Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Muntinlupa and Santa Ana

For one person, living is cheaper in Muntinlupa: $742 a month against $1,026 in Santa Ana, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Muntinlupa
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Muntinlupa Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Santa Ana
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Santa Ana Living Index

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Muntinlupa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$742

/mo nomad

Santa Ana

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,026

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Muntinlupa and in Santa Ana

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $742 in Muntinlupa versus $1,026 in Santa Ana.

Muntinlupa $742
Santa Ana $1,026

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,173 in Muntinlupa versus $1,625 in Santa Ana.

Muntinlupa $1,173
Santa Ana $1,625

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,604 in Muntinlupa versus $2,225 in Santa Ana.

Muntinlupa $1,604
Santa Ana $2,225

Living in Muntinlupa costs roughly 28% less than in Santa Ana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Muntinlupa 45% lower, Santa Ana 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.94 ₱248

$6.80 $6.80

-42.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.36 ₱1,722

$44.56 $44.56

-38.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.81 ₱177

$6.93 $6.93

-59.45%

Cappuccino

$2.36 ₱149

$3.64 $3.64

-35.16%

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

$0.95 ₱59.7

$1.17 $1.17

-18.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 ₱27.42

$0.82 $0.82

-46.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.16 ₱72.7

$2.05 $2.05

-43.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₱112

$3.46 $3.46

-48.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₱103

$1.80 $1.80

-8.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 ₱76.6

$2.86 $2.86

-57.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.3

$1.39 $1.39

-26.62%

Eggs

$2.07 ₱130

$2.97 $2.97

-30.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.00 ₱315

$7.49 $7.49

-33.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 ₱238

$7.00 $7.00

-46.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.93 ₱436

$10.29 $10.29

-32.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ₱149

$5.02 $5.02

-52.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 ₱96.4

$1.38 $1.38

10.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 ₱162

$2.68 $2.68

-3.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 ₱77.6

$3.55 $3.55

-65.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 ₱112

$2.98 $2.98

-39.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 ₱122

$3.23 $3.23

-40.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ₱61.8

$1.01 $1.01

-2.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₱35.06

$0.99 $0.99

-43.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.90 ₱183

$3.96 $3.96

-26.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.68 ₱547

$11.77 $11.77

-26.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₱80.9

$2.17 $2.17

-41.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 ₱132

$2.98 $2.98

-29.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.62

$0.29 $0.29

-10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.39 ₱780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.66

$5.96 $5.96

-87.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.51

$2.94 $2.94

-92.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱122

$19.64 $19.64

-90.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ₱76.6

$0.95 $0.95

28.42%

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

$21.1K ₱1.3M

$22.8K $22.8K

-7.68%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$26.8K $26.8K

-27.52%

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

$123 ₱7,728

$40.10 $40.10

206.11%

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

$16.06 ₱1,011

$20.97 $20.97

-23.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.97 ₱1,509

$38.73 $38.73

-38.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.71 ₱2,059

$34.57 $34.57

-5.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.82 ₱304

Cinema Ticket

$5.17 ₱325

$4.97 $4.97

4.02%

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

$135 ₱8,503

$162 $162

-16.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,993 ₱566.2K

$4,797 $4,797

87.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.60 ₱2,052

$67.5 $67.5

-51.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.70 ₱1,240

$46.93 $46.93

-58.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 ₱4,889

$120 $120

-35.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.6 ₱3,688

$117 $117

-50.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$270 ₱17.0K

$640 $640

-57.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 ₱10.8K

$271 $271

-36.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 ₱32.5K

$1,019 $1,019

-49.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 ₱24.8K

$448 $448

-12.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,401 ₱151.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$994 ₱62.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$602 ₱37.9K

$457 $457

31.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

35.00%

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

Last update for Muntinlupa: October 10, 2026

Last update for Santa Ana: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Muntinlupa

$181 24.4%

Santa Ana

$286 27.9% 58.1% $105

Accommodation & Living

Muntinlupa

$172 23.2%

Santa Ana

$271 26.4% 57.8% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Muntinlupa

$163 21.9%

Santa Ana

$100 9.7% 38.7% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Muntinlupa

$85 11.4%

Santa Ana

$158 15.5% 86.8% $74

Eating Out

Muntinlupa

$83 11.2%

Santa Ana

$144 14% 73% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Muntinlupa

$43 5.8%

Santa Ana

$45 4.3% 3.4% $1.5

Getting Around

Muntinlupa

$15 2.1%

Santa Ana

$22 * 2.1% 42.1% $6.5

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 $270 in Muntinlupa and $640 in Santa Ana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Muntinlupa pays 32% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $27.00 in Muntinlupa vs $45.00 in Santa Ana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $181 vs $286 per month, with Muntinlupa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Muntinlupa

🇸🇻 Santa Ana

🕒 Local time

03:33 3:33 AM

13:33 1:33 PM

14 h behind Muntinlupa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

543,445

167,200

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Muntinlupa Santa Ana 15,400 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Muntinlupa
Santa Ana

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

Muntinlupa vs Santa Ana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Muntinlupa wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Santa Ana. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Muntinlupa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 32% higher in Muntinlupa, 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: $270 in Muntinlupa versus $640 in Santa Ana. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 58% higher in Santa Ana. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $742 per month in Muntinlupa versus $1,026 in Santa Ana – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $742 in Muntinlupa versus $1,026 in Santa Ana, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Muntinlupa but tight or insufficient in Santa Ana. The gap between the two cities makes Muntinlupa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Muntinlupa and Santa Ana 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 Muntinlupa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Santa Ana. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.