Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paranaque City and Serra

For one person, living is cheaper in Paranaque City: $794 a month against $889 in Serra, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Serra despite lower rent and utilities.

39

Cost of Living Index in Paranaque City
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Paranaque City Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Serra
Learn more

Serra Living Index

Jump to prices

Paranaque City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$794

/mo nomad

Serra

🇧🇷 Brazil

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Paranaque City and in Serra

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

A single person spends $794 per month in Paranaque City vs $889 in Serra, rent included.

Paranaque City $794
Serra $889

A couple spends around $1,197 per month in Paranaque City vs $1,317 in Serra, rent included.

Paranaque City $1,197
Serra $1,317

A family of three spends $1,600 per month in Paranaque City vs $1,744 in Serra, rent included.

Paranaque City $1,600
Serra $1,744

Paranaque City is about 11% cheaper than Serra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Paranaque City and Serra are more affordable than the global median – Paranaque City 41% lower, Serra 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 ₱278

$4.77 R$24.16

-7.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.41 ₱1,033

$22.99 R$117

-28.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.82 ₱177

$8.20 R$41.58

-65.61%

Cappuccino

$2.11 ₱133

$2.09 R$10.57

0.96%

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

$0.74 ₱46.43

$1.34 R$6.77

-44.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱20.99

$0.62 R$3.15

-46.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 ₱71.6

$1.95 R$9.88

-41.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 ₱178

$3.06 R$15.53

-7.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ₱101

$1.13 R$5.70

42.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 ₱70.3

$1.80 R$9.13

-37.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ₱61.6

$1.17 R$5.95

-16.24%

Eggs

$2.11 ₱133

$2.14 R$10.87

-1.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.20 ₱327

$10.49 R$53.2

-50.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.16 ₱262

$4.58 R$23.22

-9.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.93 ₱499

$8.54 R$43.27

-7.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 ₱242

$2.87 R$14.53

34.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₱100

$1.53 R$7.74

3.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.51 ₱221

$1.83 R$9.28

91.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 ₱70.4

$1.62 R$8.20

-30.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 ₱109

$1.18 R$5.96

46.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 ₱114

$1.11 R$5.65

63.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ₱62.0

$1.34 R$6.78

-26.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.43

$1.39 R$7.03

-64.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 ₱180

$2.49 R$12.62

14.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.74 ₱487

$5.64 R$28.59

37.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ₱58.3

$0.98 R$4.98

-5.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₱125

$3.27 R$16.59

-39.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.58

$0.97 R$4.93

-77.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.09 ₱698

$47.18 R$239

-76.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 ₱52.7

$1.31 R$6.66

-35.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.49

$1.13 R$5.72

-79.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 ₱119

$6.89 R$34.95

-72.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ₱77.2

$1.08 R$5.49

13.89%

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

$21.6K ₱1.4M

$23.5K R$119.2K

-7.93%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$33.8K R$171.1K

-43.23%

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

$141 ₱8,864

$158 R$803

-11.12%

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

$14.27 ₱899

$12.30 R$62.4

16.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.19 ₱1,523

$21.05 R$107

14.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.66 ₱2,371

$25.83 R$131

45.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.43 ₱342

$27.87 R$141

-80.52%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ₱423

$7.49 R$37.95

-10.41%

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

$74.3 ₱4,680

$188 R$955

-60.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,379 ₱401.6K

$6,726 R$34.1K

-5.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.92 ₱2,262

$55.0 R$279

-34.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.13 ₱1,204

$51.1 R$259

-62.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 ₱4,437

$91.1 R$462

-22.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.8 ₱4,770

$74.3 R$377

1.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$219 ₱13.8K

$251 R$1,271

-12.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 ₱11.5K

$153 R$774

20.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$570 ₱35.9K

$446 R$2,261

27.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 ₱23.1K

$220 R$1,117

66.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,128 ₱71.0K

$970 R$4,917

16.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$409 ₱25.7K

$563 R$2,852

-27.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ₱31.0K

$559 R$2,833

-11.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

-36.36%

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

Last update for Paranaque City: October 10, 2026

Last update for Serra: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Paranaque City

$191 24.1%

Serra

$212 23.8% 10.9% $21

Accommodation & Living

Paranaque City

$183 23.1%

Serra

$153 17.2% 16.8% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paranaque City

$179 22.6%

Serra

$192 21.6% 7% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Paranaque City

$91 11.4%

Serra

$122 13.8% 34.9% $32

Eating Out

Paranaque City

$85 10.7%

Serra

$111 12.5% 31.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Paranaque City

$51 6.4%

Serra

$41 4.6% 20.1% $10

Getting Around

Paranaque City

$14 1.8%

Serra

$58 6.5% 316% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $219 in Paranaque City versus $251 in Serra. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 13% higher in Serra, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16.00 in Paranaque City versus $23.00 in Serra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $191 vs $212 – making Paranaque City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Paranaque City

🇧🇷 Serra

🕒 Local time

11:57 11:57 AM

00:57 12:57 AM

11 h behind Paranaque City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

703,245

520,653

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, 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).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Paranaque City Serra 17,940 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Paranaque City
Serra

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

Paranaque City vs Serra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $794 in Paranaque City, $889 in Serra – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,191 per month in Paranaque City and $1,333 in Serra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Paranaque City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Serra, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16.00 in Paranaque City and $23.00 in Serra. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $794 in Paranaque City and $889 in Serra, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Paranaque City – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Paranaque City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Serra makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.