Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Fernando, La Union and Baguio

For one person, living costs are similar in San Fernando, La Union and in Baguio: $721 and $734 a month, rent and utilities included.

34

Cost of Living Index in San Fernando, La Union
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San Fernando, La Union Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
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Baguio Living Index

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San Fernando, La Union

🇵🇭 Philippines

$721

/mo nomad

Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$734

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $721 in San Fernando, La Union versus $734 in Baguio.

San Fernando, La Union $721
Baguio $734

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,102 in San Fernando, La Union versus $1,206 in Baguio.

San Fernando, La Union $1,102
Baguio $1,206

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,484 in San Fernando, La Union versus $1,677 in Baguio.

San Fernando, La Union $1,484
Baguio $1,677

Monthly costs are close between San Fernando, La Union and Baguio; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: San Fernando, La Union 47% lower, Baguio 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.97 ₱253

$3.10 ₱197

28.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.71 ₱1,062

$23.95 ₱1,523

-30.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.69 ₱171

$2.71 ₱173

-0.74%

Cappuccino

$2.14 ₱136

$1.69 ₱108

26.63%

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

$0.69 ₱43.67

$0.67 ₱42.70

2.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.23

$0.39 ₱24.55

-15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ₱75.4

$1.14 ₱72.4

4.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ₱131

$1.91 ₱122

7.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₱105

$1.78 ₱113

-7.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₱69.6

$0.88 ₱55.8

23.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ₱56.7

$0.97 ₱61.4

-8.25%

Eggs

$1.90 ₱121

$1.83 ₱117

3.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.52 ₱351

$4.75 ₱302

16.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.09 ₱260

$3.22 ₱205

27.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.11 ₱452

$7.01 ₱446

1.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ₱152

$2.58 ₱164

-7.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₱99.6

$2.13 ₱135

-26.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱148

$2.79 ₱177

-16.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ₱74.6

$0.92 ₱58.2

27.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 ₱131

$1.39 ₱88.4

48.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 ₱146

$1.37 ₱87.0

67.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₱68.8

$0.65 ₱41.46

66.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.65

$0.35 ₱22.27

51.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 ₱180

$2.81 ₱179

0.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.54 ₱479

$6.99 ₱444

7.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₱62.9

$0.77 ₱48.92

28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₱122

$2.98 ₱190

-35.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.92

$0.25 ₱16.00

-12.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.52 ₱796

$14.49 ₱921

-13.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 ₱51.0

$1.00 ₱63.8

-20.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.72

$0.22 ₱14.00

-9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 ₱122

$1.86 ₱118

2.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 ₱65.7

$1.30 ₱82.8

-20.77%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

-0.20%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

0.35%

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

$119 ₱7,589

$94.4 ₱6,003

26.42%

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

$15.64 ₱994

$16.64 ₱1,058

-6.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.84 ₱1,515

$30.88 ₱1,963

-22.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.64 ₱2,012

$27.58 ₱1,754

14.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.16 ₱328

$7.74 ₱492

-33.33%

Cinema Ticket

$5.22 ₱332

$4.72 ₱300

10.59%

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

$130 ₱8,240

$1,019 ₱64.8K

-87.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,895 ₱501.9K

$5,258 ₱334.3K

50.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.12 ₱2,106

$49.98 ₱3,178

-33.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.07 ₱1,213

$37.84 ₱2,406

-49.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.2 ₱4,402

$71.8 ₱4,567

-3.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.4 ₱3,520

$79.8 ₱5,072

-30.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 ₱16.0K

$387 ₱24.6K

-35.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$167 ₱10.6K

$195 ₱12.4K

-14.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$490 ₱31.1K

$1,031 ₱65.6K

-52.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$350 ₱22.3K

$513 ₱32.6K

-31.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,657 ₱168.9K

$4,025 ₱255.9K

-33.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,125 ₱71.5K

$1,526 ₱97.0K

-26.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$180 ₱11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.92

-1.14%

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

Last update for San Fernando, La Union: November 2, 2026

Last update for Baguio: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

San Fernando, La Union

$179 24.8%

Baguio

$168 22.9% 6% $11

Accommodation & Living

San Fernando, La Union

$167 23.2%

Baguio

$195 26.6% 16.8% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Fernando, La Union

$159 22%

Baguio

$142 19.3% 10.6% $17

Eating Out

San Fernando, La Union

$80 11.1%

Baguio

$67 9.1% 15.9% $13

Clothing & Footwear

San Fernando, La Union

$80 11%

Baguio

$108 14.7% 35.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

San Fernando, La Union

$42 5.8%

Baguio

$37 5% 12.1% $5.1

Getting Around

San Fernando, La Union

$15 2.1%

Baguio

$18 2.4% 15.9% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $251 in San Fernando, La Union and $387 in Baguio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $17 in San Fernando, La Union vs $24 in Baguio. Groceries flip the comparison at $179 vs $168, with Baguio cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 San Fernando, La Union

🇵🇭 Baguio

🕒 Local time

21:18 9:18 PM

Same time as San Fernando, La Union

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,003

366,358

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

San Fernando, La Union Baguio 37 km

From you

San Fernando, La Union
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

San Fernando, La Union vs Baguio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $1,082 in San Fernando, La Union 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: $251 in San Fernando, La Union versus $387 in Baguio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in San Fernando, La Union runs roughly 14% less than in Baguio. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Shoppers in Baguio pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though San Fernando, La Union gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, San Fernando, La Union and Baguio are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.