Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tuguegarao and Arak

For one person, living is cheaper in Arak: $480 a month against $570 in Tuguegarao, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Tuguegarao despite lower rent and utilities.

27

Cost of Living Index in Tuguegarao
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Tuguegarao Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Arak
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Arak Living Index

Jump to prices

Tuguegarao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$570

/mo nomad

Arak

🇮🇷 Iran

$480

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tuguegarao and in Arak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $570 in Tuguegarao versus $480 in Arak.

Tuguegarao $570
Arak $480

Estimated couple costs with rent: $909 in Tuguegarao versus $755 in Arak.

Tuguegarao $909
Arak $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,249 in Tuguegarao versus $1,030 in Arak.

Tuguegarao $1,249
Arak $1,030

Living in Tuguegarao is roughly 19% more expensive than in Arak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tuguegarao 58% lower, Arak 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.58 ₱101

$3.55 $3.55

-55.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.12 ₱1,030

$12.88 $12.88

25.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.68 ₱171

$4.09 $4.09

-34.47%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.73 $0.73

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 $0.57

Cappuccino

$1.74 ₱111

$1.33 $1.33

30.83%

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

$0.42 ₱26.97

$0.51 $0.51

-17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ₱17.65

$1.66 $1.66

-83.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ₱65.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₱97.5

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₱105

$0.54 $0.54

203.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ₱73.4

$0.58 $0.58

98.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.68 ₱43.28

$1.96 $1.96

-65.31%

Eggs

$1.98 ₱126

$1.28 $1.28

54.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.92 ₱314

$2.14 $2.14

129.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.26 ₱209

$2.53 $2.53

28.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.94 ₱508

$10.31 $10.31

-22.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 ₱141

$0.77 $0.77

185.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 ₱96.4

$0.94 $0.94

60.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ₱144

$0.63 $0.63

257.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ₱65.0

$0.48 $0.48

112.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 ₱110

$0.42 $0.42

309.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 ₱111

$0.44 $0.44

295.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₱39.24

$0.48 $0.48

27.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.17

$0.28 $0.28

75.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.76 $0.76

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.84 ₱117

$2.52 $2.52

-26.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.44 ₱539

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₱129

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.16

$0.10 $0.10

140.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.38 ₱855

$9.70 $9.70

37.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₱47.83

$0.25 $0.25

200.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.40

$0.12 $0.12

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ₱117

$1.02 $1.02

80.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ₱68.8

$0.10 $0.10

980.00%

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

$21.3K ₱1.4M

$50.3K $50.3K

-57.63%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$35.0K $35.0K

-46.35%

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

$31.51 ₱2,013

$10.03 $10.03

214.16%

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

$16.94 ₱1,082

$1.43 $1.43

1084.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.96 ₱1,467

$4.01 $4.01

472.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.59 ₱2,018

$9.93 $9.93

218.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.24 ₱335

$24.64 $24.64

-78.73%

Cinema Ticket

$4.95 ₱316

$1.11 $1.11

345.95%

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

$132 ₱8,409

$83.3 $83.3

58.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₱682.3K

$2,372 $2,372

350.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.57 ₱1,826

$13.59 $13.59

110.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.15 ₱1,223

$8.51 $8.51

125.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$39.08 ₱2,497

$81.9 $81.9

-52.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$23.29 ₱1,488

$52.1 $52.1

-55.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$246 ₱15.7K

$294 $294

-16.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$169 ₱10.8K

$210 $210

-19.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ₱30.8K

$781 $781

-38.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 ₱22.3K

$357 $357

-2.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,480 ₱158.5K

$1,369 $1,369

81.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,104 ₱70.5K

$647 $647

70.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$201 ₱12.9K

$375 $375

-46.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

18.5

-63.51%

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

Last update for Tuguegarao: October 26, 2026

Last update for Arak: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tuguegarao

$170 29.8%

Arak

$96 20% 43.6% $74

Accommodation & Living

Tuguegarao

$169 29.6%

Arak

$210 43.7% 24% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tuguegarao

$71 12.5%

Arak

$15 3.2% 78.3% $56

Eating Out

Tuguegarao

$52 9.2%

Arak

$65 13.6% 24.5% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Tuguegarao

$50 8.7%

Arak

$70 14.6% 41.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Tuguegarao

$41 7.3%

Arak

$12 2.5% 70.7% $29

Getting Around

Tuguegarao

$16 2.9%

Arak

$11 2.3% 32.7% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $246 in Tuguegarao and $294 in Arak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arak pays 86% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $16 in Tuguegarao vs $13 in Arak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $96 per month, with Arak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Tuguegarao

🇮🇷 Arak

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

00:38 12:38 AM

4 h 30 min behind Tuguegarao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

166,334

526,200

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tuguegarao Arak 7,300 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Tuguegarao
Arak

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

Tuguegarao vs Arak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arak is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 46% lower in Tuguegarao. 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: $246 in Tuguegarao versus $294 in Arak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $570 per month in Tuguegarao versus $480 in Arak – Arak is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Arak runs roughly 28% less than in Tuguegarao. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Arak gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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