Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quezon City and Baguio

For one person, living is cheaper in Baguio: $757 a month against $860 in Quezon City, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Quezon City
Learn more

Quezon City Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
Learn more

Baguio Living Index

Jump to prices

Quezon City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$860

/mo nomad

Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$757

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $860 in Quezon City versus $757 in Baguio.

Quezon City $860
Baguio $757

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,372 in Quezon City versus $1,171 in Baguio.

Quezon City $1,372
Baguio $1,171

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,885 in Quezon City versus $1,585 in Baguio.

Quezon City $1,885
Baguio $1,585

Living in Quezon City is roughly 14% more expensive than in Baguio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Quezon City 36% lower, Baguio 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.48 ₱282

$4.04 ₱255

10.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.90 ₱1,190

$16.77 ₱1,056

12.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.84 ₱179

$2.85 ₱180

-0.35%

Cappuccino

$2.79 ₱175

$1.86 ₱117

50.00%

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

$0.75 ₱47.41

$0.59 ₱37.34

27.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₱16.78

$0.30 ₱19.17

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 ₱91.6

$0.97 ₱61.3

49.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 ₱178

$1.57 ₱98.9

80.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ₱106

$1.69 ₱106

-0.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ₱71.6

$1.12 ₱70.7

1.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 ₱53.0

$0.96 ₱60.5

-12.50%

Eggs

$1.75 ₱110

$2.03 ₱128

-13.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.69 ₱421

$5.22 ₱329

28.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.24 ₱267

$3.34 ₱210

26.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.23 ₱455

$8.04 ₱506

-10.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 ₱250

$2.31 ₱145

71.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 ₱85.7

$1.59 ₱100

-14.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.46 ₱218

$2.35 ₱148

47.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 ₱71.3

$1.08 ₱67.7

4.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.35 ₱148

$1.69 ₱107

39.05%

Onion (1kg)

$3.32 ₱209

$1.76 ₱111

88.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₱89.7

$0.62 ₱38.85

129.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ₱61.2

$0.50 ₱31.33

94.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 ₱178

$2.87 ₱181

-1.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.73 ₱487

$9.00 ₱567

-14.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₱83.8

$0.92 ₱57.8

44.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ₱113

$2.02 ₱127

-11.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ₱22.92

$0.25 ₱15.84

44.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.25 ₱1,212

$12.90 ₱812

49.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.63

$0.77 ₱48.34

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.22

$0.23 ₱14.44

-8.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 ₱162

$1.93 ₱121

33.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ₱74.6

$1.25 ₱78.7

-5.60%

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

$21.4K ₱1.4M

$21.5K ₱1.4M

-0.13%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

0.56%

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

$163 ₱10.2K

$138 ₱8,682

17.99%

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

$14.34 ₱903

$17.71 ₱1,115

-19.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.17 ₱1,522

$23.76 ₱1,496

1.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.36 ₱2,415

$21.05 ₱1,325

82.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.30 ₱207

$5.19 ₱327

-36.42%

Cinema Ticket

$7.01 ₱441

$5.30 ₱334

32.26%

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

$71.8 ₱4,522

$135 ₱8,486

-46.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,491 ₱156.8K

$10.7K ₱673.8K

-76.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.65 ₱2,245

$28.76 ₱1,811

23.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.77 ₱1,433

$19.76 ₱1,244

15.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₱4,898

$71.1 ₱4,479

9.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.0 ₱4,850

$56.4 ₱3,551

36.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$312 ₱19.7K

$409 ₱25.8K

-23.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$187 ₱11.8K

$200 ₱12.6K

-6.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 ₱47.0K

$836 ₱52.6K

-10.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$537 ₱33.8K

$466 ₱29.3K

15.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,370 ₱149.2K

$2,647 ₱166.7K

-10.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,425 ₱89.7K

$930 ₱58.6K

53.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$429 ₱27.0K

$182 ₱11.4K

136.11%

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 Quezon City: October 10, 2026

Last update for Baguio: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Quezon City

$206 24%

Baguio

$176 23.3% 14.4% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quezon City

$201 23.4%

Baguio

$179 23.7% 10.8% $22

Accommodation & Living

Quezon City

$187 21.8%

Baguio

$200 26.4% 6.7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Quezon City

$96 11.2%

Baguio

$79 10.5% 17.4% $17

Eating Out

Quezon City

$95 11%

Baguio

$75 9.9% 21% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Quezon City

$52 6.1%

Baguio

$32 4.2% 39.6% $21

Getting Around

Quezon City

$23 2.6%

Baguio

$16 2.1% 29.8% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $312 in Quezon City and $409 in Baguio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quezon City pays 136% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $19.00 in Quezon City vs $17.00 in Baguio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $176 per month, with Baguio cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Quezon City

🇵🇭 Baguio

🕒 Local time

08:19 8:19 AM

Same time as Quezon City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,936,116

366,358

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Quezon City Baguio 200 km

From you

Quezon City
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

Quezon City vs Baguio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baguio wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Quezon City. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Baguio the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 136% higher in Quezon City, 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: $312 in Quezon City versus $409 in Baguio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $860 per month in Quezon City versus $757 in Baguio – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Baguio runs roughly 49% less than in Quezon City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Baguio gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Baguio delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $757 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Baguio hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Quezon City and Baguio are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Baguio gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Quezon City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.