Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tarlac City and Baguio

For one person, living is cheaper in Tarlac City: $523 a month against $737 in Baguio, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Tarlac City
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Tarlac City Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
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Baguio Living Index

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Tarlac City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$523

/mo nomad

Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tarlac City and in Baguio

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $523 in Tarlac City versus $737 in Baguio.

Tarlac City $523
Baguio $737

Estimated couple costs with rent: $801 in Tarlac City versus $1,148 in Baguio.

Tarlac City $801
Baguio $1,148

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,080 in Tarlac City versus $1,558 in Baguio.

Tarlac City $1,080
Baguio $1,558

Living in Tarlac City costs roughly 29% less than in Baguio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tarlac City 62% lower, Baguio 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.99 ₱127

$3.92 ₱250

-49.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.94 ₱506

$16.66 ₱1,062

-52.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.67 ₱170

$2.73 ₱174

-2.20%

Cappuccino

$1.82 ₱116

$1.80 ₱115

1.11%

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

$0.48 ₱30.74

$0.55 ₱35.11

-12.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₱19.16

$0.33 ₱21.22

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.95 ₱60.7

$0.99 ₱63.4

-4.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₱100

$1.54 ₱97.9

2.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₱105

$1.59 ₱101

3.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ₱72.1

$1.14 ₱72.9

-0.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱64.1

$0.97 ₱61.5

4.12%

Eggs

$1.92 ₱123

$1.99 ₱127

-3.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.95 ₱315

$5.11 ₱326

-3.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.68 ₱171

$3.27 ₱209

-18.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.35 ₱405

$7.63 ₱486

-16.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 ₱100

$2.19 ₱140

-28.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 ₱96.5

$1.55 ₱99.1

-2.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 ₱128

$2.26 ₱144

-11.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.9

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 ₱109

$1.73 ₱110

-1.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ₱75.5

$1.69 ₱108

-29.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ₱41.82

$0.65 ₱41.13

1.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱33.34

$0.51 ₱32.66

1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.97 ₱189

$2.94 ₱187

1.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.72 ₱237

$8.50 ₱542

-56.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ₱57.0

$0.95 ₱60.3

-6.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ₱97.1

$2.05 ₱131

-25.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.32

$0.22 ₱14.02

9.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.05 ₱513

$12.90 ₱822

-37.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₱47.51

$0.81 ₱51.7

-7.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.94

$0.24 ₱15.35

-8.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ₱82.8

$1.90 ₱121

-31.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₱71.0

$1.19 ₱76.0

-6.72%

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

$21.2K ₱1.4M

$21.3K ₱1.4M

-0.13%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$18.8K ₱1.2M

1.18%

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

$87.4 ₱5,568

$136 ₱8,660

-35.71%

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

$5.34 ₱340

$17.08 ₱1,088

-68.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.23 ₱1,480

$23.01 ₱1,466

0.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.36 ₱2,508

$20.76 ₱1,323

89.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.91 ₱1,014

$5.23 ₱333

204.21%

Cinema Ticket

$5.11 ₱326

$5.03 ₱321

1.59%

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

$130 ₱8,276

$132 ₱8,442

-1.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₱669.4K

$10.6K ₱672.3K

-0.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.72 ₱1,830

$28.91 ₱1,842

-0.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.79 ₱1,198

$19.53 ₱1,244

-3.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.0 ₱3,948

$71.5 ₱4,556

-13.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.50 ₱3,027

$54.9 ₱3,497

-13.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$87.2 ₱5,558

$393 ₱25.1K

-77.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$70.5 ₱4,495

$192 ₱12.2K

-63.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$248 ₱15.8K

$819 ₱52.2K

-69.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$163 ₱10.4K

$463 ₱29.5K

-64.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$370 ₱23.6K

$3,156 ₱201.1K

-88.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$284 ₱18.1K

$1,526 ₱97.2K

-81.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$208 ₱13.3K

$179 ₱11.4K

16.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

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

Last update for Tarlac City: October 27, 2026

Last update for Baguio: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tarlac City

$148 28.4%

Baguio

$171 23.2% 15.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tarlac City

$116 22.2%

Baguio

$176 23.9% 51.8% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Tarlac City

$71 13.5%

Baguio

$79 10.7% 11.4% $8

Accommodation & Living

Tarlac City

$71 13.5%

Baguio

$192 26.1% 173% $122

Eating Out

Tarlac City

$57 10.9%

Baguio

$73 9.9% 28.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Tarlac City

$50 9.5%

Baguio

$31 4.2% 37.8% $19

Getting Around

Tarlac City

$11 2.1%

Baguio

$16 2.1% 45.6% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $87 in Tarlac City and $393 in Baguio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tarlac City pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $8 in Tarlac City vs $17 in Baguio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $148 vs $171 per month, with Tarlac City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Tarlac City

🇵🇭 Baguio

🕒 Local time

12:07 12:07 PM

Same time as Tarlac City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

385,398

366,358

💱 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

Tarlac City Baguio 100 km

From you

Tarlac City
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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

Tarlac City vs Baguio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tarlac City wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Baguio. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tarlac City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Tarlac City, 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: $87 in Tarlac City versus $393 in Baguio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $523 per month in Tarlac City versus $737 in Baguio – Tarlac City is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Tarlac City runs roughly 38% less than in Baguio. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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, Tarlac City and Baguio are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Tarlac City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Baguio. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.