Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pablo and Baguio

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pablo: $634 a month against $757 in Baguio, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in San Pablo
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San Pablo Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
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Baguio Living Index

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San Pablo

🇵🇭 Philippines

$634

/mo nomad

Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$757

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $634 in San Pablo versus $757 in Baguio.

San Pablo $634
Baguio $757

Estimated couple costs with rent: $917 in San Pablo versus $1,171 in Baguio.

San Pablo $917
Baguio $1,171

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,200 in San Pablo versus $1,585 in Baguio.

San Pablo $1,200
Baguio $1,585

Living in San Pablo costs roughly 16% less than in Baguio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: San Pablo 53% lower, Baguio 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.90 ₱245

$4.04 ₱255

-3.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.47 ₱1,037

$16.77 ₱1,056

-1.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.81 ₱177

$2.85 ₱180

-1.40%

Cappuccino

$1.83 ₱115

$1.86 ₱117

-1.61%

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

$0.38 ₱24.14

$0.59 ₱37.34

-35.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 ₱11.26

$0.30 ₱19.17

-40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₱64.7

$0.97 ₱61.3

6.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₱103

$1.57 ₱98.9

3.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ₱105

$1.69 ₱106

-1.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 ₱69.2

$1.12 ₱70.7

-1.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.1

$0.96 ₱60.5

-2.08%

Eggs

$2.08 ₱131

$2.03 ₱128

2.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.14 ₱324

$5.22 ₱329

-1.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ₱215

$3.34 ₱210

2.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.73 ₱487

$8.04 ₱506

-3.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$2.31 ₱145

0.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 ₱88.8

$1.59 ₱100

-11.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ₱101

$2.35 ₱148

-31.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.04 ₱65.3

$1.08 ₱67.7

-3.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 ₱101

$1.69 ₱107

-4.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.76 ₱111

1.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₱38.28

$0.62 ₱38.85

-1.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱32.95

$0.50 ₱31.33

4.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.84 ₱179

$2.87 ₱181

-1.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.49 ₱409

$9.00 ₱567

-27.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₱60.0

$0.92 ₱57.8

3.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₱127

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.37

$0.25 ₱15.84

-8.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.90 ₱812

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.0

$0.77 ₱48.34

5.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.79

$0.23 ₱14.44

8.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 ₱118

$1.93 ₱121

-3.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ₱72.5

$1.25 ₱78.7

-8.00%

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

$21.6K ₱1.4M

$21.5K ₱1.4M

0.67%

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

$19.3K ₱1.2M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

1.50%

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

$143 ₱9,016

$138 ₱8,682

3.85%

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

$11.84 ₱746

$17.71 ₱1,115

-33.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.37 ₱1,471

$23.76 ₱1,496

-1.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.05 ₱1,325

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.19 ₱327

Cinema Ticket

$5.13 ₱323

$5.30 ₱334

-3.21%

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

$132 ₱8,290

$135 ₱8,486

-2.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ₱683.6K

$10.7K ₱673.8K

1.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.42 ₱1,852

$28.76 ₱1,811

2.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.58 ₱1,232

$19.76 ₱1,244

-0.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₱4,502

$71.1 ₱4,479

0.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.6 ₱3,500

$56.4 ₱3,551

-1.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$142 ₱8,963

$409 ₱25.8K

-65.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$125 ₱7,875

$200 ₱12.6K

-37.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$206 ₱13.0K

$836 ₱52.6K

-75.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 ₱11.8K

$466 ₱29.3K

-59.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$956 ₱60.2K

$2,647 ₱166.7K

-63.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$811 ₱51.1K

$930 ₱58.6K

-12.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$292 ₱18.4K

$182 ₱11.4K

60.45%

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 Pablo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Baguio: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pablo

$178 28.1%

Baguio

$179 23.7% 0.5% $1

Groceries & Markets

San Pablo

$166 26.2%

Baguio

$176 23.3% 6.1% $10

Accommodation & Living

San Pablo

$125 19.7%

Baguio

$200 26.4% 59.6% $74

Clothing & Footwear

San Pablo

$79 12.5%

Baguio

$79 10.5% 0% $0

Eating Out

San Pablo

$72 11.4%

Baguio

$75 9.9% 3.7% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

San Pablo

$10 * 1.6%

Baguio

$32 4.2% 209% $21

Getting Around

San Pablo

$3 * 0.5%

Baguio

$16 2.1% 431% $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 $142 in San Pablo and $409 in Baguio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Pablo pays 60% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $16.00 in San Pablo vs $17.00 in Baguio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $166 vs $176 per month, with San Pablo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 San Pablo

🇵🇭 Baguio

🕒 Local time

19:18 7:18 PM

Same time as San Pablo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

266,068

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

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Highest

Between locations

San Pablo Baguio 270 km

From you

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

San Pablo wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Baguio. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San Pablo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 60% higher in San Pablo, 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: $142 in San Pablo versus $409 in Baguio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Baguio. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $634 per month in San Pablo versus $757 in Baguio – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though San Pablo 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 Pablo 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 San Pablo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Baguio. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.