Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Rosa, Philippines and Makati

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Rosa: $609 a month against $1,174 in Makati, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Santa Rosa
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Santa Rosa Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Makati
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Makati Living Index

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Santa Rosa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$609

/mo nomad

Makati

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,174

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $609 in Santa Rosa versus $1,174 in Makati.

Santa Rosa $609
Makati $1,174

Estimated couple costs with rent: $868 in Santa Rosa versus $1,962 in Makati.

Santa Rosa $868
Makati $1,962

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,127 in Santa Rosa versus $2,750 in Makati.

Santa Rosa $1,127
Makati $2,750

Living in Santa Rosa costs roughly 48% less than in Makati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santa Rosa 55% lower, Makati 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.37 ₱150

$4.72 ₱300

-49.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.73 ₱1,061

$26.37 ₱1,673

-36.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.79 ₱177

$4.01 ₱255

-30.42%

Cappuccino

$1.12 ₱71.0

$2.46 ₱156

-54.47%

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

$0.36 ₱22.54

$1.05 ₱66.7

-65.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 ₱15.27

$0.59 ₱37.47

-59.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ₱65.0

$1.16 ₱73.6

-12.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₱81.3

$2.41 ₱153

-46.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₱104

$1.86 ₱118

-11.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ₱72.9

$1.12 ₱71.2

2.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.5

$0.99 ₱62.5

3.03%

Eggs

$1.55 ₱98.3

$2.20 ₱139

-29.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.82 ₱306

$7.51 ₱477

-35.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ₱211

$4.63 ₱294

-28.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.53 ₱478

$7.01 ₱445

7.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 ₱138

$3.23 ₱205

-32.51%

Banana (1kg)

$0.80 ₱50.6

$1.90 ₱121

-57.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱149

$2.76 ₱175

-15.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.00 ₱63.7

$0.88 ₱56.0

13.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 ₱104

$1.33 ₱84.3

23.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 ₱106

$1.38 ₱87.4

21.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 ₱55.2

$1.87 ₱119

-53.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱33.20

$0.58 ₱36.95

-10.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ₱187

$3.03 ₱192

-2.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.46 ₱537

$9.67 ₱614

-12.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱60.8

$1.25 ₱79.5

-23.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₱126

$2.01 ₱128

-1.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.93

$0.76 ₱48.41

-71.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.12 ₱769

$57.7 ₱3,660

-78.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.3

$0.75 ₱47.70

8.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.67

$0.20 ₱12.68

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 ₱121

$1.96 ₱124

-2.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 ₱64.8

$1.25 ₱79.6

-18.40%

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

$20.9K ₱1.3M

-0.17%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$18.9K ₱1.2M

0.60%

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

$62.5 ₱3,965

$111 ₱7,032

-43.62%

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

$6.35 ₱403

$16.82 ₱1,067

-62.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.61 ₱1,435

$24.00 ₱1,523

-5.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.97 ₱1,965

$56.6 ₱3,591

-45.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.30 ₱336

$14.14 ₱897

-62.52%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 ₱318

$6.31 ₱400

-20.60%

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

$128 ₱8,127

$619 ₱39.3K

-79.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,501 ₱349.0K

$5,231 ₱331.9K

5.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.15 ₱1,786

$55.4 ₱3,515

-49.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.46 ₱1,234

$31.32 ₱1,987

-37.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.2 ₱4,452

$70.0 ₱4,441

0.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.8 ₱3,476

$57.8 ₱3,670

-5.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$254 ₱16.1K

$820 ₱52.0K

-69.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$167 ₱10.6K

$495 ₱31.4K

-66.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 ₱31.0K

$2,487 ₱157.8K

-80.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 ₱11.0K

$1,294 ₱82.1K

-86.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,679 ₱170.0K

$5,608 ₱355.8K

-52.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,131 ₱71.7K

$3,558 ₱225.7K

-68.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$142 ₱9,019

$524 ₱33.2K

-72.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

-3.57%

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

Last update for Santa Rosa: October 31, 2026

Last update for Makati: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Rosa

$167 27.5%

Makati

$495 42.1% 196% $327

Groceries & Markets

Santa Rosa

$166 27.2%

Makati

$203 17.3% 22.6% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Rosa

$91 15%

Makati

$152 12.9% 65.8% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Rosa

$78 12.8%

Makati

$97 8.2% 24.3% $19

Eating Out

Santa Rosa

$51 8.4%

Makati

$97 8.2% 90% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Rosa

$41 6.7%

Makati

$69 5.9% 68.8% $28

Getting Around

Santa Rosa

$15 2.4%

Makati

$62 5.3% 322% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $254 in Santa Rosa and $820 in Makati. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Makati pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $17 in Santa Rosa vs $26 in Makati for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $166 vs $203 per month, with Santa Rosa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Santa Rosa

🇵🇭 Makati

🕒 Local time

22:51 10:51 PM

Same time as Santa Rosa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

414,812

582,602

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Santa Rosa Makati 29 km

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Santa Rosa
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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

Santa Rosa vs Makati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Rosa wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Makati. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Santa Rosa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 73% lower in Santa Rosa. 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: $254 in Santa Rosa versus $820 in Makati. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $609 per month in Santa Rosa versus $1,174 in Makati – Santa Rosa is about 48% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Santa Rosa runs roughly 79% less than in Makati. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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 Rosa and Makati are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Santa Rosa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Makati. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.