Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tagbilaran City and Makati

For one person, living is cheaper in Tagbilaran City: $622 a month against $1,230 in Makati, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Tagbilaran City
Learn more

Tagbilaran City Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Makati
Learn more

Makati Living Index

Jump to prices

Tagbilaran City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$622

/mo nomad

Makati

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,230

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $622 in Tagbilaran City versus $1,230 in Makati.

Tagbilaran City $622
Makati $1,230

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,004 in Tagbilaran City versus $2,137 in Makati.

Tagbilaran City $1,004
Makati $2,137

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,385 in Tagbilaran City versus $3,044 in Makati.

Tagbilaran City $1,385
Makati $3,044

Living in Tagbilaran City costs roughly 49% less than in Makati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tagbilaran City 54% lower, Makati 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.81 ₱244

$6.40 ₱409

-40.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.14 ₱1,097

$38.45 ₱2,460

-55.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.86 ₱183

$4.78 ₱306

-40.17%

Cappuccino

$2.45 ₱157

$2.59 ₱166

-5.41%

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

$0.92 ₱59.1

$1.09 ₱70.0

-15.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ₱26.63

$0.49 ₱31.44

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.76 ₱48.62

$2.39 ₱153

-68.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 ₱144

$3.18 ₱203

-29.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ₱96.9

$1.80 ₱115

-16.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ₱64.5

$1.26 ₱80.9

-19.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.9

$1.03 ₱66.0

-8.74%

Eggs

$1.75 ₱112

$2.37 ₱152

-26.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 ₱606

$6.91 ₱442

36.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.51 ₱288

$4.93 ₱316

-8.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.36 ₱471

$6.74 ₱431

9.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 ₱178

$4.12 ₱263

-32.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 ₱81.1

$1.90 ₱122

-33.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱149

$3.19 ₱204

-26.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱96.3

$2.25 ₱144

-33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 ₱146

$3.55 ₱227

-35.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ₱120

$3.50 ₱224

-46.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ₱43.83

$1.07 ₱68.2

-36.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.35

$1.13 ₱72.0

-56.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₱151

$2.60 ₱166

-8.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 ₱404

$7.85 ₱503

-19.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ₱56.7

$1.29 ₱82.7

-31.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₱63.4

$1.93 ₱124

-48.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.45 ₱29.00

$0.88 ₱56.5

-48.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.3 ₱3,600

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱50.5

$0.65 ₱41.66

21.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.11

$0.21 ₱13.40

4.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 ₱287

$1.90 ₱122

135.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 ₱65.1

$1.28 ₱81.7

-20.31%

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

$21.2K ₱1.4M

$20.8K ₱1.3M

1.72%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$18.9K ₱1.2M

1.42%

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

$78.6 ₱5,028

$151 ₱9,685

-48.08%

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

$15.57 ₱996

$15.59 ₱997

-0.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.33 ₱1,621

$31.38 ₱2,008

-19.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.15 ₱714

$53.3 ₱3,409

-79.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.18 ₱204

$14.04 ₱899

-77.35%

Cinema Ticket

$3.43 ₱219

$7.22 ₱462

-52.49%

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

$275 ₱17.6K

$776 ₱49.6K

-64.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,835 ₱501.4K

$7,391 ₱473.0K

6.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.31 ₱2,388

$59.9 ₱3,832

-37.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.87 ₱1,143

$36.96 ₱2,365

-51.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.0 ₱4,029

$81.0 ₱5,185

-22.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.7 ₱3,631

$101 ₱6,456

-43.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$191 ₱12.2K

$829 ₱53.1K

-76.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$135 ₱8,619

$429 ₱27.4K

-68.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$476 ₱30.4K

$2,151 ₱137.6K

-77.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 ₱21.7K

$1,308 ₱83.7K

-74.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$781 ₱50.0K

$5,714 ₱365.7K

-86.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$473 ₱30.3K

$3,568 ₱228.4K

-86.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$171 ₱10.9K

$587 ₱37.6K

-70.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

7.5

-4.00%

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

Last update for Tagbilaran City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Makati: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tagbilaran City

$186 29.8%

Makati

$227 18.5% 22.5% $42

Accommodation & Living

Tagbilaran City

$135 21.7%

Makati

$429 34.8% 218% $294

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tagbilaran City

$119 19.2%

Makati

$198 16.1% 66% $79

Eating Out

Tagbilaran City

$82 13.2%

Makati

$121 9.9% 47.8% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Tagbilaran City

$79 12.7%

Makati

$125 10.2% 59.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Tagbilaran City

$18 2.9%

Makati

$68 5.5% 276% $50

Getting Around

Tagbilaran City

$3.7 * 0.6%

Makati

$61 5% 1562% $58

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $191 in Tagbilaran City and $829 in Makati. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Makati pays about 3.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $17 in Tagbilaran City vs $38 in Makati for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $186 vs $227 per month, with Tagbilaran City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Tagbilaran City

🇵🇭 Makati

🕒 Local time

11:17 11:17 AM

Same time as Tagbilaran City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

86,411

582,602

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tagbilaran City Makati 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tagbilaran City
Makati

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

Tagbilaran City vs Makati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tagbilaran City wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Makati. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tagbilaran City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 71% lower in Tagbilaran City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $191 in Tagbilaran City versus $829 in Makati. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Makati. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $622 per month in Tagbilaran City versus $1,230 in Makati – Tagbilaran City is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $622 in Tagbilaran City versus $1,230 in Makati, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Tagbilaran City but tight or insufficient in Makati. The gap between the two cities makes Tagbilaran City 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, Tagbilaran City and Makati are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Tagbilaran City wins on affordability, Makati on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.