Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago City and Manila

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago City: $862 a month against $945 in Manila, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Santiago City
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Santiago City Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Manila
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Manila Living Index

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Santiago City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$862

/mo nomad

Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$945

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $862 per month in Santiago City vs $945 in Manila, rent included.

Santiago City $862
Manila $945

A couple spends around $1,309 per month in Santiago City vs $1,572 in Manila, rent included.

Santiago City $1,309
Manila $1,572

A family of three spends $1,755 per month in Santiago City vs $2,199 in Manila, rent included.

Santiago City $1,755
Manila $2,199

Santiago City is about 9% cheaper than Manila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Santiago City and Manila are more affordable than the global median – Santiago City 37% lower, Manila 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.21 ₱396

$5.34 ₱341

16.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.94 ₱2,485

$26.46 ₱1,688

47.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.56 ₱291

$3.93 ₱251

16.03%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₱160

$2.53 ₱161

-0.79%

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

$1.10 ₱69.9

$1.35 ₱86.1

-18.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.51

$0.82 ₱52.1

-35.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.30 ₱147

$1.14 ₱72.7

101.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ₱195

$2.38 ₱152

28.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ₱119

$1.91 ₱122

-2.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 ₱80.7

$1.44 ₱92.0

-12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 ₱66.6

$0.94 ₱60.2

10.64%

Eggs

$1.36 ₱87.0

$2.30 ₱147

-40.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 ₱447

$7.41 ₱473

-5.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.95 ₱316

$4.61 ₱294

7.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.67 ₱426

$6.65 ₱424

0.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ₱149

$3.29 ₱210

-28.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.80 ₱115

5.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.21 ₱205

$3.00 ₱191

7.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 ₱147

$1.76 ₱112

31.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.44 ₱220

$2.22 ₱142

54.95%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 ₱216

$2.66 ₱170

27.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₱68.1

$2.14 ₱136

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₱34.40

$0.53 ₱34.08

1.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 ₱161

$3.06 ₱196

-17.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 ₱496

$9.57 ₱610

-18.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₱86.3

$1.30 ₱83.2

3.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₱123

$1.99 ₱127

-3.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.66

$0.40 ₱25.80

-42.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.07 ₱770

$12.75 ₱814

-5.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.65 ₱41.22

$0.72 ₱45.91

-9.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.39

$0.23 ₱14.70

-8.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 ₱119

$1.84 ₱117

1.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₱79.4

$1.27 ₱80.9

-2.36%

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

$20.6K ₱1.3M

$20.7K ₱1.3M

-0.74%

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

$18.6K ₱1.2M

$18.7K ₱1.2M

-0.51%

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

$155 ₱9,885

$120 ₱7,631

29.54%

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

$15.75 ₱1,005

$15.69 ₱1,001

0.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.94 ₱2,038

$23.60 ₱1,506

35.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.85 ₱2,096

$42.57 ₱2,716

-22.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.44 ₱283

$5.65 ₱360

-21.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.89 ₱440

$6.50 ₱415

6.00%

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

$131 ₱8,368

$599 ₱38.2K

-78.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,238 ₱461.8K

$8,818 ₱562.7K

-17.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.32 ₱2,062

$56.7 ₱3,616

-42.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.96 ₱1,210

$27.40 ₱1,748

-30.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 ₱5,104

$76.4 ₱4,871

4.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.2 ₱3,458

$55.5 ₱3,542

-2.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 ₱16.0K

$526 ₱33.6K

-52.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$189 ₱12.1K

$297 ₱18.9K

-36.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$538 ₱34.3K

$1,887 ₱120.4K

-71.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$307 ₱19.6K

$816 ₱52.1K

-62.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,648 ₱169.0K

$3,968 ₱253.2K

-33.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,225 ₱78.1K

$2,366 ₱151.0K

-48.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$466 ₱29.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

7.43

0.94%

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

Last update for Santiago City: October 24, 2026

Last update for Manila: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Santiago City

$208 24.2%

Manila

$216 22.9% 3.9% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago City

$203 23.5%

Manila

$159 16.8% 21.6% $44

Accommodation & Living

Santiago City

$189 21.9%

Manila

$297 31.4% 57.1% $108

Eating Out

Santiago City

$118 13.6%

Manila

$104 11% 11.5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago City

$83 9.7%

Manila

$97 10.3% 16.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago City

$47 5.4%

Manila

$56 5.9% 19.2% $8.9

Getting Around

Santiago City

$15 1.7%

Manila

$16 1.7% 10.6% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $251 in Santiago City 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 $39 in Santiago City versus $26 in Manila. Groceries tell a different story – $208 in Santiago City vs $216 in Manila – so Santiago City wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Santiago City

🇵🇭 Manila

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

Same time as Santiago City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,414

1,780,148 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Santiago City Manila 240 km

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Santiago City
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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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $862 in Santiago City, $945 in Manila – Santiago City comes out roughly 9% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,293 per month in Santiago City 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 Santiago City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $251 there versus $526 in Manila.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $862 in Santiago City and $945 in Manila. That makes Santiago City about 9% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 5% less in Santiago City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $862 in Santiago City and $945 in Manila, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.