Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zamboanga and Baguio

For one person, living costs are similar in Zamboanga and in Baguio: $734 and $737 a month, rent and utilities included.

35

Cost of Living Index in Zamboanga
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Zamboanga Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
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Baguio Living Index

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Zamboanga

🇵🇭 Philippines

$734

/mo nomad

Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $734 in Zamboanga versus $737 in Baguio.

Zamboanga $734
Baguio $737

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,106 in Zamboanga versus $1,148 in Baguio.

Zamboanga $1,106
Baguio $1,148

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,478 in Zamboanga versus $1,558 in Baguio.

Zamboanga $1,478
Baguio $1,558

Monthly costs are close between Zamboanga and Baguio; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zamboanga 46% lower, Baguio 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.31 ₱83.1

$3.92 ₱249

-66.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.01 ₱1,016

$16.66 ₱1,058

-3.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.32 ₱211

$2.73 ₱173

21.61%

Cappuccino

$2.01 ₱127

$1.80 ₱114

11.67%

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

$0.84 ₱53.3

$0.55 ₱34.99

52.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ₱25.18

$0.33 ₱21.15

21.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.43 ₱91.1

$0.99 ₱63.2

44.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ₱129

$1.54 ₱97.6

31.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ₱113

$1.59 ₱101

11.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ₱89.5

$1.14 ₱72.7

23.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ₱69.7

$0.97 ₱61.3

13.40%

Eggs

$1.50 ₱95.3

$1.99 ₱126

-24.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 ₱647

$5.11 ₱324

99.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.98 ₱253

$3.27 ₱208

21.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.28 ₱209

$7.63 ₱484

-57.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 ₱197

$2.19 ₱139

42.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ₱75.0

$1.55 ₱98.7

-23.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.72 ₱236

$2.26 ₱143

64.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 ₱72.0

$1.02 ₱64.7

10.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 ₱77.7

$1.73 ₱110

-29.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 ₱159

$1.69 ₱107

47.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 ₱54.8

$0.65 ₱40.99

32.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.34

$0.51 ₱32.55

-3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.66 ₱169

$2.94 ₱187

-9.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.06 ₱258

$8.50 ₱540

-52.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₱81.6

$0.95 ₱60.1

34.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ₱124

$2.05 ₱130

-4.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ₱13.22

$0.22 ₱13.97

-4.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.20 ₱902

$12.90 ₱820

10.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₱47.85

$0.81 ₱51.6

-7.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.06

$0.24 ₱15.30

-8.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ₱103

$1.90 ₱121

-14.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 ₱63.7

$1.19 ₱75.8

-15.97%

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

$20.0K ₱1.3M

$21.3K ₱1.4M

-5.88%

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

$17.5K ₱1.1M

$18.8K ₱1.2M

-6.60%

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

$118 ₱7,511

$136 ₱8,631

-12.98%

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

$15.99 ₱1,015

$17.08 ₱1,085

-6.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.02 ₱2,986

$23.01 ₱1,461

104.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.45 ₱2,251

$20.76 ₱1,318

70.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.16 ₱328

$5.23 ₱332

-1.34%

Cinema Ticket

$5.19 ₱329

$5.03 ₱320

3.18%

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

$129 ₱8,207

$132 ₱8,414

-2.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,770 ₱493.5K

$10.6K ₱670.1K

-26.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.17 ₱2,043

$28.91 ₱1,836

11.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.70 ₱1,315

$19.53 ₱1,240

5.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.3 ₱4,398

$71.5 ₱4,541

-3.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.4 ₱3,515

$54.9 ₱3,486

0.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$254 ₱16.2K

$393 ₱25.0K

-35.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$167 ₱10.6K

$192 ₱12.2K

-13.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$334 ₱21.2K

$819 ₱52.0K

-59.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$350 ₱22.2K

$463 ₱29.4K

-24.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,716 ₱172.5K

$3,156 ₱200.4K

-13.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,102 ₱70.0K

$1,526 ₱96.9K

-27.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$186 ₱11.8K

$179 ₱11.4K

3.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.92

6.75

2.52%

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

Last update for Zamboanga: 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

Zamboanga

$182 24.8%

Baguio

$171 23.2% 6.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zamboanga

$181 24.7%

Baguio

$176 23.9% 2.9% $5.3

Accommodation & Living

Zamboanga

$167 22.7%

Baguio

$192 26.1% 15.3% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Zamboanga

$80 10.9%

Baguio

$79 10.7% 1.5% $1.2

Eating Out

Zamboanga

$61 8.3%

Baguio

$73 9.9% 19.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Zamboanga

$46 6.3%

Baguio

$31 4.2% 32.7% $15

Getting Around

Zamboanga

$17 2.3%

Baguio

$16 2.1% 6.5% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $254 in Zamboanga and $393 in Baguio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zamboanga pays 4% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $16 in Zamboanga vs $17 in Baguio. Groceries flip the comparison at $182 vs $171, with Baguio cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Zamboanga

🇵🇭 Baguio

🕒 Local time

09:08 9:08 AM

Same time as Zamboanga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

366,358

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zamboanga Baguio 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Zamboanga
Baguio

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

Zamboanga vs Baguio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 4% higher in Zamboanga, 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: $254 in Zamboanga versus $393 in Baguio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Baguio runs roughly 9% less than in Zamboanga. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Shoppers in Baguio pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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

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.