Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pampanga and Baguio

For one person, living is cheaper in Baguio: $734 a month against $848 in Pampanga, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Pampanga
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Pampanga Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
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Baguio Living Index

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Pampanga

🇵🇭 Philippines

$848

/mo nomad

Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$734

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $848 in Pampanga versus $734 in Baguio.

Pampanga $848
Baguio $734

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,275 in Pampanga versus $1,206 in Baguio.

Pampanga $1,275
Baguio $1,206

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,703 in Pampanga versus $1,677 in Baguio.

Pampanga $1,703
Baguio $1,677

Living in Pampanga is roughly 16% more expensive than in Baguio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pampanga 37% lower, Baguio 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.05 ₱257

$3.10 ₱197

30.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.99 ₱1,269

$23.95 ₱1,520

-16.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.84 ₱180

$2.71 ₱172

4.80%

Cappuccino

$2.38 ₱151

$1.69 ₱107

40.83%

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

$0.68 ₱42.94

$0.67 ₱42.64

1.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ₱26.97

$0.39 ₱24.51

7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.10 ₱70.1

$1.14 ₱72.3

-3.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 ₱140

$1.91 ₱121

15.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ₱109

$1.78 ₱113

-3.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 ₱70.1

$0.88 ₱55.7

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ₱59.1

$0.97 ₱61.3

-4.12%

Eggs

$1.94 ₱123

$1.83 ₱116

6.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.23 ₱269

$4.75 ₱302

-10.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.02 ₱255

$3.22 ₱205

24.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.38 ₱469

$7.01 ₱445

5.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ₱136

$2.58 ₱164

-16.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ₱109

$2.13 ₱135

-19.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 ₱134

$2.79 ₱177

-24.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.98 ₱62.0

$0.92 ₱58.1

6.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ₱96.4

$1.39 ₱88.3

9.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 ₱99.5

$1.37 ₱86.8

14.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 ₱49.92

$0.65 ₱41.40

21.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.08

$0.35 ₱22.24

45.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 ₱200

$2.81 ₱178

11.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.75 ₱428

$6.99 ₱444

-3.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 ₱67.9

$0.77 ₱48.85

38.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₱126

$2.98 ₱189

-33.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.61

$0.25 ₱15.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.35 ₱848

$14.49 ₱920

-7.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱50.1

$1.00 ₱63.8

-21.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.39

$0.22 ₱13.98

-9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 ₱111

$1.86 ₱118

-5.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ₱80.1

$1.30 ₱82.7

-3.08%

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

$21.5K ₱1.4M

$20.8K ₱1.3M

3.13%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

-0.74%

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

$111 ₱7,035

$94.4 ₱5,994

17.37%

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

$15.45 ₱981

$16.64 ₱1,056

-7.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.91 ₱1,645

$30.88 ₱1,960

-16.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.85 ₱2,149

$27.58 ₱1,751

22.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.74 ₱491

Cinema Ticket

$4.36 ₱277

$4.72 ₱299

-7.63%

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

$255 ₱16.2K

$1,019 ₱64.7K

-74.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,918 ₱566.2K

$5,258 ₱333.8K

69.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.3 ₱3,192

$49.98 ₱3,173

0.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.26 ₱1,794

$37.84 ₱2,402

-25.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.3 ₱4,843

$71.8 ₱4,560

6.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,764

$79.8 ₱5,064

-25.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 ₱26.9K

$387 ₱24.6K

9.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$289 ₱18.3K

$195 ₱12.4K

47.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 ₱47.0K

$1,031 ₱65.5K

-28.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 ₱34.3K

$513 ₱32.5K

5.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,976 ₱252.4K

$4,025 ₱255.5K

-1.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,484 ₱157.7K

$1,526 ₱96.9K

62.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$180 ₱11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Pampanga: November 2, 2026

Last update for Baguio: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pampanga

$289 34%

Baguio

$195 26.6% 32.4% $94

Groceries & Markets

Pampanga

$169 19.9%

Baguio

$168 22.9% 0.4% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pampanga

$152 17.9%

Baguio

$142 19.3% 6.7% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Pampanga

$96 11.4%

Baguio

$108 14.7% 11.8% $11

Eating Out

Pampanga

$84 9.9%

Baguio

$67 9.1% 20% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Pampanga

$43 5%

Baguio

$37 5% 13.1% $5.6

Getting Around

Pampanga

$16 1.9%

Baguio

$18 2.4% 9.3% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $424 in Pampanga and $387 in Baguio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $20 in Pampanga vs $24 in Baguio. Groceries flip the comparison at $169 vs $168, with Baguio cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Pampanga

🇵🇭 Baguio

🕒 Local time

19:46 7:46 PM

Same time as Pampanga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,616

366,358

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Pampanga Baguio 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Pampanga
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

Pampanga vs Baguio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baguio wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Pampanga. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Baguio the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,272 in Pampanga and $1,102 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: $424 in Pampanga versus $387 in Baguio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Pampanga runs roughly 8% less than in Baguio. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $848 per month in Pampanga versus $734 in Baguio – Baguio is about 13% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.