Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz, Laguna and Makati

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz, Laguna: $616 a month against $1,230 in Makati, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz, Laguna
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Santa Cruz, Laguna Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Makati
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Makati Living Index

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Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇵🇭 Philippines

$616

/mo nomad

Makati

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,230

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Cruz, Laguna and in Makati

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $1,230 in Makati.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $616
Makati $1,230

Estimated couple costs with rent: $911 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $2,137 in Makati.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $911
Makati $2,137

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,206 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $3,044 in Makati.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $1,206
Makati $3,044

Living in Santa Cruz, Laguna costs roughly 50% less than in Makati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santa Cruz, Laguna 55% lower, Makati 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.55 ₱98.9

$6.40 ₱409

-75.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.73 ₱495

$38.45 ₱2,460

-79.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.79 ₱178

$4.78 ₱306

-41.63%

Cappuccino

$1.76 ₱113

$2.59 ₱166

-32.05%

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

$0.37 ₱23.94

$1.09 ₱70.0

-66.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 ₱15.44

$0.49 ₱31.43

-51.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₱64.8

$2.39 ₱153

-57.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₱57.3

$3.18 ₱203

-71.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ₱98.5

$1.80 ₱115

-14.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ₱73.5

$1.26 ₱80.9

-8.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ₱58.0

$1.03 ₱66.0

-11.65%

Eggs

$1.52 ₱97.2

$2.37 ₱152

-35.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.82 ₱308

$6.91 ₱442

-30.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ₱210

$4.93 ₱316

-33.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.20 ₱461

$6.74 ₱431

6.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 ₱87.8

$4.12 ₱263

-66.75%

Banana (1kg)

$0.49 ₱31.57

$1.90 ₱122

-74.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 ₱91.8

$3.19 ₱204

-55.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱67.8

$2.25 ₱144

-52.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 ₱107

$3.55 ₱227

-52.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 ₱107

$3.50 ₱224

-52.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₱39.31

$1.07 ₱68.2

-42.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱33.17

$1.13 ₱72.0

-53.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ₱188

$2.60 ₱166

12.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.49 ₱544

$7.85 ₱502

8.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱61.5

$1.29 ₱82.7

-25.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ₱132

$1.93 ₱124

6.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ₱13.13

$0.88 ₱56.5

-76.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.50 ₱736

$56.3 ₱3,600

-79.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₱48.82

$0.65 ₱41.66

16.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.02

$0.21 ₱13.40

4.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ₱124

$1.90 ₱122

1.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 ₱76.6

$1.28 ₱81.7

-6.25%

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

$20.7K ₱1.3M

$20.8K ₱1.3M

-0.48%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

0.34%

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

$82.8 ₱5,298

$151 ₱9,684

-45.30%

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

$17.51 ₱1,120

$15.59 ₱997

12.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 ₱1,445

$31.38 ₱2,008

-28.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.30 ₱1,747

$53.3 ₱3,409

-48.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.47 ₱286

$14.04 ₱899

-68.16%

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 ₱322

$7.22 ₱462

-30.33%

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

$128 ₱8,206

$776 ₱49.6K

-83.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱678.6K

$7,391 ₱472.9K

43.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.32 ₱1,812

$59.9 ₱3,832

-52.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.21 ₱1,229

$36.96 ₱2,365

-48.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.6 ₱4,454

$81.0 ₱5,185

-14.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.7 ₱3,437

$101 ₱6,456

-46.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$219 ₱14.0K

$829 ₱53.0K

-73.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$160 ₱10.2K

$429 ₱27.4K

-62.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$480 ₱30.7K

$2,151 ₱137.6K

-77.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₱19.1K

$1,308 ₱83.7K

-77.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,453 ₱157.0K

$5,714 ₱365.6K

-57.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,079 ₱69.0K

$3,568 ₱228.3K

-69.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$587 ₱37.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.5

-10.00%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz, Laguna: October 25, 2026

Last update for Makati: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$160 26%

Makati

$429 34.8% 168% $268

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$153 24.8%

Makati

$227 18.5% 48.7% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$123 20%

Makati

$198 16.1% 61.4% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$77 12.5%

Makati

$125 10.2% 63.2% $49

Eating Out

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$51 8.3%

Makati

$121 9.9% 137% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$37 6.1%

Makati

$68 5.5% 81.3% $30

Getting Around

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$14 2.3%

Makati

$61 5% 334% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $219 in Santa Cruz, Laguna and $829 in Makati. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $8 in Santa Cruz, Laguna vs $38 in Makati for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $153 vs $227 per month, with Santa Cruz, Laguna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇵🇭 Makati

🕒 Local time

02:39 2:39 AM

Same time as Santa Cruz, Laguna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,574

582,602

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Cruz, Laguna vs Makati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Cruz, Laguna wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Makati. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Santa Cruz, Laguna the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $923 in Santa Cruz, Laguna and $1,845 in Makati 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: $219 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $829 in Makati. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $616 per month in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $1,230 in Makati – a 100% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Santa Cruz, Laguna runs roughly 80% less than in Makati. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $1,230 in Makati, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz, Laguna but tight or insufficient in Makati. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz, Laguna 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.

Expats usually find Santa Cruz, Laguna gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Makati. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.