Cost of Living Comparison Between Manila and Santa Cruz, Laguna Cost of Living Comparison Between Manila and Santa Cruz, Laguna

😐 Solo nomad: Manila is 7.8% more expensive than Santa Cruz, Laguna without rent, and 24.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Manila is 36.4% more expensive than Santa Cruz, Laguna without rent, and 34.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.46 ₱318

$1.76 ₱102

210.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.09 ₱1,577

$9.05 ₱527

199.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.38 ₱255

$3.15 ₱184

39.05%

Cappuccino

$2.74 ₱160

$2.09 ₱122

31.10%

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

$0.92 ₱53.3

$0.42 ₱24.62

119.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₱31.39

$0.26 ₱15.11

107.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ₱88.8

$1.23 ₱71.4

24.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ₱157

$1.08 ₱62.7

149.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱111

$1.84 ₱107

3.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ₱81.3

$1.25 ₱73.0

12.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 ₱60.8

$1.04 ₱60.4

Eggs

$2.07 ₱120

$1.68 ₱97.8

23.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.64 ₱561

$5.40 ₱315

78.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.19 ₱302

$4.29 ₱250

20.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.57 ₱499

$7.28 ₱424

17.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 ₱202

$1.65 ₱95.8

110.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ₱101

$0.51 ₱29.50

241.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 ₱202

$1.62 ₱94.5

114.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₱141

$1.72 ₱99.9

40.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 ₱155

$2.85 ₱166

-6.32%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 ₱178

$4.01 ₱234

-23.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 ₱118

$1.58 ₱91.9

27.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 ₱37.06

$1.06 ₱61.7

-39.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.43 ₱200

$3.10 ₱180

10.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 ₱590

$9.70 ₱565

4.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 ₱88.0

$1.56 ₱90.7

-3.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ₱123

$2.05 ₱119

2.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 ₱30.16

$0.26 ₱14.97

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.16 ₱708

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.85 ₱49.54

$0.78 ₱45.27

8.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₱15.79

$0.22 ₱12.78

22.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 ₱122

$2.19 ₱127

-4.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ₱67.9

$1.14 ₱66.4

2.63%

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

$26.4K ₱1.5M

$25.2K ₱1.5M

4.77%

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

$22.4K ₱1.3M

$20.2K ₱1.2M

11.23%

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

$137 ₱8,004

$94.5 ₱5,501

45.50%

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

$21.63 ₱1,259

$32.79 ₱1,910

-34.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.23 ₱1,586

$30.34 ₱1,766

-10.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.07 ₱2,450

$34.58 ₱2,013

21.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.78 ₱395

$4.51 ₱263

50.33%

Cinema Ticket

$6.81 ₱396

$7.14 ₱416

-4.62%

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

$352 ₱20.5K

$80.8 ₱4,706

336.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ₱669.7K

$2,774 ₱161.5K

314.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.19 ₱2,748

$32.29 ₱1,880

46.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.63 ₱2,017

$29.46 ₱1,715

17.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 ₱4,789

$96.8 ₱5,635

-15.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.17 ₱2,747

$94.6 ₱5,506

-50.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$499 ₱29.1K

$265 ₱15.4K

88.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$272 ₱15.9K

$177 ₱10.3K

53.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,739 ₱101.2K

$599 ₱34.9K

190.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₱36.4K

$387 ₱22.5K

61.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,647 ₱270.6K

$2,574 ₱149.9K

80.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,691 ₱156.7K

$670 ₱39.0K

301.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$485 ₱28.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.52

8.13

-7.50%

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

Last update for Manila: March 1, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz, Laguna: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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