Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tagaytay and Makati

For one person, living is cheaper in Tagaytay: $703 a month against $1,174 in Makati, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Tagaytay
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Tagaytay Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Makati
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Makati Living Index

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Tagaytay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$703

/mo nomad

Makati

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,174

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $703 in Tagaytay versus $1,174 in Makati.

Tagaytay $703
Makati $1,174

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,060 in Tagaytay versus $1,962 in Makati.

Tagaytay $1,060
Makati $1,962

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,417 in Tagaytay versus $2,750 in Makati.

Tagaytay $1,417
Makati $2,750

Living in Tagaytay costs roughly 40% less than in Makati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tagaytay 48% lower, Makati 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.84 ₱117

$4.72 ₱300

-61.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.87 ₱691

$26.37 ₱1,676

-58.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.05 ₱194

$4.01 ₱255

-23.94%

Cappuccino

$1.45 ₱92.0

$2.46 ₱156

-41.06%

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

$0.35 ₱21.97

$1.05 ₱66.9

-66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ₱23.96

$0.59 ₱37.55

-35.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.52 ₱160

$1.16 ₱73.8

117.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₱126

$2.41 ₱153

-17.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₱104

$1.86 ₱118

-11.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 ₱69.9

$1.12 ₱71.4

-1.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ₱58.4

$0.99 ₱62.6

-7.07%

Eggs

$1.85 ₱118

$2.20 ₱140

-15.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.63 ₱358

$7.51 ₱478

-25.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.08 ₱259

$4.63 ₱294

-11.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.05 ₱449

$7.01 ₱446

0.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 ₱154

$3.23 ₱205

-25.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ₱100

$1.90 ₱121

-16.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 ₱147

$2.76 ₱175

-16.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ₱74.2

$0.88 ₱56.2

32.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 ₱132

$1.33 ₱84.5

56.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 ₱144

$1.38 ₱87.6

64.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ₱66.0

$1.87 ₱119

-44.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱33.28

$0.58 ₱37.03

-10.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 ₱179

$3.03 ₱193

-6.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.29 ₱464

$9.67 ₱615

-24.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₱62.4

$1.25 ₱79.7

-21.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₱117

$2.01 ₱128

-8.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.35

$0.76 ₱48.51

-68.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.40 ₱789

$57.7 ₱3,668

-78.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₱48.18

$0.75 ₱47.80

1.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.70

$0.20 ₱12.71

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 ₱118

$1.96 ₱124

-5.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ₱68.5

$1.25 ₱79.8

-13.60%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$20.9K ₱1.3M

-0.82%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$18.9K ₱1.2M

0.48%

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

$123 ₱7,823

$111 ₱7,047

11.02%

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

$15.41 ₱980

$16.82 ₱1,070

-8.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.24 ₱1,541

$24.00 ₱1,526

1.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.57 ₱2,008

$56.6 ₱3,599

-44.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.29 ₱336

$14.14 ₱899

-62.59%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 ₱318

$6.31 ₱401

-20.60%

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

$130 ₱8,243

$619 ₱39.4K

-79.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,009 ₱509.2K

$5,231 ₱332.6K

53.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.62 ₱2,074

$55.4 ₱3,523

-41.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.13 ₱1,216

$31.32 ₱1,991

-38.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.0 ₱4,448

$70.0 ₱4,451

-0.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.4 ₱3,519

$57.8 ₱3,678

-4.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$249 ₱15.8K

$820 ₱52.1K

-69.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$165 ₱10.5K

$495 ₱31.4K

-66.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$485 ₱30.8K

$2,487 ₱158.2K

-80.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 ₱22.6K

$1,294 ₱82.3K

-72.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,664 ₱169.4K

$5,608 ₱356.5K

-52.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,098 ₱69.8K

$3,558 ₱226.2K

-69.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ₱33.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.92

-1.14%

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

Last update for Tagaytay: November 1, 2026

Last update for Makati: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tagaytay

$178 25.3%

Makati

$203 17.3% 14.2% $25

Accommodation & Living

Tagaytay

$165 23.5%

Makati

$495 42.1% 200% $330

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tagaytay

$163 23.2%

Makati

$152 12.9% 6.8% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Tagaytay

$80 11.3%

Makati

$97 8.2% 21.2% $17

Eating Out

Tagaytay

$61 8.6%

Makati

$97 8.2% 59.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Tagaytay

$42 5.9%

Makati

$69 5.9% 66.4% $28

Getting Around

Tagaytay

$15 2.2%

Makati

$62 5.3% 313% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $249 in Tagaytay and $820 in Makati. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $11 in Tagaytay vs $26 in Makati for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $178 vs $203 per month, with Tagaytay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Tagaytay

🇵🇭 Makati

🕒 Local time

21:28 9:28 PM

Same time as Tagaytay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,330

582,602

💱 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

On the map

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Tagaytay Makati 51 km

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Tagaytay
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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

Tagaytay vs Makati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tagaytay wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Makati. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tagaytay the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,054 in Tagaytay and $1,761 in Makati 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: $249 in Tagaytay versus $820 in Makati. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $703 per month in Tagaytay versus $1,174 in Makati – Tagaytay is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Tagaytay runs roughly 79% less than in Makati. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $703 in Tagaytay versus $1,174 in Makati, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tagaytay but tight or insufficient in Makati. The gap between the two cities makes Tagaytay 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.

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

Expats usually find Tagaytay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Makati. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.