.03 ₱1,722

57.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.65 ₱360

$5.16 ₱329

9.50%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ₱414

$5.01 ₱319

29.74%

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

$599 ₱38.1K

$70.3 ₱4,480

751.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,818 ₱561.6K

$2,442 ₱155.5K

261.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 ₱3,609

$28.72 ₱1,829

97.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.40 ₱1,745

$19.22 ₱1,224

42.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.4 ₱4,863

$71.0 ₱4,520

7.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.5 ₱3,535

$55.3 ₱3,521

0.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 ₱33.5K

$269 ₱17.1K

95.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₱18.9K

$170 ₱10.8K

74.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 ₱120.2K

$493 ₱31.4K

283.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$816 ₱52.0K

$357 ₱22.7K

128.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,968 ₱252.7K

$2,304 ₱146.8K

72.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,366 ₱150.7K

$1,186 ₱75.5K

99.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$466 ₱29.7K

$235 ₱15.0K

98.13%

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 24, 2026

Last update for San Juan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manila

$297 31.4%

San Juan

$170 23.4% 42.7% $127

Groceries & Markets

Manila

$216 22.9%

San Juan

$169 23.3% 21.7% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manila

$159 16.8%

San Juan

$174 24% 9.7% $15

Eating Out

Manila

$104 11%

San Juan

$84 11.5% 19.6% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Manila

$97 10.3%

San Juan

$78 10.8% 19.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Manila

$56 5.9%

San Juan

$37 5.1% 33.3% $19

Getting Around

Manila

$16 1.7%

San Juan

$14 2% 12.1% $2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Manila versus $269 in San Juan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 98% higher in Manila. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Manila versus $16 in San Juan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $216 vs $169 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Manila

🇵🇭 San Juan

🕒 Local time

09:59 9:59 AM

Same time as Manila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,780,148 Capital

126,347

💱 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 San Juan 6 km

From you

Manila
San Juan

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 San Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $945 in Manila, $727 in San Juan – San Juan comes out roughly 23% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,418 per month in Manila and $1,091 in San Juan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Juan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $269 there versus $526 in Manila.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $945 in Manila and $727 in San Juan. That makes San Juan about 23% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 10% less in San Juan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $945 in Manila and $727 in San Juan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward San Juan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with San Juan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Manila makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.