Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tacloban and Manila

For one person, living is cheaper in Tacloban: $771 a month against $945 in Manila, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Tacloban
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Tacloban Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Manila
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Manila Living Index

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Tacloban

🇵🇭 Philippines

$771

/mo nomad

Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$945

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $771 per month in Tacloban vs $945 in Manila, rent included.

Tacloban $771
Manila $945

A couple spends around $1,152 per month in Tacloban vs $1,572 in Manila, rent included.

Tacloban $1,152
Manila $1,572

A family of three spends $1,532 per month in Tacloban vs $2,199 in Manila, rent included.

Tacloban $1,532
Manila $2,199

Tacloban is about 18% cheaper than Manila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tacloban and Manila are more affordable than the global median – Tacloban 43% lower, Manila 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.00 ₱255

$5.34 ₱341

-25.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.55 ₱991

$26.46 ₱1,686

-41.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.33 ₱148

$3.93 ₱251

-40.71%

Cappuccino

$2.31 ₱147

$2.53 ₱161

-8.70%

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

$0.68 ₱43.45

$1.35 ₱86.0

-49.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ₱23.15

$0.82 ₱52.1

-56.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 ₱101

$1.14 ₱72.6

39.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱138

$2.38 ₱152

-8.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 ₱122

$1.91 ₱121

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₱70.4

$1.44 ₱91.8

-22.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 ₱51.1

$0.94 ₱60.1

-14.89%

Eggs

$1.89 ₱121

$2.30 ₱147

-17.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.05 ₱640

$7.41 ₱472

35.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 ₱262

$4.61 ₱294

-10.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.18 ₱457

$6.65 ₱424

7.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 ₱203

$3.29 ₱210

-3.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 ₱68.6

$1.80 ₱114

-40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 ₱145

$3.00 ₱191

-24.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 ₱93.0

$1.76 ₱112

-17.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱146

$2.22 ₱141

3.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 ₱118

$2.66 ₱169

-30.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₱69.5

$2.14 ₱136

-49.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ₱38.15

$0.53 ₱34.03

13.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.86 ₱119

$3.06 ₱195

-39.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.30 ₱401

$9.57 ₱610

-34.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 ₱68.2

$1.30 ₱83.1

-17.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱109

$1.99 ₱127

-13.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₱12.79

$0.40 ₱25.76

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.30 ₱784

$12.75 ₱812

-3.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱49.75

$0.72 ₱45.85

8.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.03

$0.23 ₱14.68

-4.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 ₱119

$1.84 ₱117

1.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 ₱66.0

$1.27 ₱80.8

-18.11%

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

$21.2K ₱1.4M

$20.7K ₱1.3M

2.59%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$18.7K ₱1.2M

0.90%

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

$117 ₱7,465

$120 ₱7,620

-2.04%

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

$15.64 ₱997

$15.69 ₱1,000

-0.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.34 ₱1,806

$23.60 ₱1,504

20.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.68 ₱2,018

$42.57 ₱2,713

-25.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.30 ₱338

$5.65 ₱360

-6.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.36 ₱341

$6.50 ₱414

-17.54%

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

$131 ₱8,335

$599 ₱38.2K

-78.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,929 ₱505.2K

$8,818 ₱561.9K

-10.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.33 ₱2,060

$56.7 ₱3,611

-42.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.29 ₱1,229

$27.40 ₱1,746

-29.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 ₱4,876

$76.4 ₱4,865

0.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.0 ₱3,567

$55.5 ₱3,537

0.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$254 ₱16.2K

$526 ₱33.5K

-51.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 ₱12.2K

$297 ₱18.9K

-35.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$498 ₱31.7K

$1,887 ₱120.2K

-73.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 ₱22.1K

$816 ₱52.0K

-57.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,586 ₱164.8K

$3,968 ₱252.9K

-34.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,114 ₱71.0K

$2,366 ₱150.8K

-52.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$340 ₱21.7K

$466 ₱29.7K

-27.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

7.43

-3.10%

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

Last update for Tacloban: October 27, 2026

Last update for Manila: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tacloban

$195 25.3%

Manila

$216 22.9% 10.7% $21

Accommodation & Living

Tacloban

$191 24.8%

Manila

$297 31.4% 55.1% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tacloban

$161 20.9%

Manila

$159 16.8% 1.4% $2.3

Eating Out

Tacloban

$83 10.8%

Manila

$104 11% 25.1% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Tacloban

$83 10.7%

Manila

$97 10.3% 17.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Tacloban

$42 5.5%

Manila

$56 5.9% 31.1% $13

Getting Around

Tacloban

$15 1.9%

Manila

$16 1.7% 8.4% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $254 in Tacloban 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.

Salaries run about 37% higher in Manila. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Tacloban versus $26 in Manila. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $195 vs $216 – making Tacloban the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Tacloban

🇵🇭 Manila

🕒 Local time

20:28 8:28 PM

Same time as Tacloban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

242,089

1,780,148 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Tacloban Manila 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tacloban
Manila

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

Tacloban vs Manila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $771 in Tacloban, $945 in Manila – Tacloban comes out roughly 18% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,157 per month in Tacloban 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 Tacloban, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $254 there versus $526 in Manila.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $771 in Tacloban and $945 in Manila. That makes Tacloban about 18% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 4% less in Tacloban. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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

If budget matters most, go with Tacloban. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Manila makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.