Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manila and Santa Rosa, Philippines

Name: Santa Rosa
Address: Santa Rosa, PH

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Rosa: $614 a month against $945 in Manila, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Santa Rosa
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Santa Rosa Living Index

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Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$945

/mo nomad

Santa Rosa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manila and in Santa Rosa

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

A single person spends $945 per month in Manila vs $614 in Santa Rosa, rent included.

Manila $945
Santa Rosa $614

A couple spends around $1,572 per month in Manila vs $873 in Santa Rosa, rent included.

Manila $1,572
Santa Rosa $873

A family of three spends $2,199 per month in Manila vs $1,131 in Santa Rosa, rent included.

Manila $2,199
Santa Rosa $1,131

Manila costs about 54% more than Santa Rosa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.34 ₱341

$2.47 ₱158

116.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.46 ₱1,691

$16.32 ₱1,042

62.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.93 ₱251

$2.76 ₱176

42.39%

Cappuccino

$2.53 ₱162

$1.12 ₱71.3

125.89%

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

$1.35 ₱86.2

$0.36 ₱22.76

275.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 ₱52.2

$0.22 ₱13.96

272.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 ₱72.8

$1.00 ₱63.8

14.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₱152

$1.26 ₱80.7

88.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 ₱122

$1.60 ₱102

19.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ₱92.1

$1.15 ₱73.6

25.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱60.3

$0.99 ₱63.6

-5.05%

Eggs

$2.30 ₱147

$1.53 ₱97.7

50.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 ₱473

$5.10 ₱326

45.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱295

$3.42 ₱219

34.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.65 ₱425

$7.75 ₱495

-14.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 ₱211

$2.18 ₱139

50.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 ₱115

$0.80 ₱51.2

125.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 ₱192

$2.27 ₱145

32.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 ₱112

$1.00 ₱64.0

76.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 ₱142

$1.71 ₱109

29.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 ₱170

$1.73 ₱111

53.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 ₱137

$0.64 ₱40.97

234.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱34.12

$0.48 ₱30.37

10.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 ₱196

$2.80 ₱179

9.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.57 ₱611

$8.75 ₱559

9.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 ₱83.3

$0.95 ₱61.0

36.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₱127

$2.03 ₱129

-1.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₱25.83

$0.21 ₱13.28

90.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.75 ₱815

$13.39 ₱856

-4.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 ₱45.97

$0.81 ₱51.6

-11.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.72

$0.24 ₱15.36

-4.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ₱117

$1.92 ₱123

-4.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ₱81.0

$1.02 ₱65.2

24.51%

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

$20.7K ₱1.3M

$21.2K ₱1.4M

-2.43%

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

$18.7K ₱1.2M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

-2.56%

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

$120 ₱7,641

$62.5 ₱3,990

91.50%

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

$15.69 ₱1,003

$6.40 ₱409

145.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 ₱1,508

$23.42 ₱1,496

0.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.57 ₱2,720

$31.17 ₱1,991

36.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.65 ₱361

$5.99 ₱382

-5.68%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ₱415

$5.16 ₱330

25.97%

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

$599 ₱38.3K

$132 ₱8,404

355.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,818 ₱563.4K

$5,549 ₱354.5K

58.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 ₱3,621

$28.17 ₱1,800

101.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.40 ₱1,751

$19.31 ₱1,234

41.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.4 ₱4,878

$71.5 ₱4,569

6.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.5 ₱3,546

$55.1 ₱3,517

0.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 ₱33.6K

$255 ₱16.3K

106.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₱19.0K

$168 ₱10.8K

76.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 ₱120.5K

$494 ₱31.6K

282.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$816 ₱52.1K

$169 ₱10.8K

383.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,968 ₱253.5K

$2,457 ₱157.0K

61.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,366 ₱151.2K

$1,162 ₱74.2K

103.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$466 ₱29.8K

$140 ₱8,933

233.42%

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 Rosa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manila

$297 31.4%

Santa Rosa

$168 27.4% 43.3% $128

Groceries & Markets

Manila

$216 22.9%

Santa Rosa

$166 27.1% 23.1% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manila

$159 16.8%

Santa Rosa

$92 15% 41.9% $67

Eating Out

Manila

$104 11%

Santa Rosa

$51 8.3% 50.8% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Manila

$97 10.3%

Santa Rosa

$78 12.8% 19.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Manila

$56 5.9%

Santa Rosa

$41 6.8% 25.3% $14

Getting Around

Manila

$16 1.7%

Santa Rosa

$16 2.6% 0.1% $0

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Manila versus $255 in Santa Rosa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Manila are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Manila versus $16 in Santa Rosa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $216 vs $166 – making Santa Rosa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Manila

🇵🇭 Santa Rosa

🕒 Local time

06:16 6:16 AM

Same time as Manila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,780,148 Capital

414,812

💱 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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Manila Santa Rosa 34 km

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Manila
Santa Rosa

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 Santa Rosa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $945 in Manila, $614 in Santa Rosa – Santa Rosa comes out roughly 35% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,418 per month in Manila and $921 in Santa Rosa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Rosa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $255 there versus $526 in Manila.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $945 in Manila and $614 in Santa Rosa. That makes Santa Rosa about 35% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 5% less in Manila. 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 $614 in Santa Rosa, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Rosa – 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 Santa Rosa. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Manila makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.