Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Thomas and Tacloban

For one person, living is cheaper in Tacloban: $773 a month against $2,432 in St. Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in St. Thomas
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St. Thomas Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Tacloban
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Tacloban Living Index

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St. Thomas

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,432

/mo nomad

Tacloban

🇵🇭 Philippines

$773

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in St. Thomas and in Tacloban

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,432 in St. Thomas versus $773 in Tacloban.

St. Thomas $2,432
Tacloban $773

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in St. Thomas versus $1,160 in Tacloban.

St. Thomas $3,274
Tacloban $1,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,117 in St. Thomas versus $1,548 in Tacloban.

St. Thomas $4,117
Tacloban $1,548

Living in St. Thomas is roughly 215% more expensive than in Tacloban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: St. Thomas is 80% above, Tacloban is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.05 CA$29.76

$3.06 ₱193

587.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 CA$88.5

$15.80 ₱995

296.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$2.36 ₱149

382.20%

Cappuccino

$3.32 CA$4.69

$2.41 ₱152

37.76%

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

$2.19 CA$3.10

$0.66 ₱41.55

231.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.24

$0.37 ₱23.54

329.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 CA$7.10

$1.56 ₱98.2

221.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 CA$8.33

$2.21 ₱139

166.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 CA$2.95

$2.03 ₱128

2.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 CA$3.69

$1.17 ₱73.9

123.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.73 CA$5.27

$0.90 ₱56.7

314.44%

Eggs

$3.09 CA$4.37

$1.95 ₱123

58.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 CA$14.05

$10.00 ₱629

-0.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.43 CA$21.81

$4.34 ₱273

255.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.20 CA$27.15

$7.20 ₱453

166.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.86 CA$5.46

$3.47 ₱218

11.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 CA$1.75

$1.10 ₱69.0

12.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 CA$4.94

$2.32 ₱146

50.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.97 CA$5.61

$1.48 ₱93.5

168.24%

Potato (1kg)

$3.36 CA$4.76

$2.36 ₱149

42.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$1.92 ₱121

59.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 CA$4.03

$1.14 ₱71.9

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 CA$2.06

$0.64 ₱40.22

128.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 CA$15.52

$1.95 ₱123

463.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.74 CA$18.01

$6.23 ₱392

104.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 CA$3.39

$1.13 ₱71.0

112.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 CA$3.93

$1.66 ₱104

67.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$0.27 ₱17.05

733.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.7 CA$82.9

$11.05 ₱696

430.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 CA$3.26

$0.78 ₱49.11

194.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 CA$2.29

$0.23 ₱14.54

604.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.70 CA$30.68

$1.87 ₱118

1060.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.59

$0.99 ₱62.1

14.14%

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

$28.0K CA$39.6K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

32.27%

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

$19.7K CA$27.9K

$19.6K ₱1.2M

0.46%

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

$123 CA$174

$120 ₱7,542

3.00%

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

$42.76 CA$60.5

$14.07 ₱886

203.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 CA$78.4

$27.83 ₱1,752

99.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.43 CA$62.8

$32.70 ₱2,059

35.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.32 CA$28.72

$4.69 ₱295

333.26%

Cinema Ticket

$10.33 CA$14.61

$5.73 ₱361

80.28%

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

$399 CA$564

$134 ₱8,419

198.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K CA$23.5K

$8,021 ₱505.0K

107.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 CA$75.7

$32.68 ₱2,057

63.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.84 CA$50.7

$19.29 ₱1,214

85.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 CA$116

$76.2 ₱4,797

7.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 CA$128

$57.1 ₱3,597

58.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 CA$1,622

$263 ₱16.5K

336.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 CA$1,792

$191 ₱12.0K

563.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 CA$2,537

$523 ₱32.9K

243.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 CA$2,078

$360 ₱22.7K

308.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,187 CA$5,919

$2,393 ₱150.6K

74.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,561 CA$5,034

$976 ₱61.5K

264.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,970 CA$4,198

$347 ₱21.9K

754.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

7.2

-30.69%

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

Last update for St. Thomas: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tacloban: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Thomas

$1.3K 52.1%

Tacloban

$191 24.7% 84.9% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

St. Thomas

$387 15.9%

Tacloban

$202 26.1% 47.9% $186

Eating Out

St. Thomas

$294 12.1%

Tacloban

$77 9.9% 73.9% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Thomas

$222 9.1%

Tacloban

$162 20.9% 27% $60

Clothing & Footwear

St. Thomas

$118 4.9%

Tacloban

$83 10.8% 29.3% $35

Getting Around

St. Thomas

$78 3.2%

Tacloban

$14 1.8% 82% $64

Sport & Entertainment

St. Thomas

$65 2.7%

Tacloban

$44 5.7% 32.2% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,148 in St. Thomas and $263 in Tacloban. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

St. Thomas pays 755% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $63.0 in St. Thomas vs $16.00 in Tacloban for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $387 vs $202 per month, with Tacloban cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 St. Thomas

🇵🇭 Tacloban

🕒 Local time

14:52 2:52 PM

02:52 2:52 AM

12 h ahead of St. Thomas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,909

242,089

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

St. Thomas Tacloban 13,440 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

St. Thomas
Tacloban

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

St. Thomas vs Tacloban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St. Thomas and Tacloban differ by about 215% in total monthly costs ($2,432 vs $773 including rent). Tacloban is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 755% higher in St. Thomas, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,148 in St. Thomas versus $263 in Tacloban. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $399 in St. Thomas versus $134 in Tacloban. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 92% higher in St. Thomas. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $773 in Tacloban versus $2,432 in St. Thomas, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tacloban but tight or insufficient in St. Thomas. The gap between the two cities makes Tacloban 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 Tacloban gentler on the wallet – expenses run 215% less than in St. Thomas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.