Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marikina and Baguio

For one person, living is cheaper in Marikina: $704 a month against $757 in Baguio, rent and utilities included – about $640 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Baguio outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

34

Cost of Living Index in Marikina
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Marikina Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
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Baguio Living Index

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Marikina

🇵🇭 Philippines

$704

/mo nomad

Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$757

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Marikina and in Baguio

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Marikina and in Baguio actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $704 in Marikina versus $757 in Baguio.

Marikina $704
Baguio $757

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,094 in Marikina versus $1,171 in Baguio.

Marikina $1,094
Baguio $1,171

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,484 in Marikina versus $1,585 in Baguio.

Marikina $1,484
Baguio $1,585

Living in Marikina costs roughly 7% less than in Baguio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Marikina 48% lower, Baguio 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.07 ₱257

$4.04 ₱255

0.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.37 ₱2,038

$16.77 ₱1,056

93.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.17 ₱199

$2.85 ₱180

11.23%

Cappuccino

$2.29 ₱144

$1.86 ₱117

23.12%

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

$0.55 ₱34.81

$0.59 ₱37.34

-6.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱20.92

$0.30 ₱19.17

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₱63.7

$0.97 ₱61.3

4.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.57 ₱98.9

50.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ₱117

$1.69 ₱106

9.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.12 ₱70.7

9.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ₱66.5

$0.96 ₱60.5

10.42%

Eggs

$2.08 ₱131

$2.03 ₱128

2.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 ₱466

$5.22 ₱329

41.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.20 ₱264

$3.34 ₱210

25.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.78 ₱427

$8.04 ₱506

-15.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 ₱155

$2.31 ₱145

6.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 ₱128

$1.59 ₱100

27.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱146

$2.35 ₱148

-0.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱145

$1.08 ₱67.7

112.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 ₱150

$1.69 ₱107

40.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.48 ₱219

$1.76 ₱111

97.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱69.5

$0.62 ₱38.85

77.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ₱44.21

$0.50 ₱31.33

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ₱184

$2.87 ₱181

2.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.73 ₱550

$9.00 ₱567

-3.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₱62.0

$0.92 ₱57.8

6.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱129

$2.02 ₱127

1.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ₱31.34

$0.25 ₱15.84

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.90 ₱812

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₱46.04

$0.77 ₱48.34

-5.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.23 ₱14.44

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱122

$1.93 ₱121

0.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₱78.3

$1.25 ₱78.7

-0.80%

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

$21.7K ₱1.4M

$21.5K ₱1.4M

0.94%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

2.27%

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

$139 ₱8,744

$138 ₱8,682

0.72%

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

$16.19 ₱1,019

$17.71 ₱1,115

-8.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.10 ₱1,769

$23.76 ₱1,496

18.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.73 ₱2,312

$21.05 ₱1,325

74.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.19 ₱327

Cinema Ticket

$7.11 ₱448

$5.30 ₱334

34.15%

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

$131 ₱8,250

$135 ₱8,486

-2.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,456 ₱469.4K

$10.7K ₱673.8K

-30.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 ₱3,774

$28.76 ₱1,811

108.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.37 ₱1,786

$19.76 ₱1,244

43.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ₱4,745

$71.1 ₱4,479

5.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.7 ₱3,442

$56.4 ₱3,551

-3.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$180 ₱11.3K

$409 ₱25.8K

-56.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$79.2 ₱4,986

$200 ₱12.6K

-60.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.3K

$836 ₱52.6K

-61.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$145 ₱9,110

$466 ₱29.3K

-68.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,134 ₱71.4K

$2,647 ₱166.7K

-57.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 ₱30.3K

$930 ₱58.6K

-48.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$387 ₱24.3K

$182 ₱11.4K

112.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

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

Last update for Marikina: October 11, 2026

Last update for Baguio: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Marikina

$206 29.2%

Baguio

$176 23.3% 14.4% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marikina

$183 26%

Baguio

$179 23.7% 2.1% $3.8

Clothing & Footwear

Marikina

$98 14%

Baguio

$79 10.5% 19.4% $19

Eating Out

Marikina

$83 11.8%

Baguio

$75 9.9% 9.7% $8.1

Accommodation & Living

Marikina

$79 11.3%

Baguio

$200 26.4% 152% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Marikina

$51 7.2%

Baguio

$32 4.2% 37.9% $19

Getting Around

Marikina

$3.9 * 0.6%

Baguio

$16 2.1% 308% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $180 in Marikina and $409 in Baguio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Marikina pays 113% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Marikina vs $17.00 in Baguio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $176 per month, with Baguio cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Marikina

🇵🇭 Baguio

🕒 Local time

00:13 12:13 AM

Same time as Marikina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

456,059

366,358

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Marikina Baguio 210 km

From you

Marikina
Baguio

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

Marikina vs Baguio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Marikina wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Baguio. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Marikina the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 113% higher in Marikina, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $180 in Marikina versus $409 in Baguio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Baguio pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $704 per month in Marikina versus $757 in Baguio – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Marikina gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Marikina and Baguio are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Marikina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Baguio. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.