Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manila and Tagbilaran City

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

Cost of Living Index in Tagbilaran City
Learn more

Tagbilaran City Living Index

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Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$945

/mo nomad

Tagbilaran City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$622

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manila and in Tagbilaran City

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

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

Manila $945
Tagbilaran City $622

A couple spends around $1,572 per month in Manila vs $1,004 in Tagbilaran City, rent included.

Manila $1,572
Tagbilaran City $1,004

A family of three spends $2,199 per month in Manila vs $1,385 in Tagbilaran City, rent included.

Manila $2,199
Tagbilaran City $1,385

Manila costs about 52% more than Tagbilaran City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.34 ₱340

$3.81 ₱242

40.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.46 ₱1,685

$17.14 ₱1,092

54.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.93 ₱251

$2.86 ₱182

37.41%

Cappuccino

$2.53 ₱161

$2.45 ₱156

3.27%

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

$1.35 ₱86.0

$0.92 ₱58.8

46.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 ₱52.1

$0.42 ₱26.50

95.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 ₱72.6

$0.76 ₱48.39

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₱152

$2.25 ₱143

5.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 ₱121

$1.51 ₱96.5

26.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ₱91.8

$1.01 ₱64.2

42.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱60.1

$0.94 ₱59.6

Eggs

$2.30 ₱147

$1.75 ₱111

31.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 ₱472

$9.46 ₱603

-21.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱294

$4.51 ₱287

2.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.65 ₱423

$7.36 ₱469

-9.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 ₱210

$2.78 ₱177

18.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 ₱114

$1.27 ₱80.7

41.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 ₱191

$2.33 ₱148

28.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 ₱112

$1.50 ₱95.8

17.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 ₱141

$2.28 ₱146

-2.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 ₱169

$1.87 ₱119

42.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 ₱136

$0.68 ₱43.62

214.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱34.01

$0.49 ₱31.20

8.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 ₱195

$2.37 ₱151

29.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.57 ₱609

$6.32 ₱403

51.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 ₱83.0

$0.89 ₱56.4

46.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₱127

$0.99 ₱63.1

101.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₱25.75

$0.45 ₱28.87

-11.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.75 ₱812

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 ₱45.82

$0.79 ₱50.3

-8.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.67

$0.22 ₱14.04

4.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ₱117

$4.48 ₱285

-58.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ₱80.8

$1.02 ₱64.8

24.51%

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

$20.7K ₱1.3M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-2.11%

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

$18.7K ₱1.2M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

-2.44%

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

$120 ₱7,617

$78.6 ₱5,005

52.19%

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

$15.69 ₱999

$15.57 ₱992

0.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 ₱1,503

$25.33 ₱1,613

-6.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.57 ₱2,711

$11.15 ₱710

281.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.65 ₱360

$3.18 ₱203

77.67%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ₱414

$3.43 ₱218

89.50%

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

$599 ₱38.1K

$275 ₱17.5K

117.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,818 ₱561.6K

$7,835 ₱499.0K

12.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 ₱3,609

$37.31 ₱2,376

51.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.40 ₱1,745

$17.87 ₱1,138

53.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.4 ₱4,863

$63.0 ₱4,010

21.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.5 ₱3,535

$56.7 ₱3,613

-2.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 ₱33.5K

$191 ₱12.2K

175.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₱18.9K

$135 ₱8,578

120.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 ₱120.2K

$476 ₱30.3K

296.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$816 ₱52.0K

$340 ₱21.6K

140.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,968 ₱252.7K

$781 ₱49.7K

408.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,366 ₱150.7K

$473 ₱30.1K

400.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$466 ₱29.7K

$171 ₱10.9K

173.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.43

7.2

3.19%

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

Last update for Manila: October 24, 2026

Last update for Tagbilaran City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manila

$297 31.4%

Tagbilaran City

$135 21.7% 54.6% $162

Groceries & Markets

Manila

$216 22.9%

Tagbilaran City

$186 29.8% 14.2% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manila

$159 16.8%

Tagbilaran City

$119 19.2% 24.8% $39

Eating Out

Manila

$104 11%

Tagbilaran City

$82 13.2% 21.1% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Manila

$97 10.3%

Tagbilaran City

$79 12.7% 19% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Manila

$56 5.9%

Tagbilaran City

$18 2.9% 67.6% $38

Getting Around

Manila

$16 1.7%

Tagbilaran City

$3.7 * 0.6% 77.2% $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 $191 in Tagbilaran City. 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 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Manila versus $17 in Tagbilaran City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $216 vs $186 – making Tagbilaran City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Manila

🇵🇭 Tagbilaran City

🕒 Local time

20:35 8:35 PM

Same time as Manila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,780,148 Capital

86,411

💱 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 Tagbilaran City 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Manila
Tagbilaran City

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 Tagbilaran City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

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

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tagbilaran City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $191 there versus $526 in Manila.

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

Kindergarten costs $599 per month in Manila and $275 in Tagbilaran City. 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 Tagbilaran City, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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