Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tagbilaran City and Manila

For one person, living is cheaper in Tagbilaran City: $622 a month against $945 in Manila, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Tagbilaran City
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Tagbilaran City Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Manila
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Manila Living Index

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Tagbilaran City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$622

/mo nomad

Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$945

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $622 per month in Tagbilaran City vs $945 in Manila, rent included.

Tagbilaran City $622
Manila $945

A couple spends around $1,004 per month in Tagbilaran City vs $1,572 in Manila, rent included.

Tagbilaran City $1,004
Manila $1,572

A family of three spends $1,385 per month in Tagbilaran City vs $2,199 in Manila, rent included.

Tagbilaran City $1,385
Manila $2,199

Tagbilaran City is about 34% cheaper than Manila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Tagbilaran City and Manila are more affordable than the global median – Tagbilaran City 54% lower, Manila 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.81 ₱242

$5.34 ₱340

-28.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.14 ₱1,092

$26.46 ₱1,685

-35.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.86 ₱182

$3.93 ₱251

-27.23%

Cappuccino

$2.45 ₱156

$2.53 ₱161

-3.16%

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

$0.92 ₱58.8

$1.35 ₱86.0

-31.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ₱26.50

$0.82 ₱52.1

-48.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.76 ₱48.39

$1.14 ₱72.6

-33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 ₱143

$2.38 ₱152

-5.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ₱96.5

$1.91 ₱121

-20.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ₱64.2

$1.44 ₱91.8

-29.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.6

$0.94 ₱60.1

Eggs

$1.75 ₱111

$2.30 ₱147

-23.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 ₱603

$7.41 ₱472

27.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.51 ₱287

$4.61 ₱294

-2.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.36 ₱469

$6.65 ₱423

10.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 ₱177

$3.29 ₱210

-15.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 ₱80.7

$1.80 ₱114

-29.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱148

$3.00 ₱191

-22.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱95.8

$1.76 ₱112

-14.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 ₱146

$2.22 ₱141

2.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ₱119

$2.66 ₱169

-29.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ₱43.62

$2.14 ₱136

-68.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.20

$0.53 ₱34.01

-7.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₱151

$3.06 ₱195

-22.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 ₱403

$9.57 ₱609

-33.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ₱56.4

$1.30 ₱83.0

-31.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₱63.1

$1.99 ₱127

-50.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.45 ₱28.87

$0.40 ₱25.75

12.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.75 ₱812

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱50.3

$0.72 ₱45.82

9.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.04

$0.23 ₱14.67

-4.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 ₱285

$1.84 ₱117

143.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 ₱64.8

$1.27 ₱80.8

-19.69%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$20.7K ₱1.3M

2.16%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$18.7K ₱1.2M

2.50%

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

$78.6 ₱5,005

$120 ₱7,617

-34.29%

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

$15.57 ₱992

$15.69 ₱999

-0.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.33 ₱1,613

$23.60 ₱1,503

7.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.15 ₱710

$42.57 ₱2,711

-73.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.18 ₱203

$5.65 ₱360

-43.72%

Cinema Ticket

$3.43 ₱218

$6.50 ₱414

-47.23%

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

$275 ₱17.5K

$599 ₱38.1K

-54.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,835 ₱499.0K

$8,818 ₱561.6K

-11.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.31 ₱2,376

$56.7 ₱3,609

-34.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.87 ₱1,138

$27.40 ₱1,745

-34.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.0 ₱4,010

$76.4 ₱4,863

-17.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.7 ₱3,613

$55.5 ₱3,535

2.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$191 ₱12.2K

$526 ₱33.5K

-63.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$135 ₱8,578

$297 ₱18.9K

-54.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$476 ₱30.3K

$1,887 ₱120.2K

-74.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 ₱21.6K

$816 ₱52.0K

-58.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$781 ₱49.7K

$3,968 ₱252.7K

-80.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$473 ₱30.1K

$2,366 ₱150.7K

-80.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$171 ₱10.9K

$466 ₱29.7K

-63.42%

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 Tagbilaran City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Manila: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tagbilaran City

$186 29.8%

Manila

$216 22.9% 16.6% $31

Accommodation & Living

Tagbilaran City

$135 21.7%

Manila

$297 31.4% 120% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tagbilaran City

$119 19.2%

Manila

$159 16.8% 33% $39

Eating Out

Tagbilaran City

$82 13.2%

Manila

$104 11% 26.8% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Tagbilaran City

$79 12.7%

Manila

$97 10.3% 23.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Tagbilaran City

$18 2.9%

Manila

$56 5.9% 209% $38

Getting Around

Tagbilaran City

$3.7 * 0.6%

Manila

$16 1.7% 339% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $191 in Tagbilaran 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.

Salaries in Manila are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17 in Tagbilaran City versus $26 in Manila. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $186 vs $216 – making Tagbilaran City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Tagbilaran City

🇵🇭 Manila

🕒 Local time

13:48 1:48 PM

Same time as Tagbilaran City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

86,411

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

On the map

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Between locations

Tagbilaran City Manila 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tagbilaran City
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $622 in Tagbilaran City, $945 in Manila – Tagbilaran City comes out roughly 34% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $933 per month in Tagbilaran 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 Tagbilaran City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $191 there versus $526 in Manila.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $622 in Tagbilaran City and $945 in Manila. That makes Tagbilaran City about 34% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $275 per month in Tagbilaran City and $599 in Manila. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $622 in Tagbilaran City and $945 in Manila, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Tagbilaran 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.

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