Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pablo and Manila

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pablo: $634 a month against $948 in Manila, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in San Pablo
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San Pablo Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Manila
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Manila Living Index

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San Pablo

🇵🇭 Philippines

$634

/mo nomad

Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$948

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Pablo and in Manila

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 Manila actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $634 per month in San Pablo vs $948 in Manila, rent included.

San Pablo $634
Manila $948

A couple spends around $917 per month in San Pablo vs $1,508 in Manila, rent included.

San Pablo $917
Manila $1,508

A family of three spends $1,200 per month in San Pablo vs $2,068 in Manila, rent included.

San Pablo $1,200
Manila $2,068

San Pablo is about 33% cheaper than Manila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Pablo and Manila are more affordable than the global median – San Pablo 53% lower, Manila 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.90 ₱245

$5.46 ₱344

-28.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.47 ₱1,037

$26.93 ₱1,695

-38.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.81 ₱177

$3.90 ₱246

-27.95%

Cappuccino

$1.83 ₱115

$2.62 ₱165

-30.15%

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

$0.38 ₱24.14

$1.36 ₱85.5

-72.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 ₱11.26

$0.83 ₱52.3

-78.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₱64.7

$1.22 ₱76.9

-15.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₱103

$2.32 ₱146

-29.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ₱105

$1.96 ₱123

-14.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 ₱69.2

$1.42 ₱89.1

-22.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.1

$1.04 ₱65.4

-9.62%

Eggs

$2.08 ₱131

$2.23 ₱140

-6.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.14 ₱324

$7.70 ₱485

-33.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ₱215

$4.91 ₱309

-30.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.73 ₱487

$7.12 ₱448

8.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$3.23 ₱204

-28.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 ₱88.8

$1.92 ₱121

-26.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ₱101

$2.93 ₱184

-45.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.04 ₱65.3

$1.79 ₱113

-41.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 ₱101

$2.32 ₱146

-30.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.73 ₱172

-34.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₱38.28

$2.12 ₱133

-71.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱32.95

$0.59 ₱37.25

-11.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.84 ₱179

$3.18 ₱200

-10.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.49 ₱409

$9.81 ₱618

-33.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₱60.0

$1.34 ₱84.1

-29.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₱127

$2.00 ₱126

1.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.37

$0.47 ₱29.47

-51.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.56 ₱791

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.0

$0.73 ₱46.07

10.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.79

$0.21 ₱13.20

19.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 ₱118

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ₱72.5

$1.28 ₱80.6

-10.16%

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

$21.6K ₱1.4M

$21.4K ₱1.3M

1.19%

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

$19.3K ₱1.2M

-0.09%

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

$143 ₱9,016

$124 ₱7,822

15.26%

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

$11.84 ₱746

$15.73 ₱990

-24.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.37 ₱1,471

$24.40 ₱1,536

-4.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.31 ₱2,727

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.79 ₱365

Cinema Ticket

$5.13 ₱323

$6.76 ₱425

-24.11%

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

$132 ₱8,290

$630 ₱39.7K

-79.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ₱683.6K

$9,004 ₱566.9K

20.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.42 ₱1,852

$58.3 ₱3,668

-49.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.58 ₱1,232

$27.34 ₱1,721

-28.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₱4,502

$75.6 ₱4,758

-5.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.6 ₱3,500

$56.6 ₱3,564

-1.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$142 ₱8,963

$536 ₱33.8K

-73.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$125 ₱7,875

$284 ₱17.9K

-55.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$206 ₱13.0K

$1,874 ₱118.0K

-89.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 ₱11.8K

$654 ₱41.2K

-71.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$956 ₱60.2K

$4,438 ₱279.4K

-78.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$811 ₱51.1K

$2,530 ₱159.3K

-67.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$292 ₱18.4K

$467 ₱29.4K

-37.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.43

-9.15%

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

Last update for San Pablo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Manila: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pablo

$178 28.1%

Manila

$164 17.3% 7.9% $14

Groceries & Markets

San Pablo

$166 26.2%

Manila

$222 23.5% 34% $56

Accommodation & Living

San Pablo

$125 19.7%

Manila

$284 29.9% 127% $159

Clothing & Footwear

San Pablo

$79 12.5%

Manila

$98 10.3% 23.7% $19

Eating Out

San Pablo

$72 11.4%

Manila

$106 11.2% 47.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

San Pablo

$10 * 1.6%

Manila

$57 6% 454% $47

Getting Around

San Pablo

$3 * 0.5%

Manila

$16 1.7% 444% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $142 in San Pablo versus $536 in Manila. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 60% higher in Manila, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16.00 in San Pablo versus $27.00 in Manila. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $166 vs $222 – making San Pablo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 San Pablo

🇵🇭 Manila

🕒 Local time

19:55 7:55 PM

Same time as San Pablo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

266,068

1,780,148 Capital

💱 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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San Pablo Manila 69 km

From you

San Pablo
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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 Manila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $634 in San Pablo, $948 in Manila – roughly 49% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $951 per month in San Pablo and $1,422 in Manila. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Pablo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $634 in San Pablo and $948 in Manila. That's a gap of about 49%.

Kindergarten costs $132 per month in San Pablo and $630 in Manila. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Pablo, where all-in costs run around $634, than in Manila at $948. In San Pablo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manila it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Manila has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $634 in San Pablo to $948 in Manila. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with San Pablo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Manila makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.