Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manila and San Pablo

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pablo: $622 a month against $945 in Manila, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
30

Cost of Living Index in San Pablo
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San Pablo Living Index

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Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$945

/mo nomad

San Pablo

🇵🇭 Philippines

$622

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $945 per month in Manila vs $622 in San Pablo, rent included.

Manila $945
San Pablo $622

A couple spends around $1,572 per month in Manila vs $900 in San Pablo, rent included.

Manila $1,572
San Pablo $900

A family of three spends $2,199 per month in Manila vs $1,178 in San Pablo, rent included.

Manila $2,199
San Pablo $1,178

Manila costs about 52% more than San Pablo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Manila and San Pablo are more affordable than the global median – Manila 31% lower, San Pablo 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.34 ₱341

$3.93 ₱251

35.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.46 ₱1,691

$16.44 ₱1,050

60.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.93 ₱251

$2.72 ₱174

44.49%

Cappuccino

$2.53 ₱162

$1.82 ₱116

39.01%

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

$1.35 ₱86.2

$0.38 ₱24.05

255.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 ₱52.2

$0.22 ₱13.80

272.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 ₱72.8

$0.95 ₱60.8

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₱152

$1.60 ₱102

48.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 ₱122

$1.65 ₱106

15.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ₱92.1

$1.10 ₱70.4

30.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱60.3

$0.96 ₱61.5

-2.08%

Eggs

$2.30 ₱147

$1.97 ₱126

16.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 ₱473

$5.15 ₱329

43.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱295

$3.40 ₱217

35.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.65 ₱425

$7.35 ₱470

-9.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 ₱211

$2.26 ₱144

45.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 ₱115

$1.42 ₱90.7

26.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 ₱192

$1.58 ₱101

89.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 ₱112

$1.01 ₱64.4

74.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 ₱142

$1.54 ₱98.3

44.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 ₱170

$1.70 ₱109

56.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 ₱137

$0.61 ₱38.84

250.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱34.12

$0.48 ₱30.92

10.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 ₱196

$2.74 ₱175

11.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.57 ₱611

$6.29 ₱402

52.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 ₱83.3

$0.90 ₱57.7

44.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₱127

$1.95 ₱125

2.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₱25.83

$0.24 ₱15.40

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.75 ₱815

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 ₱45.97

$0.75 ₱47.97

-4.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.72

$0.22 ₱14.03

4.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ₱117

$1.86 ₱119

-1.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ₱81.0

$1.18 ₱75.4

7.63%

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

$20.7K ₱1.3M

$20.9K ₱1.3M

-0.98%

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

$18.7K ₱1.2M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

-2.32%

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

$120 ₱7,641

$137 ₱8,783

-13.00%

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

$15.69 ₱1,003

$11.65 ₱744

34.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 ₱1,508

$23.40 ₱1,495

0.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.57 ₱2,720

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.65 ₱361

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ₱415

$4.95 ₱317

31.31%

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

$599 ₱38.3K

$130 ₱8,275

362.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,818 ₱563.4K

$10.9K ₱693.3K

-18.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 ₱3,621

$28.47 ₱1,819

99.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.40 ₱1,751

$18.79 ₱1,201

45.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.4 ₱4,878

$69.8 ₱4,462

9.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.5 ₱3,546

$55.3 ₱3,534

0.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 ₱33.6K

$140 ₱8,921

276.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₱19.0K

$125 ₱7,980

137.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 ₱120.5K

$202 ₱12.9K

834.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$816 ₱52.1K

$187 ₱11.9K

336.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,968 ₱253.5K

$924 ₱59.0K

329.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,366 ₱151.2K

$789 ₱50.4K

199.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$466 ₱29.8K

$278 ₱17.8K

67.69%

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 Pablo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manila

$297 31.4%

San Pablo

$125 20.1% 57.9% $172

Groceries & Markets

Manila

$216 22.9%

San Pablo

$162 26.1% 25% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manila

$159 16.8%

San Pablo

$173 27.8% 8.6% $14

Eating Out

Manila

$104 11%

San Pablo

$72 11.6% 31% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Manila

$97 10.3%

San Pablo

$78 12.5% 20.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Manila

$56 5.9%

San Pablo

$9.9 * 1.6% 82.2% $46

Getting Around

Manila

$16 1.7%

San Pablo

$2.8 * 0.5% 82.7% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Manila versus $140 in San Pablo. 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 68% 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 Pablo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $216 vs $162 – making San Pablo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Manila

🇵🇭 San Pablo

🕒 Local time

04:33 4:33 AM

Same time as Manila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,780,148 Capital

266,068

💱 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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Between locations

Manila San Pablo 69 km

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 San Pablo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $945 in Manila, $622 in San Pablo – San Pablo comes out roughly 34% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,418 per month in Manila and $933 in San Pablo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Pablo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $140 there versus $526 in Manila.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $945 in Manila and $622 in San Pablo. That makes San Pablo about 34% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $599 per month in Manila and $130 in San Pablo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $945 in Manila and $622 in San Pablo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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