Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Ana and Muntinlupa

For one person, living is cheaper in Muntinlupa: $742 a month against $1,026 in Santa Ana, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Santa Ana
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Santa Ana Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Muntinlupa
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Muntinlupa Living Index

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Santa Ana

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,026

/mo nomad

Muntinlupa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Ana and in Muntinlupa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Santa Ana and in Muntinlupa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,026 in Santa Ana versus $742 in Muntinlupa.

Santa Ana $1,026
Muntinlupa $742

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,625 in Santa Ana versus $1,173 in Muntinlupa.

Santa Ana $1,625
Muntinlupa $1,173

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,225 in Santa Ana versus $1,604 in Muntinlupa.

Santa Ana $2,225
Muntinlupa $1,604

Living in Santa Ana is roughly 38% more expensive than in Muntinlupa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santa Ana 24% lower, Muntinlupa 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.80 $6.80

$3.94 ₱248

72.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.56 $44.56

$27.36 ₱1,722

62.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.93 $6.93

$2.81 ₱177

146.62%

Cappuccino

$3.64 $3.64

$2.36 ₱149

54.24%

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

$1.17 $1.17

$0.95 ₱59.7

23.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 $0.82

$0.44 ₱27.42

86.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.16 ₱72.7

76.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.78 ₱112

94.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.64 ₱103

9.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.22 ₱76.6

134.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.02 ₱64.3

36.27%

Eggs

$2.97 $2.97

$2.07 ₱130

43.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.49 $7.49

$5.00 ₱315

49.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 $7.00

$3.78 ₱238

85.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.29 $10.29

$6.93 ₱436

48.48%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$2.37 ₱149

111.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.53 ₱96.4

-9.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.58 ₱162

3.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 $3.55

$1.23 ₱77.6

188.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.79 ₱112

66.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.23 $3.23

$1.93 ₱122

67.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 $1.01

$0.98 ₱61.8

3.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.56 ₱35.06

76.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.90 ₱183

36.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.77 $11.77

$8.68 ₱547

35.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.28 ₱80.9

69.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.09 ₱132

42.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 $0.29

$0.26 ₱16.62

11.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.39 ₱780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.96 $5.96

$0.74 ₱46.66

705.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.94 $2.94

$0.23 ₱14.51

1178.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.64 $19.64

$1.94 ₱122

912.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.22 ₱76.6

-22.13%

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

$22.8K $22.8K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

8.32%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

37.97%

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

$40.10 $40.10

$123 ₱7,728

-67.33%

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

$20.97 $20.97

$16.06 ₱1,011

30.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.73 $38.73

$23.97 ₱1,509

61.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.57 $34.57

$32.71 ₱2,059

5.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.82 ₱304

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 $4.97

$5.17 ₱325

-3.87%

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

$162 $162

$135 ₱8,503

20.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,797 $4,797

$8,993 ₱566.2K

-46.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.5 $67.5

$32.60 ₱2,052

107.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.93 $46.93

$19.70 ₱1,240

138.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$77.7 ₱4,889

54.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$58.6 ₱3,688

100.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 $640

$270 ₱17.0K

136.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 $271

$172 ₱10.8K

57.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,019 $1,019

$517 ₱32.5K

97.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 $448

$393 ₱24.8K

13.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,401 ₱151.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$994 ₱62.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$457 $457

$602 ₱37.9K

-24.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

-25.93%

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

Last update for Santa Ana: October 10, 2026

Last update for Muntinlupa: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Santa Ana

$286 27.9%

Muntinlupa

$181 24.4% 36.7% $105

Accommodation & Living

Santa Ana

$271 26.4%

Muntinlupa

$172 23.2% 36.6% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Ana

$158 15.5%

Muntinlupa

$85 11.4% 46.5% $74

Eating Out

Santa Ana

$144 14%

Muntinlupa

$83 11.2% 42.2% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Ana

$100 9.7%

Muntinlupa

$163 21.9% 63.1% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Ana

$45 4.3%

Muntinlupa

$43 5.8% 3.3% $1.5

Getting Around

Santa Ana

$22 * 2.1%

Muntinlupa

$15 2.1% 29.6% $6.5

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 $640 in Santa Ana and $270 in Muntinlupa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Muntinlupa pays 32% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Santa Ana vs $27.00 in Muntinlupa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $286 vs $181 per month, with Muntinlupa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Santa Ana

🇵🇭 Muntinlupa

🕒 Local time

16:36 4:36 PM

06:36 6:36 AM

14 h ahead of Santa Ana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

167,200

543,445

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

PHP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Santa Ana Muntinlupa 15,400 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Ana
Muntinlupa

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

Santa Ana vs Muntinlupa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Muntinlupa wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Santa Ana. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Muntinlupa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Muntinlupa. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $640 in Santa Ana versus $270 in Muntinlupa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 58% higher in Santa Ana. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,026 per month in Santa Ana versus $742 in Muntinlupa – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $742 in Muntinlupa versus $1,026 in Santa Ana, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Muntinlupa but tight or insufficient in Santa Ana. The gap between the two cities makes Muntinlupa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Santa Ana and Muntinlupa 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 Muntinlupa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Santa Ana. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.