Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manila and Santa Cruz, Laguna

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz, Laguna: $616 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 Santa Cruz, Laguna
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Santa Cruz, Laguna Living Index

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Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$945

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇵🇭 Philippines

$616

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manila and in Santa Cruz, Laguna

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 Santa Cruz, Laguna actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $945 per month in Manila vs $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna, rent included.

Manila $945
Santa Cruz, Laguna $616

A couple spends around $1,572 per month in Manila vs $911 in Santa Cruz, Laguna, rent included.

Manila $1,572
Santa Cruz, Laguna $911

A family of three spends $2,199 per month in Manila vs $1,206 in Santa Cruz, Laguna, rent included.

Manila $2,199
Santa Cruz, Laguna $1,206

Manila costs about 54% more than Santa Cruz, Laguna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Manila and Santa Cruz, Laguna are more affordable than the global median – Manila 31% lower, Santa Cruz, Laguna 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.34 ₱341

$1.55 ₱98.8

244.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.46 ₱1,691

$7.73 ₱494

242.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.93 ₱251

$2.79 ₱178

40.86%

Cappuccino

$2.53 ₱162

$1.76 ₱113

43.75%

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

$1.35 ₱86.2

$0.37 ₱23.90

264.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 ₱52.2

$0.24 ₱15.42

241.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 ₱72.8

$1.01 ₱64.7

12.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₱152

$0.90 ₱57.2

164.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 ₱122

$1.54 ₱98.4

24.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ₱92.1

$1.15 ₱73.3

25.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱60.3

$0.91 ₱57.9

3.30%

Eggs

$2.30 ₱147

$1.52 ₱97.0

51.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 ₱473

$4.82 ₱308

53.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱295

$3.29 ₱210

40.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.65 ₱425

$7.20 ₱460

-7.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 ₱211

$1.37 ₱87.7

140.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 ₱115

$0.49 ₱31.52

267.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 ₱192

$1.43 ₱91.7

109.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 ₱112

$1.06 ₱67.7

66.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 ₱142

$1.67 ₱107

32.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 ₱170

$1.68 ₱107

58.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 ₱137

$0.61 ₱39.25

250.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱34.12

$0.52 ₱33.12

1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 ₱196

$2.93 ₱187

4.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.57 ₱611

$8.49 ₱543

12.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 ₱83.3

$0.96 ₱61.4

35.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₱127

$2.06 ₱131

-3.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₱25.83

$0.21 ₱13.11

90.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.75 ₱815

$11.50 ₱735

10.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 ₱45.97

$0.76 ₱48.74

-5.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.72

$0.22 ₱14.00

4.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ₱117

$1.93 ₱124

-4.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ₱81.0

$1.20 ₱76.5

5.83%

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

$20.7K ₱1.3M

0.04%

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

$18.7K ₱1.2M

$18.9K ₱1.2M

-1.39%

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

$120 ₱7,641

$82.8 ₱5,290

44.45%

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

$15.69 ₱1,003

$17.51 ₱1,118

-10.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 ₱1,508

$22.58 ₱1,443

4.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.57 ₱2,720

$27.30 ₱1,744

55.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.65 ₱361

$4.47 ₱285

26.40%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ₱415

$5.03 ₱321

29.22%

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

$599 ₱38.3K

$128 ₱8,194

366.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,818 ₱563.4K

$10.6K ₱677.6K

-16.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 ₱3,621

$28.32 ₱1,809

100.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.40 ₱1,751

$19.21 ₱1,227

42.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.4 ₱4,878

$69.6 ₱4,447

9.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.5 ₱3,546

$53.7 ₱3,431

3.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 ₱33.6K

$219 ₱14.0K

140.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₱19.0K

$160 ₱10.2K

85.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 ₱120.5K

$480 ₱30.7K

292.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$816 ₱52.1K

$298 ₱19.1K

173.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,968 ₱253.5K

$2,453 ₱156.7K

61.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,366 ₱151.2K

$1,079 ₱68.9K

119.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$466 ₱29.8K

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 Santa Cruz, Laguna: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manila

$297 31.4%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$160 26% 46% $137

Groceries & Markets

Manila

$216 22.9%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$153 24.8% 29.3% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manila

$159 16.8%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$123 20% 22.7% $36

Eating Out

Manila

$104 11%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$51 8.3% 50.8% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Manila

$97 10.3%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$77 12.5% 20.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Manila

$56 5.9%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$37 6.1% 32.8% $18

Getting Around

Manila

$16 1.7%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$14 2.3% 12.7% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Manila versus $219 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Manila versus $8 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $216 vs $153 – making Santa Cruz, Laguna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Manila

🇵🇭 Santa Cruz, Laguna

🕒 Local time

03:05 3:05 AM

Same time as Manila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,780,148 Capital

123,574

💱 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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Manila Santa Cruz, Laguna 58 km

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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 Santa Cruz, Laguna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $945 in Manila, $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna – roughly 54% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,418 per month in Manila and $923 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Cruz, Laguna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $219 there versus $526 in Manila.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $945 in Manila and $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. That’s a gap of about 54%.

Public transport costs about 10% less in Santa Cruz, Laguna. 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 $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

For expats, Santa Cruz, Laguna is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 54% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.