Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manila and Valencia City

For one person, living is cheaper in Valencia City: $734 a month against $948 in Manila, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Valencia City
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Valencia City Living Index

Jump to prices

Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$948

/mo nomad

Valencia City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$734

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manila and in Valencia 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 Valencia City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $948 per month in Manila vs $734 in Valencia City, rent included.

Manila $948
Valencia City $734

A couple spends around $1,508 per month in Manila vs $1,125 in Valencia City, rent included.

Manila $1,508
Valencia City $1,125

A family of three spends $2,068 per month in Manila vs $1,516 in Valencia City, rent included.

Manila $2,068
Valencia City $1,516

Manila costs about 29% more than Valencia City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Manila and Valencia City are more affordable than the global median – Manila 30% lower, Valencia City 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.46 ₱344

$2.91 ₱183

87.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.93 ₱1,695

$16.68 ₱1,050

61.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.90 ₱246

$2.02 ₱127

93.07%

Cappuccino

$2.62 ₱165

$2.26 ₱142

15.93%

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

$1.36 ₱85.5

$0.39 ₱24.45

248.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₱52.3

$0.42 ₱26.20

97.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ₱76.9

$1.17 ₱73.6

4.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 ₱146

$1.92 ₱121

20.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 ₱123

$1.95 ₱123

0.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 ₱89.1

$1.14 ₱71.5

24.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 ₱65.4

$0.78 ₱49.20

33.33%

Eggs

$2.23 ₱140

$1.58 ₱99.2

41.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 ₱485

$6.42 ₱404

19.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.91 ₱309

$4.85 ₱305

1.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.12 ₱448

$9.18 ₱578

-22.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ₱204

$2.73 ₱172

18.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.11 ₱70.0

72.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 ₱184

$2.43 ₱153

20.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 ₱113

$1.19 ₱74.8

50.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$0.65 ₱41.16

256.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 ₱172

$2.25 ₱142

21.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 ₱133

$1.20 ₱75.4

76.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₱37.25

$0.71 ₱44.47

-16.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 ₱200

$2.50 ₱157

27.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 ₱618

$8.05 ₱507

21.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₱84.1

$1.29 ₱81.4

3.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.66 ₱105

20.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ₱29.47

$0.25 ₱15.55

88.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.56 ₱791

$11.82 ₱744

6.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₱46.07

$0.79 ₱49.51

-7.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.20

$0.23 ₱14.41

-8.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 ₱118

$1.97 ₱124

-5.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₱80.6

$1.27 ₱80.1

0.79%

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

$21.4K ₱1.3M

$21.7K ₱1.4M

-1.42%

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

$19.3K ₱1.2M

$18.9K ₱1.2M

2.29%

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

$124 ₱7,822

$107 ₱6,731

16.22%

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

$15.73 ₱990

$19.47 ₱1,226

-19.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.40 ₱1,536

$31.37 ₱1,975

-22.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.31 ₱2,727

$30.13 ₱1,897

43.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.79 ₱365

$3.97 ₱250

45.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 ₱425

$4.72 ₱297

43.22%

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

$630 ₱39.7K

$109 ₱6,869

477.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,004 ₱566.9K

$7,414 ₱466.8K

21.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 ₱3,668

$32.76 ₱2,062

77.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.34 ₱1,721

$19.17 ₱1,207

42.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 ₱4,758

$72.0 ₱4,530

5.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.6 ₱3,564

$61.0 ₱3,840

-7.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$536 ₱33.8K

$293 ₱18.4K

83.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$284 ₱17.9K

$176 ₱11.1K

60.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,874 ₱118.0K

$468 ₱29.5K

300.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 ₱41.2K

$369 ₱23.3K

77.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,438 ₱279.4K

$2,456 ₱154.7K

80.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,530 ₱159.3K

$1,075 ₱67.7K

135.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$467 ₱29.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.43

8.31

-10.59%

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

Last update for Manila: October 11, 2026

Last update for Valencia City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manila

$284 29.9%

Valencia City

$176 24% 37.8% $107

Groceries & Markets

Manila

$222 23.5%

Valencia City

$193 26.3% 13.3% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manila

$164 17.3%

Valencia City

$158 21.5% 4% $6.6

Eating Out

Manila

$106 11.2%

Valencia City

$69 9.5% 34.8% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Manila

$98 10.3%

Valencia City

$83 11.3% 15.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Manila

$57 6%

Valencia City

$40 5.4% 30.4% $17

Getting Around

Manila

$16 1.7%

Valencia City

$15 2% 9.1% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $536 in Manila versus $293 in Valencia City. 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 $27.00 in Manila versus $17.00 in Valencia City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $193 – making Valencia City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Manila

🇵🇭 Valencia City

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

Same time as Manila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,780,148 Capital

216,546

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Manila Valencia City 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Manila
Valencia 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 Valencia City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $948 in Manila, $734 in Valencia City – roughly 29% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,422 per month in Manila and $1,101 in Valencia City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Valencia City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $948 in Manila and $734 in Valencia City. That's a gap of about 29%.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Valencia City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Valencia City, where all-in costs run around $734, than in Manila at $948. In Valencia City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manila it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Manila has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $734 in Valencia City to $948 in Manila. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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