Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz, Laguna and Manila

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz, Laguna: $616 a month against $945 in Manila, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Manila
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Manila Living Index

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Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇵🇭 Philippines

$616

/mo nomad

Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$945

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Cruz, Laguna 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 Santa Cruz, Laguna and in Manila actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $616 per month in Santa Cruz, Laguna vs $945 in Manila, rent included.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $616
Manila $945

A couple spends around $911 per month in Santa Cruz, Laguna vs $1,572 in Manila, rent included.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $911
Manila $1,572

A family of three spends $1,206 per month in Santa Cruz, Laguna vs $2,199 in Manila, rent included.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $1,206
Manila $2,199

Santa Cruz, Laguna is about 35% cheaper than Manila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Santa Cruz, Laguna and Manila are more affordable than the global median – Santa Cruz, Laguna 55% lower, Manila 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.55 ₱98.9

$5.34 ₱342

-70.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.73 ₱495

$26.46 ₱1,693

-70.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.79 ₱178

$3.93 ₱252

-29.01%

Cappuccino

$1.76 ₱113

$2.53 ₱162

-30.43%

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

$0.37 ₱23.94

$1.35 ₱86.4

-72.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 ₱15.44

$0.82 ₱52.3

-70.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₱64.8

$1.14 ₱72.9

-11.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₱57.3

$2.38 ₱152

-62.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ₱98.5

$1.91 ₱122

-19.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ₱73.5

$1.44 ₱92.2

-20.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ₱58.0

$0.94 ₱60.4

-3.19%

Eggs

$1.52 ₱97.2

$2.30 ₱147

-33.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.82 ₱308

$7.41 ₱474

-34.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ₱210

$4.61 ₱295

-28.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.20 ₱461

$6.65 ₱425

8.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 ₱87.8

$3.29 ₱211

-58.36%

Banana (1kg)

$0.49 ₱31.57

$1.80 ₱115

-72.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 ₱91.8

$3.00 ₱192

-52.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱67.8

$1.76 ₱112

-39.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 ₱107

$2.22 ₱142

-24.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 ₱107

$2.66 ₱170

-36.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₱39.31

$2.14 ₱137

-71.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱33.17

$0.53 ₱34.17

-1.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ₱188

$3.06 ₱196

-4.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.49 ₱544

$9.57 ₱612

-11.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱61.5

$1.30 ₱83.4

-26.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ₱132

$1.99 ₱127

3.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ₱13.13

$0.40 ₱25.87

-47.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.50 ₱736

$12.75 ₱816

-9.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₱48.82

$0.72 ₱46.04

5.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.02

$0.23 ₱14.74

-4.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ₱124

$1.84 ₱118

4.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 ₱76.6

$1.27 ₱81.1

-5.51%

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

$20.7K ₱1.3M

-0.04%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$18.7K ₱1.2M

1.41%

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

$82.8 ₱5,298

$120 ₱7,652

-30.77%

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

$17.51 ₱1,120

$15.69 ₱1,004

11.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 ₱1,445

$23.60 ₱1,510

-4.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.30 ₱1,747

$42.57 ₱2,724

-35.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.47 ₱286

$5.65 ₱361

-20.88%

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 ₱322

$6.50 ₱416

-22.62%

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

$128 ₱8,206

$599 ₱38.3K

-78.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱678.6K

$8,818 ₱564.2K

20.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.32 ₱1,812

$56.7 ₱3,626

-50.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.21 ₱1,229

$27.40 ₱1,753

-29.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.6 ₱4,454

$76.4 ₱4,885

-8.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.7 ₱3,437

$55.5 ₱3,552

-3.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$219 ₱14.0K

$526 ₱33.7K

-58.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$160 ₱10.2K

$297 ₱19.0K

-46.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$480 ₱30.7K

$1,887 ₱120.7K

-74.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₱19.1K

$816 ₱52.2K

-63.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,453 ₱157.0K

$3,968 ₱253.9K

-38.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,079 ₱69.0K

$2,366 ₱151.4K

-54.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$466 ₱29.8K

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 Santa Cruz, Laguna: October 25, 2026

Last update for Manila: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$160 26%

Manila

$297 31.4% 85.3% $137

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$153 24.8%

Manila

$216 22.9% 41.5% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$123 20%

Manila

$159 16.8% 29.3% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$77 12.5%

Manila

$97 10.3% 26.4% $20

Eating Out

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$51 8.3%

Manila

$104 11% 103% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$37 6.1%

Manila

$56 5.9% 48.8% $18

Getting Around

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$14 2.3%

Manila

$16 1.7% 14.5% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $219 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $526 in Manila. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $26 in Manila. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $153 vs $216 – making Santa Cruz, Laguna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇵🇭 Manila

🕒 Local time

19:23 7:23 PM

Same time as Santa Cruz, Laguna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,574

1,780,148 Capital

💱 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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Santa Cruz, Laguna Manila 58 km

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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 Manila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna, $945 in Manila – roughly 54% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $923 per month in Santa Cruz, Laguna and $1,418 in Manila. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Cruz, Laguna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $219 there versus $526 in Manila.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna and $945 in Manila. That’s a gap of about 54%.

Public transport costs about 10% less in Santa Cruz, Laguna. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna and $945 in Manila, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Cruz, Laguna – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Santa Cruz, Laguna is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 54% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.