Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago City and Baguio

For one person, living is cheaper in Baguio: $737 a month against $862 in Santiago City, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Santiago City
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Santiago City Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
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Baguio Living Index

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Santiago City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$862

/mo nomad

Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago City and in Baguio

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $862 in Santiago City versus $737 in Baguio.

Santiago City $862
Baguio $737

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,309 in Santiago City versus $1,148 in Baguio.

Santiago City $1,309
Baguio $1,148

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,755 in Santiago City versus $1,558 in Baguio.

Santiago City $1,755
Baguio $1,558

Living in Santiago City is roughly 17% more expensive than in Baguio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santiago City 37% lower, Baguio 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.21 ₱397

$3.92 ₱251

58.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.94 ₱2,492

$16.66 ₱1,066

133.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.56 ₱292

$2.73 ₱175

67.03%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱161

$1.80 ₱115

39.44%

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

$1.10 ₱70.1

$0.55 ₱35.26

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.60

$0.33 ₱21.31

60.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.30 ₱147

$0.99 ₱63.7

132.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ₱196

$1.54 ₱98.3

98.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ₱120

$1.59 ₱102

17.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 ₱80.9

$1.14 ₱73.2

10.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 ₱66.8

$0.97 ₱61.8

7.22%

Eggs

$1.36 ₱87.2

$1.99 ₱127

-31.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 ₱448

$5.11 ₱327

36.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.95 ₱317

$3.27 ₱209

51.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.67 ₱427

$7.63 ₱488

-12.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ₱150

$2.19 ₱140

6.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.55 ₱99.5

22.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.21 ₱205

$2.26 ₱144

42.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 ₱148

$1.02 ₱65.2

126.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.44 ₱220

$1.73 ₱110

98.84%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 ₱217

$1.69 ₱108

100.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₱68.3

$0.65 ₱41.31

64.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₱34.50

$0.51 ₱32.80

5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 ₱161

$2.94 ₱188

-14.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 ₱497

$8.50 ₱544

-8.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₱86.5

$0.95 ₱60.6

42.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₱124

$2.05 ₱131

-5.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.70

$0.22 ₱14.08

4.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.07 ₱773

$12.90 ₱826

-6.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.65 ₱41.35

$0.81 ₱52.0

-19.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.43

$0.24 ₱15.42

-12.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 ₱119

$1.90 ₱122

-2.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₱79.6

$1.19 ₱76.3

4.20%

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

$20.6K ₱1.3M

$21.3K ₱1.4M

-3.30%

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

$18.6K ₱1.2M

$18.8K ₱1.2M

-1.14%

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

$155 ₱9,914

$136 ₱8,698

13.99%

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

$15.75 ₱1,008

$17.08 ₱1,093

-7.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.94 ₱2,044

$23.01 ₱1,472

38.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.85 ₱2,102

$20.76 ₱1,328

58.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.44 ₱284

$5.23 ₱335

-15.11%

Cinema Ticket

$6.89 ₱441

$5.03 ₱322

36.98%

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

$131 ₱8,392

$132 ₱8,478

-1.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,238 ₱463.2K

$10.6K ₱675.2K

-31.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.32 ₱2,068

$28.91 ₱1,850

11.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.96 ₱1,213

$19.53 ₱1,250

-2.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 ₱5,119

$71.5 ₱4,576

11.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.2 ₱3,468

$54.9 ₱3,512

-1.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 ₱16.1K

$393 ₱25.2K

-36.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$189 ₱12.1K

$192 ₱12.3K

-1.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$538 ₱34.4K

$819 ₱52.4K

-34.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$307 ₱19.6K

$463 ₱29.6K

-33.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,648 ₱169.5K

$3,156 ₱201.9K

-16.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,225 ₱78.4K

$1,526 ₱97.6K

-19.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$179 ₱11.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

6.75

11.11%

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

Last update for Santiago City: October 24, 2026

Last update for Baguio: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Santiago City

$208 24.2%

Baguio

$171 23.2% 17.8% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago City

$203 23.5%

Baguio

$176 23.9% 13.1% $27

Accommodation & Living

Santiago City

$189 21.9%

Baguio

$192 26.1% 1.7% $3.3

Eating Out

Santiago City

$118 13.6%

Baguio

$73 9.9% 38.2% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago City

$83 9.7%

Baguio

$79 10.7% 5.7% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago City

$47 5.4%

Baguio

$31 4.2% 33.9% $16

Getting Around

Santiago City

$15 1.7%

Baguio

$16 2.1% 7.6% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $251 in Santiago City and $393 in Baguio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39 in Santiago City vs $17 in Baguio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $171 per month, with Baguio cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Santiago City

🇵🇭 Baguio

🕒 Local time

19:26 7:26 PM

Same time as Santiago City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,414

366,358

💱 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)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Santiago City vs Baguio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baguio wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Santiago City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Baguio the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,293 in Santiago City and $1,106 in Baguio 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: $251 in Santiago City versus $393 in Baguio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $862 per month in Santiago City versus $737 in Baguio – Baguio is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Santiago City runs roughly 6% less than in Baguio. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Safety-wise, Santiago City and Baguio are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.