Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palawan and Manila

For one person, living is cheaper in Palawan: $784 a month against $945 in Manila, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Palawan
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Palawan Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Manila
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Manila Living Index

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Palawan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$784

/mo nomad

Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$945

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Palawan and in Manila

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

A single person spends $784 per month in Palawan vs $945 in Manila, rent included.

Palawan $784
Manila $945

A couple spends around $1,223 per month in Palawan vs $1,572 in Manila, rent included.

Palawan $1,223
Manila $1,572

A family of three spends $1,661 per month in Palawan vs $2,199 in Manila, rent included.

Palawan $1,661
Manila $2,199

Palawan is about 17% cheaper than Manila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Palawan and Manila are more affordable than the global median – Palawan 42% lower, Manila 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.48 ₱222

$5.34 ₱342

-34.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.38 ₱1,240

$26.46 ₱1,693

-26.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.31 ₱212

$3.93 ₱252

-15.78%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱161

$2.53 ₱162

-0.40%

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

$0.78 ₱49.86

$1.35 ₱86.4

-42.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₱25.24

$0.82 ₱52.3

-52.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.31 ₱83.7

$1.14 ₱72.9

14.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ₱137

$2.38 ₱152

-9.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.91 ₱122

-0.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 ₱77.8

$1.44 ₱92.2

-15.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₱63.9

$0.94 ₱60.4

6.38%

Eggs

$2.00 ₱128

$2.30 ₱147

-13.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.91 ₱506

$7.41 ₱474

6.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 ₱278

$4.61 ₱295

-5.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.62 ₱487

$6.65 ₱425

14.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 ₱183

$3.29 ₱211

-12.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ₱101

$1.80 ₱115

-12.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 ₱168

$3.00 ₱192

-12.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ₱99.4

$1.76 ₱112

-11.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 ₱143

$2.22 ₱142

0.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₱162

$2.66 ₱170

-4.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ₱70.8

$2.14 ₱137

-48.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₱48.22

$0.53 ₱34.17

41.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 ₱185

$3.06 ₱196

-5.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.95 ₱445

$9.57 ₱612

-27.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 ₱74.6

$1.30 ₱83.4

-10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₱127

$1.99 ₱127

-0.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.50

$0.40 ₱25.87

-35.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.46 ₱734

$12.75 ₱816

-10.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱52.1

$0.72 ₱46.04

12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.06

$0.23 ₱14.74

-4.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.08 ₱133

$1.84 ₱118

13.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ₱72.5

$1.27 ₱81.1

-11.02%

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

$26.1K ₱1.7M

$20.7K ₱1.3M

26.12%

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

$20.7K ₱1.3M

$18.7K ₱1.2M

11.10%

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

$112 ₱7,146

$120 ₱7,652

-6.62%

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

$33.36 ₱2,135

$15.69 ₱1,004

112.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.52 ₱1,761

$23.60 ₱1,510

16.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.20 ₱2,189

$42.57 ₱2,724

-19.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.55 ₱291

$5.65 ₱361

-19.47%

Cinema Ticket

$5.96 ₱381

$6.50 ₱416

-8.31%

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

$153 ₱9,808

$599 ₱38.3K

-74.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,354 ₱278.6K

$8,818 ₱564.2K

-50.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.66 ₱2,985

$56.7 ₱3,626

-17.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.57 ₱1,700

$27.40 ₱1,753

-3.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.4 ₱4,762

$76.4 ₱4,885

-2.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.1 ₱3,463

$55.5 ₱3,552

-2.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$263 ₱16.8K

$526 ₱33.7K

-49.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$174 ₱11.2K

$297 ₱19.0K

-41.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 ₱36.8K

$1,887 ₱120.7K

-69.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 ₱25.0K

$816 ₱52.2K

-52.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,321 ₱148.5K

$3,968 ₱253.9K

-41.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,122 ₱71.8K

$2,366 ₱151.4K

-52.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$466 ₱29.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

7.43

-10.23%

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

Last update for Palawan: October 25, 2026

Last update for Manila: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Palawan

$202 25.8%

Manila

$216 22.9% 6.8% $14

Accommodation & Living

Palawan

$174 22.2%

Manila

$297 31.4% 70.3% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palawan

$173 22%

Manila

$159 16.8% 7.9% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Palawan

$91 11.6%

Manila

$97 10.3% 7% $6.4

Eating Out

Palawan

$84 10.7%

Manila

$104 11% 24.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Palawan

$46 5.9%

Manila

$56 5.9% 20.5% $9.5

Getting Around

Palawan

$14 1.8%

Manila

$16 1.7% 12.7% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $263 in Palawan versus $526 in Manila. 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 $19 in Palawan versus $26 in Manila. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $202 vs $216 – making Palawan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Palawan

🇵🇭 Manila

🕒 Local time

09:46 9:46 AM

Same time as Palawan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

939,594

1,780,148 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Palawan Manila 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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

Palawan vs Manila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $784 in Palawan, $945 in Manila – roughly 21% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,176 per month in Palawan and $1,418 in Manila. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Palawan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $263 there versus $526 in Manila.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $784 in Palawan and $945 in Manila. That’s a gap of about 21%.

Public transport costs about 10% less in Palawan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Palawan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

For expats, Palawan is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 21% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.