Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pasay and Baguio

For one person, living is cheaper in Baguio: $737 a month against $898 in Pasay, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Pasay
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Pasay Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
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Baguio Living Index

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Pasay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$898

/mo nomad

Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $898 in Pasay versus $737 in Baguio.

Pasay $898
Baguio $737

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,224 in Pasay versus $1,148 in Baguio.

Pasay $1,224
Baguio $1,148

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,551 in Pasay versus $1,558 in Baguio.

Pasay $1,551
Baguio $1,558

Living in Pasay is roughly 22% more expensive than in Baguio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pasay 34% lower, Baguio 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ₱280

$3.92 ₱250

11.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.79 ₱1,197

$16.66 ₱1,062

12.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.79 ₱178

$2.73 ₱174

2.20%

Cappuccino

$2.12 ₱135

$1.80 ₱115

17.78%

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

$0.59 ₱37.36

$0.55 ₱35.11

7.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.24

$0.33 ₱21.22

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.15 ₱73.5

$0.99 ₱63.4

16.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₱98.0

$1.54 ₱97.9

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ₱104

$1.59 ₱101

2.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ₱74.1

$1.14 ₱72.9

1.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱65.1

$0.97 ₱61.5

5.15%

Eggs

$1.83 ₱117

$1.99 ₱127

-8.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.97 ₱316

$5.11 ₱326

-2.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.23 ₱270

$3.27 ₱209

29.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.83 ₱435

$7.63 ₱486

-10.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 ₱140

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₱99.5

$1.55 ₱99.1

0.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱149

$2.26 ₱144

3.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 ₱70.6

$1.02 ₱64.9

8.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 ₱148

$1.73 ₱110

34.68%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 ₱208

$1.69 ₱108

93.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 ₱78.2

$0.65 ₱41.13

89.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 ₱54.2

$0.51 ₱32.66

66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.96 ₱188

$2.94 ₱187

0.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.56 ₱482

$8.50 ₱542

-11.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₱56.1

$0.95 ₱60.3

-7.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱110

$2.05 ₱131

-15.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₱12.46

$0.22 ₱14.02

-9.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.90 ₱822

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 ₱51.2

$0.81 ₱51.7

-1.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.37

$0.24 ₱15.35

-12.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 ₱120

$1.90 ₱121

-0.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ₱78.4

$1.19 ₱76.0

3.36%

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

$20.6K ₱1.3M

$21.3K ₱1.4M

-3.06%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$18.8K ₱1.2M

2.42%

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

$139 ₱8,867

$136 ₱8,660

2.38%

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

$14.40 ₱918

$17.08 ₱1,088

-15.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.03 ₱1,531

$23.01 ₱1,466

4.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.26 ₱3,011

$20.76 ₱1,323

127.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.23 ₱333

Cinema Ticket

$4.99 ₱318

$5.03 ₱321

-0.80%

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

$70.6 ₱4,499

$132 ₱8,442

-46.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,430 ₱154.9K

$10.6K ₱672.3K

-76.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.90 ₱2,224

$28.91 ₱1,842

20.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.11 ₱1,218

$19.53 ₱1,244

-2.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.2 ₱4,475

$71.5 ₱4,556

-1.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.5 ₱3,985

$54.9 ₱3,497

13.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$427 ₱27.2K

$393 ₱25.1K

8.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$312 ₱19.9K

$192 ₱12.2K

62.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$828 ₱52.7K

$819 ₱52.2K

1.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 ₱23.3K

$463 ₱29.5K

-20.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,864 ₱118.8K

$3,156 ₱201.1K

-40.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$567 ₱36.1K

$1,526 ₱97.2K

-62.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$512 ₱32.6K

$179 ₱11.4K

185.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

3.70%

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

Last update for Pasay: October 25, 2026

Last update for Baguio: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pasay

$312 34.8%

Baguio

$192 26.1% 38.4% $120

Groceries & Markets

Pasay

$183 20.4%

Baguio

$171 23.2% 6.3% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pasay

$178 19.8%

Baguio

$176 23.9% 0.9% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Pasay

$84 9.4%

Baguio

$79 10.7% 6.4% $5.4

Eating Out

Pasay

$81 9.1%

Baguio

$73 9.9% 10.7% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Pasay

$57 6.4%

Baguio

$31 4.2% 46.1% $26

Getting Around

Pasay

$2.6 * 0.3%

Baguio

$16 2.1% 501% $13

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 $427 in Pasay and $393 in Baguio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pasay pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Pasay vs $17 in Baguio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $183 vs $171 per month, with Baguio cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Pasay

🇵🇭 Baguio

🕒 Local time

01:25 1:25 AM

Same time as Pasay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

416,522

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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Highest

Between locations

Pasay Baguio 210 km

From you

Pasay
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

Pasay vs Baguio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baguio wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Pasay. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Baguio the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Pasay is about 2.9 times higher, 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: $427 in Pasay versus $393 in Baguio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Pasay. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $898 per month in Pasay versus $737 in Baguio – Baguio is about 18% 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.

Safety-wise, Pasay and Baguio are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Baguio wins on affordability, Pasay on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.