Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan, Philippines and Baguio

For one person, living costs are similar in San Juan and in Baguio: $727 and $737 a month, rent and utilities included.

35

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
Learn more

San Juan Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
Learn more

Baguio Living Index

Jump to prices

San Juan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$727

/mo nomad

Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $727 in San Juan versus $737 in Baguio.

San Juan $727
Baguio $737

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,099 in San Juan versus $1,148 in Baguio.

San Juan $1,099
Baguio $1,148

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,471 in San Juan versus $1,558 in Baguio.

San Juan $1,471
Baguio $1,558

Monthly costs are close between San Juan and Baguio; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.00 ₱255

$3.92 ₱250

2.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.19 ₱1,032

$16.66 ₱1,062

-2.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.80 ₱178

$2.73 ₱174

2.56%

Cappuccino

$2.61 ₱166

$1.80 ₱115

45.00%

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

$0.61 ₱38.78

$0.55 ₱35.11

10.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.31

$0.33 ₱21.22

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₱64.3

$0.99 ₱63.4

2.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₱98.3

$1.54 ₱97.9

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ₱106

$1.59 ₱101

5.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ₱72.3

$1.14 ₱72.9

-0.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ₱58.1

$0.97 ₱61.5

-6.19%

Eggs

$1.77 ₱113

$1.99 ₱127

-11.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.98 ₱317

$5.11 ₱326

-2.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ₱211

$3.27 ₱209

1.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.98 ₱445

$7.63 ₱486

-8.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 ₱140

$2.19 ₱140

0.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 ₱88.9

$1.55 ₱99.1

-9.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ₱145

$2.26 ₱144

0.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.00 ₱63.9

$1.02 ₱64.9

-1.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 ₱110

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 ₱108

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ₱38.18

$0.65 ₱41.13

-7.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ₱56.4

$0.51 ₱32.66

74.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.70 ₱172

$2.94 ₱187

-8.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.51 ₱479

$8.50 ₱542

-11.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ₱59.5

$0.95 ₱60.3

-2.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ₱111

$2.05 ₱131

-15.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.92

$0.22 ₱14.02

13.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ₱732

$12.90 ₱822

-11.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₱47.56

$0.81 ₱51.7

-7.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.37

$0.24 ₱15.35

-12.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 ₱119

$1.90 ₱121

-1.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ₱74.5

$1.19 ₱76.0

-1.68%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$21.3K ₱1.4M

-1.14%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$18.8K ₱1.2M

1.96%

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

$136 ₱8,682

$136 ₱8,660

0.25%

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

$14.17 ₱903

$17.08 ₱1,088

-17.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.95 ₱1,526

$23.01 ₱1,466

4.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.03 ₱1,722

$20.76 ₱1,323

30.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.16 ₱329

$5.23 ₱333

-1.34%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 ₱319

$5.03 ₱321

-0.40%

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

$70.3 ₱4,482

$132 ₱8,442

-46.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,442 ₱155.6K

$10.6K ₱672.3K

-76.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.72 ₱1,830

$28.91 ₱1,842

-0.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.22 ₱1,225

$19.53 ₱1,244

-1.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.0 ₱4,522

$71.5 ₱4,556

-0.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ₱3,522

$54.9 ₱3,497

0.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$269 ₱17.1K

$393 ₱25.1K

-31.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 ₱10.8K

$192 ₱12.2K

-11.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$493 ₱31.4K

$819 ₱52.2K

-39.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 ₱22.7K

$463 ₱29.5K

-22.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,304 ₱146.8K

$3,156 ₱201.1K

-26.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,186 ₱75.6K

$1,526 ₱97.2K

-22.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$235 ₱15.0K

$179 ₱11.4K

31.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

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

Last update for San Juan: October 25, 2026

Last update for Baguio: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$174 24%

Baguio

$176 23.9% 0.9% $1.6

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$170 23.4%

Baguio

$192 26.1% 13.1% $22

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$169 23.3%

Baguio

$171 23.2% 1.1% $1.8

Eating Out

San Juan

$84 11.5%

Baguio

$73 9.9% 13% $11

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$78 10.8%

Baguio

$79 10.7% 0.4% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$37 5.1%

Baguio

$31 4.2% 16.8% $6.2

Getting Around

San Juan

$14 2%

Baguio

$16 2.1% 10.6% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $269 in San Juan and $393 in Baguio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Juan pays 31% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $16 in San Juan vs $17 in Baguio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $169 vs $171 per month, with San Juan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 San Juan

🇵🇭 Baguio

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

Same time as San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

126,347

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Juan Baguio 210 km

From you

San Juan
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 Juan vs Baguio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 31% higher in San Juan, 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: $269 in San Juan versus $393 in Baguio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in San Juan runs roughly 11% less than in Baguio. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Dining out is cheaper in San Juan – a meal for two runs $16 versus $17 in Baguio. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though San Juan gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, San Juan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Baguio, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.