Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nueva Ecija and Baguio

For one person, living is cheaper in Nueva Ecija: $517 a month against $737 in Baguio, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Nueva Ecija
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Nueva Ecija Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
Learn more

Baguio Living Index

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Nueva Ecija

🇵🇭 Philippines

$517

/mo nomad

Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nueva Ecija 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 Nueva Ecija and in Baguio actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $517 in Nueva Ecija versus $737 in Baguio.

Nueva Ecija $517
Baguio $737

Estimated couple costs with rent: $912 in Nueva Ecija versus $1,148 in Baguio.

Nueva Ecija $912
Baguio $1,148

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,307 in Nueva Ecija versus $1,558 in Baguio.

Nueva Ecija $1,307
Baguio $1,558

Living in Nueva Ecija costs roughly 30% less than in Baguio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nueva Ecija 62% lower, Baguio 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.85 ₱246

$3.92 ₱251

-1.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.14 ₱1,031

$16.66 ₱1,064

-3.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.72 ₱174

$2.73 ₱174

-0.37%

Cappuccino

$1.43 ₱91.4

$1.80 ₱115

-20.56%

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

$0.55 ₱35.33

$0.55 ₱35.21

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₱19.45

$0.33 ₱21.28

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ₱60.2

$0.99 ₱63.6

-5.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ₱98.9

$1.54 ₱98.2

0.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₱102

$1.59 ₱101

0.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₱60.0

$1.14 ₱73.1

-17.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ₱59.0

$0.97 ₱61.7

-5.15%

Eggs

$1.57 ₱100

$1.99 ₱127

-21.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.89 ₱313

$5.11 ₱326

-4.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ₱210

$3.27 ₱209

0.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.70 ₱364

$7.63 ₱487

-25.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 ₱139

$2.19 ₱140

-0.46%

Banana (1kg)

$0.69 ₱44.00

$1.55 ₱99.3

-55.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 ₱108

$2.26 ₱144

-25.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 ₱67.2

$1.02 ₱65.1

2.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 ₱110

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 ₱113

$1.69 ₱108

4.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ₱40.93

$0.65 ₱41.24

-1.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 ₱26.51

$0.51 ₱32.75

-19.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 ₱144

$2.94 ₱188

-23.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.23 ₱270

$8.50 ₱543

-50.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₱57.5

$0.95 ₱60.5

-5.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₱126

$2.05 ₱131

-3.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₱18.06

$0.22 ₱14.05

27.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.35 ₱342

$12.90 ₱825

-58.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₱46.80

$0.81 ₱51.9

-9.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.14 ₱8.77

$0.24 ₱15.39

-41.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₱65.9

$1.90 ₱121

-45.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 ₱54.5

$1.19 ₱76.2

-28.57%

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

$15.8K ₱1.0M

$21.3K ₱1.4M

-25.72%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$18.8K ₱1.2M

0.98%

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

$78.6 ₱5,019

$136 ₱8,684

-42.20%

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

$17.26 ₱1,103

$17.08 ₱1,091

1.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.13 ₱1,158

$23.01 ₱1,470

-21.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.13 ₱1,989

$20.76 ₱1,326

49.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.65 ₱297

$5.23 ₱334

-11.09%

Cinema Ticket

$4.32 ₱276

$5.03 ₱322

-14.12%

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

$133 ₱8,488

$132 ₱8,465

0.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ₱694.7K

$10.6K ₱674.1K

3.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.55 ₱1,824

$28.91 ₱1,847

-1.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.54 ₱1,248

$19.53 ₱1,248

0.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 ₱4,501

$71.5 ₱4,568

-1.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.9 ₱3,443

$54.9 ₱3,507

-1.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$113 ₱7,241

$393 ₱25.1K

-71.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$66.9 ₱4,272

$192 ₱12.3K

-65.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$174 ₱11.1K

$819 ₱52.3K

-78.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 ₱22.2K

$463 ₱29.6K

-24.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,619 ₱167.4K

$3,156 ₱201.6K

-17.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,200 ₱76.7K

$1,526 ₱97.5K

-21.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$184 ₱11.8K

$179 ₱11.4K

2.76%

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 Nueva Ecija: October 27, 2026

Last update for Baguio: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nueva Ecija

$144 27.8%

Baguio

$171 23.2% 19.1% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nueva Ecija

$114 22%

Baguio

$176 23.9% 54.4% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Nueva Ecija

$78 15%

Baguio

$79 10.7% 1.4% $1.1

Eating Out

Nueva Ecija

$67 13%

Baguio

$73 9.9% 8% $5.4

Accommodation & Living

Nueva Ecija

$67 12.9%

Baguio

$192 26.1% 188% $125

Sport & Entertainment

Nueva Ecija

$40 7.7%

Baguio

$31 4.2% 22.5% $8.9

Getting Around

Nueva Ecija

$7.9 1.5%

Baguio

$16 2.1% 100% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $113 in Nueva Ecija and $393 in Baguio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nueva Ecija pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $16 in Nueva Ecija vs $17 in Baguio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $144 vs $171 per month, with Nueva Ecija cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Nueva Ecija

🇵🇭 Baguio

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

Same time as Nueva Ecija

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,610

366,358

💱 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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Between locations

Nueva Ecija Baguio 97 km

From you

Nueva Ecija
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

Nueva Ecija vs Baguio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nueva Ecija wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Baguio. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Nueva Ecija the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $776 in Nueva Ecija and $1,106 in Baguio to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $113 in Nueva Ecija versus $393 in Baguio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $517 per month in Nueva Ecija versus $737 in Baguio – Nueva Ecija is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Nueva Ecija runs roughly 59% less than in Baguio. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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.

Expats usually find Nueva Ecija gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Baguio. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.